Are you a sales leader with your head down planning the sales strategy for the year ahead?

As you review this year’s results and look ahead to growth, one thing is certain: you can’t afford to leave your planning to chance. Your competitors are sharpening their strategy too—and some of them are eyeing your market share.

The truth is, many companies are still planning in the wrong way.

Here are five core areas you must get right to build a business plan that drives real commercial impact:

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1. Lack of Customer Involvement

The most important voice in your plan is the customer’s—yet most sales plans are created in isolation.

Ask yourself:

• Where do your customers believe you add the greatest value?
• How can you help them grow next year?
• What services or support do they truly need—versus what you think they need?

Customer-led insight is the foundation of competitive advantage.

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2. A Plan That Isn’t a Living Document

Too many plans—even well-written ones—end up filed away until next year. They don’t influence daily behaviour.

What you need is a one-page, working document that links:

• Results (what you want to achieve)
• Objectives (what must change)
• Activities (what you will do, consistently)
• Metrics (how you will measure progress)

This is what I call a ROAM Plan—and it keeps the strategy alive, visible, and implemented.

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3. No Clear Sales Objectives

Many business plans set financial targets but stop short of defining how sales will achieve them.

Without clear sales objectives, the focus becomes vague and each salesperson ends up inventing their own approach.

Your plan should translate commercial goals into a small number of measurable, aligned sales objectives that drive the right behaviours.

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4. No Defined Sales Activities

Sales success is built on consistent action, not ambition.

Your plan should spell out the specific weekly sales activities required to deliver those objectives—whether that’s pipeline development, client meetings, opportunity reviews, value-led proposals, or proactive account growth actions.

Activities drive outcomes.

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5. No Sales Activity Metrics

Most plans measure only results—revenue, margin, turnover. Important, yes, but they show what already happened.
To manage effectively, you need activity-based metrics that track the behaviours that actually produce those results.

This is how you build accountability, visibility, and control into the sales process.

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Get these five elements right and you’ll create a plan that:

• Adds real value to your customers
• Gives your sales team clarity and confidence
• Aligns daily activity with strategic goals
• Gives management clear visibility month by month

Like to talk through any aspect of your sales planning, drop me a line at peter@peterholland.uk —let’s make the coming year your strongest yet.

Dedicated to Your Sales Success,
Peter