Every new year brings sales plans, new product options, and opportunities to engage new customers. This year we also had our share of challenges informing the sales process, from supply chain delays to changes in market demand. As we approach the end of the calendar year, it’s worth looking at how your business fared, current trends, and how to lay the groundwork for the coming year. Most of you have a process for year-end reviews, but let’s dig a bit deeper!

Not what do you think you sold, but what was actually sold and invoiced to customers? Before you put a stake in the ground, go to your data. Pull the report on the estimates and quotes for the year. If you can segregate them by product and customer, that is a useful view. Look at the frequency and the cadence. Are you seasonal in the ebbs and flows of work, or consistent month-to-month?

What products stand out as the big sellers, and which are in your catalog but rarely sold? It’s also worth looking at products on the list that are left over from older capabilities but still included in reporting.