Sometimes, the ox in the mire prompts you to startling research.  And my research - including a web search, a sifting through the experiences of some of the best sales experts I know, and my own experience suggests that there really is a gap in the development of corporate sales strategies/plans.

It is surprising, of course, because so much depends on sales.  And many organizations convince themselves that all is well on the sales front because the salesperson has a pipeline and closes some deals - they have a customer list/base and some tools (usually from marketing) to make things happen.

But above them - at the corporate "strategic" level, there seems to be a dearth of insight into how to build an effective sales strategy.

If you are, like me, more disposed to the marketing realm, then you would assume that the marketing plan informs and drives the sales plan.  I certainly believe there is value in that assumption.

But if sales and selling is truly about reaching "the one" - about what happens in that interaction space between (potential) client and the sales representative - then there is more to a strategic sales plan than rehashing positioning, SWOT, et al.

So what might be in a good corporate sales strategy?  Certainly, there is background and research, some of which comes from marketing's efforts to build a plan informed by research.  And I am convinced there is clear product or solution definition, something again driven by what marketing has crafted, but usually "operationalized" by the sales leadership.

One of the "translation" points, where marketing information fuels a strategic sales process, relates to segmentation.  Market segmentation is typically studied and defined by marketing functionaries; a not uncommon problem, however, is how to use the "pictures" created of clients "susceptible" to the message into something that can truly be acted upon. I know my experience in sales was just such; an insightful marketing manager shared a brief description of market segments, those less insightful or engaged did not.  And somehow, it is left to sales to then "select" the individual (potential) clients.  Sometimes sales management knows what to do in those circumstance; and sometimes they are reluctant to intervene, so they hope and pray that the salesperson "figures it out".  This approach reminds me of hope as a strategy - interesting, but usually ineffective.  A good corporate sales strategy takes the segment information passed along and creates actionable criteria for all salespersons to use in their identification of target clients.  And the process has some escape valves - allowing the sales person a bit of discretion.  In this balance there is a lot of wisdom. And some responsibility should necessarily be placed on the salesperson to add insight - by mapping, to the extent of their knowledge, the key influencers who will step up to the plate as solution "advocates".

A good corporate sales strategy must include global identification of critical success factors that are focused on selling.  These may differ, to some extent, from the CSFs or key actions that come out of a marketing plan. Regardless, there is great value in approaching identification of these CSFs through the KLIK paradigm - what must you Kill, what must you Limit, what must you Increase, and what must you Keep. These statements provide clear direction about selling methodologies and activities.  For example, and I admit to this weakness myself, it is very easy to chase RFPs as a sales activity - but the close rates on these are typically far worse than on face to face selling through relationships.  Yet relationships take work, and part of the sales effort is minimizing work while maximizing return.  A good corporate plan addresses these types of activities through the KLIK lens.

Potential problems and issues always do arise during selling, and a good corporate sales plan anticipates these and, where possible, provides remedies.  Often, these remedies come from practical experience, which speaks to the value of an evolving sales play book.

The corporate sales strategy should address closing factors - and what will be tolerated and not. Standards for negotiating positions, terms and conditions, etc. should all be highlighted in ways that allow sales representatives to operationalize them.

After-closing policies and practices should also be enumerated in a clear fashion in a good corporate sales strategy.  These should include considerations about customer care, warranties, referral-seeking, and more.

Finally, a good corporate sales strategy addresses the dreaded "metrics" platform on which performance will be continually measured. The crafting of intelligent metrics is actually quite an art - and it is my opinion, substantiated by decent experience, that activity does not equal results.  Working with some of your best salespeople can help you identify sales metrics that are actually meaningful, with an important principle being that you want to identify leading measures (those which demonstrate trends before the trend). 

Among the purposes of a good corporate sales strategy is to set a standard by which individual salespeople will establish their territorial action plans. The format and detail level expected in those TAPS should be outlined.  TAPs delve more deeply into the details of who are the (potential) customers, how frequently should they be seen (to build relationships and move them through the buying process), and what corporate resources are required to support the sales process.

I will write more about the elements of a good corporate sales strategy, hoping that others will share their wisdom on this topic, but for the sake of visual learners who want to see it at a glance, I've attached a mind map/schematic which captures some of my notions on this topic.  Share with me your refinements that will strengthen the framework!