Sales Strategy vs. Sales Plan

Don’t Screw This Up, People!

Today, we’re gonna dive into a topic that makes me want to pull my hair out every time I see people messing it up: the difference between a sales strategy vs. sales plan. And let’s face it, since I don’t have any hair on my head left, you know it’s got to be true.

Look, I’ve been selling since the 1900’s and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a company where the leadership is running around like chickens with their heads cut off, confusing these two critical elements. So, buckle up, buttercup – we’re about to set the record straight.

What the Heck is a Sales Strategy?

Alright, let’s start with the big kahuna: sales strategy. This is the high-level, big-picture stuff that frustrates the C-Suite constantly. The issue is them though, not us. They often confuse the two. They think they are the same thing, and they allow them to overlap which just causes more confusion, forcing us deep into the rabbit hole of ambiguity and further confusion.

Setting the record straight, a sales strategy is like the GPS for your entire sales operation. It’s telling you where you want to go and why you want to get there. Here’s what it typically covers:

1. Long-term vision: We’re talking years here, not months. What’s the endgame?
2. Market positioning: Where do you fit in the grand scheme of things? Are you the Rolls Royce or the Toyota of your industry? And no, you probably are not the Rolls Royce any more than you are the world leader, next Uber of, or anything of the sort.
3. Ideal customer profile (ICP): Who are you selling to? And don’t give me that “everyone” BS. Be specific! And if you are just getting started you are not allowed to pick more than three ICPs.
4. Value proposition: What makes you special? Think specific use cases. People buy pictures of pains, not words. Here’s a bad example, “we’re passionate about customer service”.
5. Sales methodology: Are you solution selling? N.E.A.T. Selling? Value selling? Pick a lane!

Your sales strategy should answer questions like:

• How big is our Total Addressable Market (TAM)?
• Who are we trying to sell to?
• Why would they buy from us instead of others?
• How do we want to be seen in the market?
• What’s our overall approach to winning deals?

If your sales strategy doesn’t answer these questions, congrats! You’ve just identified why your missing your targets month after month or quarter after quarter.

What’s a Sales Plan, and Why Should I Care?

Now, let’s talk about the sales plan. If your strategy is the GPS, your plan is the turn-by-turn directions. It’s the nitty-gritty, down-and-dirty details of how you’re going to make that beautiful sales strategy a reality.

A solid sales plan includes:

1. Specific goals: We’re talking numbers, people. How many deals? What’s the revenue target? Average sales cycles? 
2. Action items: What are you actually going to DO to hit those numbers?
3. Territory and account plans: Accountability is critical. Who’s responsible for what? And how will you hold yourself accountable? If you hold yourself accountable then it flows downhill from there. 
4. Timelines: When does this stuff need to happen?
5. Resources needed: What do you need to make it all happen? Budget, headcount, tech stack – spell it out!

Your sales plan should answer:

• What are our specific targets for this quarter/year?
• How many leads do we need to hit our numbers?
• What activities are we focusing on?
• Who’s doing what?

If your plan doesn’t get this specific, you might as well be throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Why People Screw This Up (And How Not To)

Alright, here’s where things usually go off the rails. People confuse strategy for tactics, or they think having a plan means they have a strategy. Let me break it down for you:

1. Tactics ain’t strategy: Deciding to “make more cold calls” isn’t a strategy, folks. It’s a tactic. A strategy would be deciding to focus on outbound prospecting to break into a new market segment. 
2. Short-term thinking: If your “strategy” doesn’t look beyond the next quarter, it’s not a strategy. It’s a panic attack.
3. Inflexibility: Your strategy should be stable, but your plan needs to be flexible. The market changes, and so should your tactics.
4. Misaligned resources: I once worked with a company that invested in a fancy new CRM without any clear idea of how it fit into their overall strategy. Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well.
5. Confusion in communication: If your sales team can’t clearly articulate your strategy AND their role in the plan, you’ve got a problem.

Here’s a real-world example: I once consulted for a SaaS company that proudly told me their strategy was to “increase sales by 50% this year.” That’s not a strategy, people – that’s a goal. We had to take a step back and figure out their actual strategy: focusing on enterprise clients in the healthcare sector with a value-based selling approach. Then we could create a plan to make that 50% growth a reality.

How to Get This Right (And Crush Your Numbers)

Alright, let’s wrap this up with how to actually do this right. Here’s your game plan:

Craft Your Strategy:

1. Know thyself (and thy market): SWOT analysis, competitive landscape, all that jazz.
2. Define your ideal customer: Get specific. I want demographics, firmographics, psychographics – the works.
3. Nail your value prop: What makes you special? And I mean really special, not what your mom says makes you special.
4. Set long-term goals: Think big and be realistic.
5. Choose your battleground: Direct sales? Channel partners? Both?
6. Pick your weapons: What’s your sales methodology? What is your sales process?

Build Your Plan:

1. Break it down: Turn those lofty strategic goals into specific, measurable objectives.
2. Get detailed: I want to see activities, responsibilities, and deadlines.
3. Resource up: What do you need to make this happen? Be specific.
4. Set your quotas: Make them challenging but achievable.
5. Document your process: From lead gen to closing, I want it all spelled out.
6. Create your tools: Sales collateral, pitch decks, battle cards – arm your team!
7. Train ’em up: Your team is only as good as their skills. Invest in them!
8. Track and measure: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
9. Manage that pipeline: Keep it clean, keep it moving.
10. Always be improving: Review and adjust regularly. The market doesn’t stand still, and neither should you.

Look, at the end of the day (uggh, I hate buzzwords), your sales strategy is your game plan, and your sales plan is how you execute that game plan. Keep them aligned, keep them clear, and for the love of all that is holy, keep them separate!

Remember, a good strategy without a solid plan is just a dream. And a detailed plan without a clear strategy is just busy work. You need both to win in this crazy world of sales.

Now get out there and crush it! And if you need help sorting out your strategy and plan (and let’s face it, many of you do), you know where to find me. This is Richard Harris, signing off. Stay hungry, stay foolish, and most importantly, stay strategic!