Most sales people are comfortable creating their first 90 day sales plan once they start their new job, but Pharmaceutical Sales Executive Recruiter, Nancy Ragonese says, “Spending the time to think through and even write down all the issues, goals and strategies associated with a 30-60-90 day sales plan can clarify why you should or shouldn’t take a job. It also shows incredible initiative to the potential employer…never a bad thing in a salesperson.” Here is a step-by-step approach to create an effective 30-60-90 day sales plan.
Online Template
Google “template for 30-60-90 day sales plan” and you will find multiple formats ready and waiting for you. Here are two examples from salesman.org and medicalsalesinterviewsuccess.com. This will allow you to focus on the content not obsess over the look of the document.
Research
It is amazing how much information is available through the internet. Without much effort you should be able to understand a company’s values, products, market strengths and weaknesses and major problems. This is often available right on the company’s website or social media profiles but media coverage and publications are also incredibly informative. LinkedIn profiles, both individuals and company pages, offer an opportunity to dig deeper. Profiles of current employees, both members of your potential new team and members of other sales teams, can give you hidden gems of insight. Employer groups and discussions can highlight what the company believes its important issues are.
In your research you are understanding your target company’s vision and issues but you also need to research how your particularl skill set fits into that company. For example, if you are staying in the same therapeutic area and same geographic area but switching drugs you have valuable knowledge about the target customers and their prior prescribing history. This information is invaluable to your potential new employer. Perhaps you won’t share it before you have the job offer but incorporating in your 30-60-90 day sales plan once you are hired will earn you kudos and opportunity.
30 Days
Allot time for onboarding and any required company training. Budget time for learning about company products and services if not included in the training. Interface and develop relationships with your team and your internal suppliers of information and support. Detail territory and existing customer relationships as well as target relationships.
60 Days
You are in the field getting to know your customers, understanding their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with your product or your company. Budget specific times to meet with your manager to discuss your development of the territory or a specific customer. Learn from peers how to work this territory more efficiently and successfully. Use a tool to map out sales routes.
90 Days
Start optimizing your prospect list with the larger, more strategic clients. Revisit cold leads to see whether you can initiate new conversations. Detail how you will establish and build relationships with clients and prospects and how you will implement feedback to become better at your job and help support your team. Feel successfully on board.
Use Metrics
In the first 30 days a metric might be ‘Complete CRM platform training.’ In the 60 to 90 day time period you must attach specific numbers to your strategy. What are your actual sales versus the projections you made? What was the reason you failed or exceeded that goal? Did you make the number of calls you forecast? Where is there room for improvement?
Common Mistakes
Ambiguity, no concrete measures of success and a fixed mindset are common mistakes in a 30-60-90 day sales plan. Another way of expressing these mistakes is a lack of clarity about your goals and how they fit into the company goals, no metrics measuring whether you are successful or not and you are so set in your ways you aren’t open to the suggestions of your peers or your managers. Avoid these problems!
