A sales plan in ten steps.

An effective sales budget is critical to making other important business decisions that affect your sales team and business operations as a whole.
Auteur: Erik Camman
Categorie: Sales

Het verkoopbudget heeft invloed op de verkoopprocessen tot het aantal nieuwe verkopers tot aan boord en alles daartussenin. Het verkoopbudget is een essentieel onderdeel om het bedrijf winstgevend te laten blijven en kansen in de toekomst te pakken.

Aan het einde van dit blog kan je een verkoopbegroting maken. Je kunt natuurlijk ook gebruik maken van de kennis van Klantenfabriek om jouw begroting te spiegelen. Onze specialisten staan voor je klaar voor een vrijblijvende kennismaking.

Het verkoopbudget (en het proces om het op te stellen) is een gids en helpt het bedrijf en zijn verkoopteam de rest van de maand, het kwartaal en het jaar te sturen. Hoe nauwkeuriger het verkoopbudget, hoe effectiever het bedrijf kan worden geleid.

Een verkoopbudget opstellen

Laten we eens beginnen met een open deur: één van de belangrijkste dingen om in gedachten te houden bij het opstellen van jouw budget is dat het realistisch is. Je moet rekening houden met zowel interne als externe factoren die de verkoopcijfers gedurende de hele budgetperiode beïnvloeden. Hier zijn de stappen die je moet zetten om een ​​uitvoerbaar, nauwkeurig en vooral realistisch verkoopbudget te creëren om jouw verkoopteam winstgevend te houden.

1. Selecteer een periode voor het budget

Het eerste dat je doet is de periode selecteren die je voor jouw budget wilt gebruiken. Verkoopbudgetten zijn meestal gestructureerd als een driemaandelijks budget met een jaartotaal, maar ze kunnen ook worden opgezet als slechts een algemeen jaarbudget. Veel managers stappen in de valkuil dat ze een te gedetailleerd plan willen presenteren. Klanten laten zich zelden dwingen.

2. Beoordeel jouw verkoopprijzen

Houd de huidige verkoopprijs van elke eenheid of dienst bij de hand. Als je meerdere producten of diensten hebt, heb je voor elk product de huidige verkoopprijs nodig. Als verkoopprijzen  later in het jaar wijzigen (vanwege de toegenomen vraag, verwachte stijgingen van de materiaalkosten, enz.), zorg dan dat je ook die nieuwe prijzen bij de hand hebt. Denk eens goed na over het prijsbeleid en leg eens uit waarom je een bepaalde prijs hanteert en of dat wel de optimale prijs is in de markt waar je in opereert.

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3. Retrieve historical sales data

While you’re thinking strategically, look at past results. If your business has been around for a while, this is your main starting point when creating a sales budget. Look at which customers have dropped out, increased or decreased in sales and ask yourself what causes that.

4. Review industry benchmarks

I see it happen too infrequently: looking at the neighbors. Yet that is a valuable and profitable activity. What does the market look like next to your company, how do colleagues do it, and what do your (potential) customers think about it? Benchmarks and sales data for listed clients and competitors are available online. You can also get industry-wide statistics and other important financial data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Whether you’re a startup or an experienced entrepreneur, using recent benchmarks helps create a more accurate sales budget.

5. What are the market trends

Last year’s sales figures lay a good foundation for starting your sales budget. It is also true that past performance does not always predict future results. Therefore, current market trends should also be a factor in setting your budget.

Whether the market is growing or shrinking, you must factor it into your sales budget. Another example of a market trend to consider is the increased saturation of competitors this year compared to last year, which may lead to a slight drop in sales, even temporarily.

6. Assess your sales team

Look at how many vendors you have available. Compare this number to previous sales periods. Also consider attrition: a new salesperson takes quite a while to become successful. Some salespeople have reached the top of their sales and need to optimize for results. When creating a sales budget, adjust your plan accordingly.

7. What internal factors are important?

All changes made to the business model affect the sales budget figures. See what plans the company has and how you can facilitate them in your sales plan. Changes can include things like expanding your range of products or services, expanding into new markets, discontinuing products or recent price changes. For example, if last year 35% of sales came from a product or service you no longer offer, this should be factored into your new sales budget.

8. Listen to your salespeople and customers

Salespeople are the ones who deal with customers every day in today’s market. Get an idea of the number of sales they expect and what their individual pipelines look like based on their efforts. Vendors’ input is of great value in creating an accurate sales budget.

Customers themselves are also a great resource when it comes to creating a sales budget. Especially regular customers. What they are willing to spend on your products or services in the coming year compared to last year is a clear indicator of future sales. What do customers expect from your company?

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9. Evaluate the sales funnel

Look at the percentage of prospects in your sales funnel that converted into customers. For example, let’s say 30% of prospects closed successfully last year, then you can estimate that 30% of the prospects in your team’s sales funnel will convert into customers this year.

10. Make the budget

Meanwhile, we can compile the data and information collected into an estimated number of units expected to be sold in the coming year. Now you can make the actual sales budget. Simply put, if you have the totals for the expected number of units sold, multiply that by the current sales price to get your estimated sales totals. You do this for products, services and hours.

Tip: Track the budget closely

After creating the sales budget, it is equally important to continue to monitor it regularly and revise it as needed. Compare the budget with the outcome and analyze the results. The sales budget is not set in stone and can be fluid. If sales start going much higher (or lower) than expected, you may want to revise the numbers during the budget period. Especially if you sell products. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you can’t meet demand or instead have a large surplus of products. You also want to be able to realistically allocate revenue to production, marketing, etc. and proactively have an idea of where adjustments to the sales process may need to be made to remain effective.

After the expected sales period of your budget ends, compare the total number of estimated sales to what was actually sold. Any discrepancies can be used to help you create more accurate future budgets.

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