When a business owner tells me they want to grow their sales, my first response is always the same: “Great—so what’s your plan?” Too often, they don’t have one. Or if they do, it’s a jumble of disconnected ideas rather than a clear, actionable process they can follow and improve.
So how do you create a straightforward, practical sales action plan—one that works whether you run a retail store, a consultancy, or anything in between.
Step 1: Identify Your Target Market
Let’s start at the beginning. Before you can sell anything, you need to know who you’re selling to.
It sounds obvious, but many businesses never really define their ideal customer. Instead, they try to market to “everyone,” which almost always results in watered-down messaging and wasted effort.
Ask yourself:
• Who do you really want to work with?
• What industries or sectors are most profitable for you?
• What size of company or type of individual benefits most from what you offer?
• Where do these people spend time (online and offline)?
When you know exactly who your target market is, it becomes easier to:
1. Tailor your message
2. Choose the right marketing channels
3. Know where to spend your time and energy
Action tip: Create a customer profile or “avatar” that outlines your ideal client’s demographics, pain points, and buying behaviours. This will be your filter for all future sales and marketing decisions.
Step 2: Define How You’ll Reach Them
Once you know who you’re targeting, the next step is deciding how you’re going to reach them.
This is your lead generation strategy and it will vary depending on your industry and offer. For example:
• If you run a local café, you might use social media and foot traffic.
• If you sell consultancy services to HR directors, LinkedIn, referrals, and strategic networking might work better.
The key is to focus on 2–3 channels that suit your market and double down on them. Avoid the temptation to chase shiny objects or spread yourself too thin.
• Some of the most effective outreach methods include:
• Personalised email or LinkedIn outreach
• Asking for introductions from your network
• Attending industry events or speaking at conferences
• Running targeted ad campaigns
• Creating useful content that positions you as a go-to expert
Action tip: Block out time every week for proactive lead generation. Create a list of 50–100 quality prospects and reach out to 10 per week, consistently.
Step 3: Map Out Your Sales Process
Here’s where most businesses fall down: they don’t actually have a sales process. Or if they do, it’s all in someone’s head and changes every time.
A clear, repeatable sales process is crucial—especially if you want to scale, delegate, or improve your conversion rates.
If you sell a simple product…
Maybe you run a retail business, like a bakery or a boutique. In that case, your sales process might be short and transactional. Focus on getting more people through the door, encouraging repeat purchases, and training your team in upselling.
If you sell a more complex service…
Say you offer IT solutions, consultancy, or coaching. Your sales process might look like this:
1. Initial contact – first conversation or lead magnet download
2. Discovery call – uncover their needs and challenges
3. Scoping session – dig deeper into objectives and fit
4. Proposal or demo – outline your solution
5. Follow-up – answer questions, handle objections
6. Close – confirm the sale and begin onboarding
Action tip: Document your process so you can follow it consistently. Identify where people drop out, and improve that stage.
Step 4: Track Your Sales Activity
Here’s the truth: if you don’t track your sales activity, you can’t improve it.
Too many business owners think they’re doing a lot to grow sales, but when they actually track their numbers, they realise they’re not being nearly consistent enough.
You need to track things like:
• How many new leads you generate each week
• How many sales conversations you have
• How many proposals you send
• How many follow-ups you do
• Your conversion rates at each stage
It doesn’t have to be fancy. A basic spreadsheet or CRM tool is fine to start with. The point is to know your numbers so you can spot patterns and fix bottlenecks.
Action tip: Review your sales metrics weekly. If you’re falling short on activity, take immediate steps to correct it.
Step 5: Take Relentless Action
Here’s the most important piece of the puzzle. You can have a great target market, a solid outreach strategy, and a brilliant sales process—but if you don’t take consistent, relentless action, none of it matters.
Too many business owners spend hours designing the perfect sales strategy but never execute. Others make a few calls one week and then stop when things get busy.
Sales isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up—every day, every week—and doing the work.
Action tip: Schedule daily “sales time” in your calendar. Protect it. Make it non-negotiable.
If you’re serious about increasing your sales, then commit to taking action against your plan—week in, week out.
Final Thought: Sales is a Skill—You Get Better With Practice
Remember, sales isn’t just a numbers game—it’s a skill. And like any skill, it improves with practice.
You’ll get better at asking questions, handling objections, building rapport, and closing deals. But only if you keep going.
Start with a clear plan. Track what you’re doing. Refine your process. And most of all, take consistent action
That’s how you grow your sales—step by step, call by call, day by day.
