Ten Commandments Of Selling Forecasts To Forecast Users

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SELLING FORECASTS TO FORECAST USERS Preparing good forecasts is half of the job of a forecaster. The other half is to sell them. The more accurate the forecasts are the better. But how good the forecasts are if they are neither accepted nor used. One forecasting director once remarked, I would rather spend my time in refining and improving forecasts than selling them. But business realities don't permit. Therefore, it is important for a forecaster to learn not only how to prepare forecasts but also how to sell them. Here are the ten commandments of selling forecasts. 1. Know your customers. 2. Involve the users in the forecasting process. 3. Educate the users of forecasts. 4. Provide detailed report on forecasts. 5. Present forecasts in a professional manner. 6. Forecasts are just forecasts. 7. Sell to the boss. 8. Look for new uses of forecasts. 9. Appreciate management perspective. 10. Have patience. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS One of the keys to successful selling is to know your customers who they are and what they want. Here customers are the forecast users. They are often production, logistics, sales, marketing, planning, and finance people. It would be easier to ...