Chapter 9

Managing a Forecast

As I wrote in chapter 1, sales forecasting is about management. A forecast without follow-up tracking and management is a waste of time.

By Dusty Cline, istockphoto.com (modified)

It’s More About People Than Numbers

Don’t get caught forgetting what a sales forecast is for. It’s to help you manage your company. To make it worth the trouble, you want to involve all of the people who will be charged with making things happen. Don’t ever impose a sales forecast on people who haven’t had a chance to contribute to the process. The first thing they are going to do, if troubles arise, is doubt the credibility of the forecast. ...

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