Brewery revenue growth may come from your taproom, self-distribution or sales to wholesalers.
Regardless of the market channels used, having a solid sales plan in place gives you a better chance to reach your goals.
In this post we’ll explore 3 Best Practices to create your brewery sales plan. And I’ll share a one-page checklist so that you can get started growing sales right away.
3 Best Practices for Brewery Sales Plans
- Sales Planning to Drive Revenue
- Forecast for Different Market Channels
- Use Proven Models to Create your Plan
Best Practice #1: Sales Planning to Drive Revenue
The point of a building a sales plan is to drive revenue. Plain and simple.
Very often, I see brewery owners and operators lose sight of this goal: The point of a sales plan and sales planning is to drive revenue.
The plan should have action items and specific steps to drive sales through the taproom, self-distribution, and/or sales to wholesalers.
The plan should should forecast sales by brand, by package, by market channel, and by customer.
Best Practice #1: Driving revenue should be the sole and exclusive purpose of the sales plan.
Best Practice #2: Forecast for Different Market Channels
Forecasting sales through the taproom, self-distribution, and to wholesalers requires different planning techniques.
Each market channel has a different margin and cost structure.
Each market channel has different revenue drivers.
Best Practice #2: Treat each market channel as a separate business and create a separate sales plan for each.
Best Practice #3: Use Templates to Create your Plan
Don’t re-invent the wheel. Use existing models for your sales plan.
I’ve built proven, effective and profitable sales plan models for you, and they are available in the Craft Brewery Sales Growth Course.
The course includes sales forecasting tools and templates to drive revenue, along with step-by-step video instructions to build your plan.
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Use this One-Page Sales Growth Checklist
I love checklists, and maybe you do, too. Use this one-pager as a starting point in your sales planning process.
Wrap Up + Action Items
Use the best practices listed above, and try out the one-page sales growth checklist to get started on your sales plan.
Check out the Craft Brewery Sales Growth Course for more videos, and models to help you build your sales plan.
Yours in Brewery Sales,
Kary
