The quarterly operational planning process is a highly effective performance management process designed to enhance and accelerate overall operating performance (earnings and cash flow).
When this process is applied to the business development team (sales organization), it assists the sales organization in achieving and sustaining superior selling performance over time. This process provides sales professionals with the analytical, collaborative and planning skills that are necessary to create selling momentum for the individual and for their organization.
Review and reload every 90 days
Here’s how it works. Every 90 days, the business development team gets together for their quarterly operational planning meeting. There are six components to this planning day:
1. Individual performance review (self assessment of previous 90 days).
2. Team performance review conducted by the manager (previous 90 days).
3. A review of the greatest concerns and/or exposures going forward.
4. Special sales-related topic for team discussion.
5. Reloading the 90 day sales (operating) plan by producer.
6. Plan presentation by producer.
Each component plays a very important role in the process of teaching sales producers how to create selling momentum for themselves and for their organization. Our initial goal is to create an environment in which it is expected of each producer to accurately and candidly evaluate their own individual performance as compared with their individual production goals and their individual operating plan.
The evaluation process happens in front of their peers every 90 days. Their peers are expected to provide candid feedback and suggestions for improvement. As part of this performance management process, we focus on developing several skills within each producer. We are developing their analytical skills, their collaborative skills and their planning skills, all of which are needed in order to create selling momentum for an organization.
In every quarterly operational planning meeting, there will be a special sales-related topic for team discussion. The topic may be key account planning, improved time and priority management, or any number of topics and/or skills the sales manager may want to focus on.
After all of the analysis and collaboration comes the planning. Each producer will build their 90 day operating plan. Their operating plan is comprised of a couple of top priorities that, when acted upon, will support the achievement of their production goals. This 90-day game plan is then presented to the rest of the business development team. The process of having each producer develop and present their individual 90-day operating plan creates a high level of ownership and accountability towards achieving their plan and their production goals.
The goal is to achieve accelerated learning, which ultimately leads to accelerated growth in revenue production and market share. This is truly an effective process in developing the highly effective sales producer within.
