HELP!!!!!!!!!!

[ga/oh-man]

I Have to put toghter a sales plan for the upcoming year and I have never done one. I have just changed jobs from a tech to a teritory product rep, I know how to fix things and my product but the planing and putting toghter a business plan is all new.

[NormChris]

Use the goals and objectives approach.

Establish a goal. A broad statement of what you want to achieve.

Then write a set of objectives, a series of statements that when completed will lead to to achieving the goal. The goal is a general statement while the objectives are very specific items leading to the goal.

I use this method no matter what it is that I am starting to work on. Putting a class or seminar together, preparing a speech, developing a marketing plan, establishing a sales plan, writing an article, etc...

Norm

[ga/oh-man]

Should the goal be long term or short. For example month to month or a year.

[NormChris]

For sales and marketing get two books.

"Tech To Tech" by Chris Reak and "Gorilla Marketing" available at your local library.

[NormChris]

Originally posted by ga/oh-man
Should the goal be long term or short. For example month to month or a year.

I have a variety of goals, some shorter term and others long term. I have sets of goals and objectives for different things. I have personal goals with objectives as well as professional goals with objectives. Some things take longer than others, it all depends upon what it is you are trying to achieve.

For example, there are long term marketing plans for the company that may layout the big picture or you may be establishing a shorter term heating season plan or a cooling season sales plan.

It all depends upon what you are trying to accomplish. A goal and its objectives for a one day seminar is a short plan while a full semester long HVAC course would be a long term plan. A full two year HVAC curriculum would be a very long term plan and may look more like a book. The more you organize yourself using this method the better you get at it and the less time it takes. If you don't have a written plan you are just shooting in the dark and will most likely not be very successful. Every successful company has a business plan and follows that plan. That is how franchises work. They have a well developed and carefully crafted plan which starts out with well defined goals and objectives followed by compartmentalized individual plans that fit the overall plan. If everybody follows their assigned plan then the overall plan is successful and the business makes money.

How extensive the plan is depends upon what you are trying to achieve. I have been writing and using goals and objectives for instructional programs for years. I keep them long after the program is done and then am able to use them as guides for new instructional programs, classes and seminars. It works and works well. The experience and materials you gain each time you develop something is fed into the next project.

[NormChris]

As you continue to use this method you learn what works and what does not under different circumstances and you have a written record to refer to.

[NormChris]

Here is an example:


The goal must be realistic. To set a goal stating that all of your service technicians will be NATE certified within the next 12 months would probably not be realistic. A realistic goal migh be as follows:

GOAL:

All company service technicians with four or more years of experience will become NATE certified in Heat Pumps withing the next 12 months.

Reasoning: Heat Pump certification also doubles as Air Conditioning certification.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Hold an 8-hour basic HVAC Electricity review seminar within the next 3 months. Assign homework which will be collected and give a 50 question review exam one week after the seminar.

2. Hold a 16-hour Heat Pump seminar assign and collect homework and give a 50 question review exam one week after the seminar.

3. Purchase and distribute a copy of the book PAL's HVAC Technician Exam Guide for each technician. One month later hold a 3-hour group discussion on test taking strategies as covered in the first chapters of the book.

4. Schedule and give the NATE core and Heat Pump exams.

[NormChris]

Of course, you will also have to set goals and objectives for each of the classes to ensure that the material covered actually pertains to the NATE Heat Pump certification test. Everything you do must relate directly to the established goal.

The idea is to make sure that everything you do directly relates to accomplishing the goal. This method keeps you on track.

[NormChris]

Another thing. If whatever you are going to do will require the company to come up with some money then having a plan with goals and objectives gives you something to show to the company administration to justify the cost. There should be a cost justification clause in the plan.

Norm

[ga/oh-man]

thanks you have a lot of great ideas. I also have come up with a cool give away at the end of my class any thoughts? Something that will stick with them or they wont toss on the way out.

[NormChris]

Originally posted by ga/oh-man
thanks you have a lot of great ideas. I also have come up with a cool give away at the end of my class any thoughts? Something that will stick with them or they wont toss on the way out.

I give away a TI-30 (Texas Instruments) scientific calculator at my seminars. We use it in class, we all have the same calculator and I project an image of it using a document arm on my computer projector. That way the class can follow along and see how I work out the math.

I went to Office Max and got a special price on calculators by purchasing them 30 to 50 at a time. The cost of the calculator is built into the seminar fee along with the cost of all other handout materials.

Every student leaves the class with a calculator plus the HVAC equations and knowledge of how and when to use them.

"Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!"

Norm