Sales often slow down in the summer. Take advantage. During the quieter months, look back at the first half of the year. Ask the reps to do the same. Use this information to guide the second half.

Frequently, when I suggest taking the time to revisit sales plans from six months ago, clients say to me, "I know the status of every account. I talk to the reps all the time.  There won't be any surprises for me." 

And they do speak with the reps. And they do know about changes in accounts.  But these conversations tend to be informal - more anecdotal than data driven. Some accounts get discussed more frequently than others. Often reps avoid calling attention to accounts they are struggling with.

Situations Change

Half the year has elapsed.  During a six month period companies might:

• launch / discontinue products
• buy other companies
• sell off divisions
• increase staff
• lose / gain major accounts
• downsize
• hire / lose key executives

In business, things move quickly.  Uncover what or if anything has changed with your client list.

Get an Accurate Picture

Account by account, provide the reps with year-to-date (first half) performance against their territory plan through June of 2015.

	Annual Plan	1st Half Plan	1st Half Actual	% of 1st Half Plan
Customer X	$49,000	$24,500	$22,000	90%
Customer Y	$34,000	$17,000	$9,000	53%
Customer Z	$17,000	$8,500	$28,000	329%
Total	$100,000	$50,000	$59,000	118%

Account Review

Once you've both looked over the first half numbers, discuss each account. The salesperson's observations could include the following:

• Company X -  though behind for the year, rep expects a large order in Q4 due to seasonal buying pattern.
• Company Y -  overbought last year; running down inventory.
• Company Z - competition has serious backorder issue. Switched to using our company as primary rather than secondary vendor.

Revised Plan

Once you've discussed the accounts to your satisfaction, ask the rep to:

• review the territory plan they turned in six months ago
• develop a new plan for each account for the next six months

	Annual Plan	1st Half Actual	2nd Half Plan	Total	% of Plan
Customer X	$49,000	$22,000	$26,000	$48,000	98%
Customer Y	$34,000	$9,000	$10,000	$19,000	56%
Customer Z	$17,000	$28,000	$17,500	$45,500	268%
Total	$100,000	$59,000	$53,500	$112,500	113%

Note that this doesn't change their quota, just the way that they are approaching making their quota within their territory.

Take Action

This revision gives both the rep and manager the chance to execute to new strategies. While the rep expects a large Q4 order from Company X, it isn't guaranteed. Being alerted to the inventory problems with Company Y, the manager has some ideas. She asks to accompany the rep on the next calls to those two organizations.

With Company Z, the manager wonders why her company would limit sales to those products the competitor cannot ship. She coaches the rep on inquiring about and submitting proposals on other items.

Importance of Revised Plans

Re-doing a sales plan involves takes time, patience and communication. It pays off, though. You move into the second half of the year with a better idea of the potential revenue within each territory and account. The revenue projections become less about guesswork and more about updated information.