If you want to set yourself up for sales success, your best strategy lies in being fully prepared for the all-important sales call. It is critical to think through every aspect of the call ahead of time. Don’t wing it, your results will be markedly better if you clearly define your goals and create a strategy you can follow to achieve success.

Spend time carefully planning and defining what you are trying to accomplish. A comprehensive sales plan, outlined by a road map, is a proven strategy for business success. Outlined below are eight steps to creating an effective sales plan:

1. Define your objective. Clearly outlining your goal should always be your first step in planning a sales call – or any other endeavor. If your purpose is to establish yourself as a trusted advisor or close a specific deal, it stands to reason that you must first define your key objective(s) before you can move forward in the process.

2. Evaluate the current situation. Next, you must make an honest assessment of the situation, which relates to the goal you set in step number one. If your objective is to expand your relationship with a client, an evaluation of the current situation would consist of defining your present relationship.

3. Outline the barriers to success. This step can be one of the most critical to achieving your goals: create a detailed account of obstacles to your success. In order to formulate a plan to move your business forward, you must first outline your obstacles, and then articulate a plan to overcome each.

4. Assess your strengths and assets. Take an honest look at your resources and think about how you can apply them to achieve your objective(s). Strengths and assets can include things like personal relationships, subject matter experts, other competitive advantages like new products, and much more.

5. Create your sales call strategy. Using the information you have compiled in steps one through four, develop your sales plan by summarizing how you’ll reach your goal. Your plan should include the steps you will use to persuade your prospects and how you will highlight the strengths of your product.

6. Identify your needs. Once you have your basic strategy in place, now is the time to define the resources/tools you will need to get the job done. Your needs may include items like a pitch deck or demo program. Requirements could also include a list of accounts. The important thing is to identify needs upfront.

7. Outline an action plan. The action plan is a companion piece to the sales call strategy described in step number five. It is a to-do list of tactical steps necessary to accomplish your strategy. The action plan might include items such as finalizing pricing with your company before you make the sale.

8. Execute plan and refine. Sellers, at times, may neglect thoroughly planning sales calls, counting on their experience and ability to ad lib. This is a flawed perspective. While this process may generate adequate results, it does not prepare the seller for every contingency and often yields mediocre results.

Careful planning is a required step in every successfully executed process. The same is true for sales, regardless of skill or experience level. Proper planning provides another benefit that is often overlooked - the confidence in knowing that you are prepared for any curve ball the client may throw at you.

By following these eight steps, you can create a robust sales plan that will enable winning results. The notion that one must be a born seller is a false narrative. Careful preparation and execution are the keys to transforming ordinary people into sales professionals.