Data Perceptions can provide objective and experienced advice and consultancy to help you identify and implement best practice sales forecasting.
You may have reached this page because you have identified that inaccurate sales forecasts are hurting your company, but you are not ready to start looking at forecasting software.
That is OK! It is important to have a clear vision of the sales forecasting process and methodology that is right for your company. Once this is in place and bought into by all parties you can then move on to finding a software solution.
Here are a few issues which many companies face in trying to improve their sales forecasting:
- Although nominated people are 'responsible' for the sales forecast, no one actually 'owns' the overall sales forecast process and it is therefore difficult to introduce change.
- The people 'responsible' feel they are not the best people to develop sales forecasts but it is hard to get agreement to change. (E.g. "I'm a sales person - while I'm forecasting I cannot be selling!")
- Sales forecasting as a process normally covers or impacts many functions in an organisation. Frequently the hardest thing is getting everyone concerned to agree and buy into on the most appropriate process, methodology, forecast horizon or level of detail to adopt.
- Forecasting is a separate activity from budgeting, planning and monitoring actual versus plan. As a result, people are rowing in different directions and the numbers rarely come together effectively for decision-making actions.
- Some people feel they can forecast better than the people currently doing it!
- Some people feel a statistical forecasting system should develop the forecasts.
- The cost of forecast inaccuracy is unknown.
- Forecasts are developed in a multitude of spreadsheets, which are painful to keep up to date and consolidate.
If this describes your company, then don't worry! First, our experience tells us you are definitely not alone!
Second, we think we can help you, by providing an external forecasting expert to consult / facilitate with the relevant functions across your organisation, to help obtain consensus on these key sales forecasting issues.
In practice, improving forecasting is first and foremost a "people" and "process" issue. Frequently the best way forward is to get all interested parties together to work together to agree the best fit process / methodology for your organisation.
We cannot give you all the answers! However, we can add value to this process by drawing on our extensive sales forecasting experience, and by being able to intelligently challenge members of the different functions involved without the political repercussions that would result from the same questions being asked by internal staff.
We will draw the issues out, document the result, and make recommendations for how your sales forecasting process can be better integrated with your business, become more accurate and more accountable.
A relatively small investment in time and a little external help can make a big difference in changing perceptions and approaches to sales forecasting, resulting in improved accuracy and better business 'control'. If you feel that we can help, please contact us now, without obligation, to explore how our consultancy can help your company.
Please note that consultancy is charged at a daily rate, and you are paying for our experience / facilitation and consultancy skills. While we are providing consultancy we will NOT try to sell you our software, either directly or subtly. Ever.
If, as a result of the consultancy we provide, you decide that our software is of interest then obviously we will be delighted to work with you. But until that point we will not promote our software to you. And that's a promise!
Please contact us now for a preliminary, no obligation discussion on how we may be of help.
Speak to an expert now. Call : +44 (0)1494 785574
Data Perceptions
