Sales health check: twelve questions, a score out of 24

1. You have written down who your best customers are, and your sales team targets them first.

2. Every deal goes through the same stages, and everyone agrees what each stage means.

3. Prices and discounts follow a written rule, and someone has to approve going below it.

4. Each salesperson knows the three or four figures they are judged on, and sees them every week.

5. Managers spend time with each salesperson every week, on real deals, not only on the numbers.

6. When you hire into sales, the role, the targets and the first 90 days are written down before the person starts.

7. Your marketing emails and prospect lists follow data protection and e-marketing rules, and someone owns that.

8. Proposals and contracts are checked so the team only promises what the business can deliver.

9. Gifts, hospitality and agent commissions are recorded and approved under a written policy.

10. The CRM is up to date, and the weekly sales meeting runs from it rather than from separate spreadsheets.

11. A new client is handed over to the delivery team with a written record of what was sold.

12. You track refunds, credit notes and cancellations, and someone reviews them each month.