Maximizing Sales Growth

A Comprehensive Analysis Checklist for Stagnating Businesses

Your company, after some success and marginal growth, stopped growing. You are convinced, that you are doing everything right, and its the fault of branding, insufficient advertising, and lack of promotions. So you promote and promote, and offer sale after sale, and the growth is… just not there. Then you think you need to rebrand, replace long-term staff with new staff, “shake it” to see what falls out. Often branding gets changed first because it is the easiest thing to change, requires little soul-searching, and diverts attention from the real problems.

Problem, “Where are we now?” Slow/No increase in sales, stalled income due to the cost per sale (big discounts and promotions).

Where do we want to be? Overall increase in company income by 25% (this is a sample figure for this article’s purpose only and is not based on any actual numbers). How do we get there? (See below the analysis checklist)

Stakeholders: Top management, operations department, marketing department, sales department

Restrictions: Geographical, industry, sales channels (phone, personal sales, online)

Possible external barriers: Other players in the industry are active, powerful, and are more strategic, the inflation driving increasing prices, suppliers and shippers becoming more unreliable. The market situation is Complex.

Internal/External competitive advantage analysis.

Why is it that some players in the same market, with the same complex market conditions, are more successful in their efforts to gain more customers and brand awareness, while other players are scrambling? The winners research, plan and act. In “The Art of War” San Tzu said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” And that’s what is often missing in the losing party’s camp. They sometimes know themselves (not always), and don’t know the enemy enough to be able to plan their actions.

The shrinking profits and stalled growth can be addressed and the unfortunate negative trend can be turned around. Maybe by digging deeper into its own structure, this losing company can make its first step toward the winning path.

1. Management structure and Human Resources.

   • This company would want to start by reviewing its organizational structure and type of leadership. Is the structure agile? Fluid and ready to adjust to complex market conditions?

   • Is there a plan? Do all employees know this plan? Do they feel comfortable following this plan and giving their best to this organization? What is in it for them?

   • Is the management supportive, inspiring, and confident? Does management often mix with the employees to watch/redirect in case its needed? Observe what ideas and tactics actually work.

   • How often do the meetings occur? Are they engaging? Are they fruitful? Is feedback welcome?

   • Are jobs secure? Is there feedback?

   • Is there a company culture that fits everybody’s values?

   • How mixed/homogeneous is the organization? Why? Does such a mix add or take away from the overall efficiency and involvement?

2. Operations management.

   • From the moment an order is placed until it is shipped, what can be improved? Timing? Inventory? Error rate?

   • Where are the “bottlenecks” in this process? Is it possible to improve?

   • Will it be improved?

   • Is there enough staff to perform all steps in the order fulfillment process?

   • Is there enough communication between all staff, suppliers and shippers?

3. Marketing management.

   • Is the segmentation clear? Is it MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive)?

   • What is the company’s competitive advantage?

   • Is branding clear and satisfactory? How modern/updated is it? Why? What do the customer prefer? How is the brand recall among the Target Audience?

   • How well other players on the market are known? What have they done to achieve this?

   • Is there enough research done and data collected?

   • Do the current customers feel involved, taken care of?

   • Do potential customers feel they can connect with the company’s values?

   • Is there enough Social Media presence to catch the millennials?

   • Is there enough social proof of company’s outstanding performance? Blogs? Referrals?

   • Is the company truthful in its claims?

   • Is there web presence? What channels?

   • What advertising/promotional activities have been done? What was the result? How was it measured?

   • Is there a marketing strategy in place? Is it being followed by the whole organization? How was it designed and was its effectiveness measured?

   • Is there enough differentiation to serve all lucrative segments?

4. Sales management.

   • How many sales channels are there? How big is the sales force? How well is it organized?

   • Are there sales training meetings, seminars, boot camps in place? Team building exercises?

   • Are there enough sales materials to support the sales force? Are all geographical segments covered?

   • Does the leadership style fit the sales team?

   • What are the most successful sales channels? Which are the least successful?

   • What is the sales strategy right now? Promotions? Is the strategy working? Is there data to prove the success or otherwise?

This is not a complete checklist, but it would be a great start to self-assessment. The battles cannot be won by planning attacks on the areas where the enemy was 10 years ago. All the efforts need to be planned and coordinated in accordance with where the company and its competition are now and where the company wants to be. Small steps. Small wins are to be planned. Once in a while, a surprising opportunity will come around and the company should be ready to seize it, but the day-to-day business should be planned in accordance with the agreed and structured marketing strategy.