UnSales Forecasting

Article One of Three.

Many organisations still follow the generic sales forecasting method – add your most aggressive fantasy to last year’s achievement! Here’s an attempt to a fresh new way:

Step One. Market Scoping.

1. Listen to the Market: First and foremost, listen to your market. Free yourself from the answer you so want to listen to (cut out thoughts like: there’s always a huge scope for my company, there will be flooded demand for my products and services, if we just push ourselves a little more we can achieve the impossible, etc.). Replace what can only be called wishful thoughts with bare facts. Only then will you get real insights. Most business leaders are so petrified doing this even to themselves, they use the overused tactic – denial.
2. Understand what you have – Current Customers: Grab a cup of coffee and fall in love with your current customers. Jot down all possible patterns, traits, commonalities you find between all of them. Think of all the reasons why these customers have bought from you last year. If you don’t get an answer to that, ask your customers. Let your customers be intrigued. Only good can come out of it.
3. What you seek is seeking you – Rumi: The commonalities that emerge from your current customers are the blueprint for you to find your new customers. These are the people with problems that need your products and services. Now, map the market. Search only for those who need you. You won’t need to sell. Promise.

For example, if your company is into financial services and you are doing this activity. I am yet to meet a human who is not looking at making money. If you are going to help him make more money out of your services, you are going to be irresistible! I do not then see the need for you to sell (What you sought has actually been seeking you!)!! The trick is in finding just those people now. Get to the drawing board, write down/ draw all the financial commonalities, educational backgrounds, social patterns – everything that comes to your mind. Now, collect data based only on these parameters. These are your priority one target prospects.

You have your market scoped out, hand crafted and ready for you.

Next article will detail the second most important element – how to map your Sales Energy or the forces you plan to send to your market. Your UnSales Forecast will be born out of the two.