So, keep reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sales project management can be defined as the application of project management skills, tools, and techniques on sales to improve the company\u2019s sales process and achieve desired outcomes. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sales management and project management (PM) have a lot in common, including similarities between:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to these overlaps, many organizations strongly encourage their sales managers to learn about basic project management concepts and possibly acquire one of the most respected PM certificates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you understand the theory but are still not sure what a sales project looks like in practice \u2014 we\u2019ve prepared an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s imagine that you\u2019re a salesperson who has recently become a sales project manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve been asked to increase the company\u2019s overall sales by 10%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, you\u2019ve added the beginning and end date to that request, e.g. the total time amounting to a year starting from that moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After defining dates, what you\u2019ll need to do is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After you\u2019ve outlined your strategic plan, you can start putting the plan into action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And, congratulations! <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve got yourself a new sales project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of the industry, a sales project manager\u2019s job has a similar description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, a sales project manager’s responsibilities are to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these project activities<\/a> require the sales project manager to be an organized individual and a problem solver with excellent communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the next chapter, we\u2019ll cover the most important sales project manager skills in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about project manager roles and responsibilities, read this guide: <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve already mentioned, it\u2019s preferable that sales managers possess both project management skills<\/a> and people management skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s cover the 5 specific skills and abilities a good sales project manager should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good organizational skills imply being able to break down complex tasks into manageable chunks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a manager is unable to organize the project workflow<\/a> properly, potential mismanagement issues can arise that could negatively impact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sales project managers should coach and mentor their team members \u2014 it will encourage them to work hard and reach the desired goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good leader should create a positive atmosphere and motivate their teams to increase performance and achieve success by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good sales project managers should be able to balance project demands and the team\u2019s abilities and needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, they should be able to quickly respond to changes and manage project risks<\/a> as their flexibility might determine sales outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sales project managers should demonstrate honesty and transparency in communication with their team<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By being open with what they want to achieve, managers will make their team feel more responsible to work toward the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sales project managers should know how to organize their time right and which tools to use to assist them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, they are responsible for their own schedule and the entire team\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As wasting time usually costs money, good sales project managers should avoid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plaky<\/a> by CAKE.com<\/a> offers transparent time management<\/a> features, such as a built-in calendar for tracking due dates and project deadlines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n In the long run, applying project management knowledge to your sales strategies may result in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, to achieve sales success, you\u2019ll first need to go over the specific techniques to get you there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s cover the 6 best sales project management techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the initial steps in creating a sales strategy is to define your goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, to do it appropriately, you should follow the SMART goals<\/a> format, where objectives need to be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, for example, the goal to \u201cincrease market share\u201d<\/strong> isn\u2019t specific enough, while \u201cincrease market share by 10% by 2024\u201d<\/strong> is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As long as your goals are SMART, sales managers and the sales team will remain optimistic and motivated to achieve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1PLAKY PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a sales plan also helps. And, the best thing is, you don’t need to start from scratch! We have 7 sales plan templates for you to try: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Defining milestones is crucial in making a complex long-term goal more achievable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To do that, you should divide the process into smaller steps, that is, short-term objectives called project milestones<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marking each milestone will help follow the company\u2019s gradual progress toward the final objective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, your long-term objective can be to become the No.1 mobile network operator company within the period of 2 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of your milestones could be taking the fourth place on the market, and another, taking the third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can continue to follow your progress by celebrating key milestones until you reach the final goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By managing risks<\/a> in sales project management, you can stay prepared for all possible outcomes of your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a smaller chance of being caught off guard if something doesn\u2019t go according to the initial project plan<\/a> when you\u2019ve defined project risks on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though a sales project manager should try to keep the project going smoothly, they should also have a plan B if the project goes off track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the sales project management skills includes preventing common sales obstacles, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the sales project closure stage, sales project managers should identify the so-called lessons learned and preferably hold a lessons learned meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the meeting, the sales team should address all the things that went right and all that went wrong during the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of lessons learned is to draw conclusions for future projects and better prepare for the next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, it is preferable if lessons learned are clearly documented and easily accessible for future reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1<\/strong>Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to learn more about lessons learned, read this blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As explained in Pearson\u2019s Sales Management<\/em>, customer relationship management (CRM<\/a>) facilitates identifying and grouping customers, thus helping an organization develop an appropriate strategy to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n CRM software is handy as it allows real-time access to information where you are immediately notified about changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another important CRM characteristic is that it makes it easier to manage opportunities, which implies identifying prospective customers or sales opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what tracking customer data may look like in a project management tool Plaky:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n As you can see in the above example, sales deals are together managed as an individual project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The project management app is used for keeping track of various sales deal information, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Robust sales management tools<\/a> such as Plaky by CAKE.com help streamline your sales process and customize each sales project to suit your company\u2019s specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for a robust CRM solution for your small business, we got you covered \u2014 check out our top 10 list and find the software that works best for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a visual representation of your sales pipeline allows keeping track of the stage your customers are currently in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though each company can customize its sales pipeline, here\u2019s our example of what it can look like in Plaky: <\/p>\n\n\n As you can see in the example, the sales pipeline provides a clear overview of the specific phase of the pipeline clients are in, e.g.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having gathered as much information on the clients in each phase, sales project managers can use this data to draw conclusions about the sales management process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After that, they can implement any changes if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A transparent pipeline can show the bigger picture of your sales process and modify the sales strategy to improve performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Need more inspiration on how to organize your sales workflow? Read our article on this topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning a company\u2019s sales process can be challenging for sales managers, as it often implies juggling several projects<\/a> and a bit too many responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make their job easier, sales managers should educate themselves on various PM methodologies<\/a>, tools, and techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With many common characteristics, sales and project management combined, are likely to increase team efficiency<\/a> and bring the desired results to a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Sales](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Sales-project-management-cover-1110x555.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat is sales project management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sales project example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What does a sales project manager do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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5 Essential sales project manager skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Skill #1: Organization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Skill #2: Leadership<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Skill #3: Flexibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Skill #4: Transparency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Skill #5: Time management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Timeline](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Timeline-field-in-Plaky.png\")
6 Important sales project management techniques<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Technique #1: Defining project goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nTechnique #2: Planning milestones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Technique #3: Defining risks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Technique #4: Identify lessons learned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Technique #5: Use CRM software <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Plaky](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Plaky-CRM-template.png\")
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Technique #6: Visualizing the sales pipeline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/A-sales-pipeline-in-Plaky.png\")
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Conclusion: A sales project manager on the team can help improve the sales process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n