The Plan for the Unplanned..

Sales Strategy and Planning 

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.”

You’ve probably heard this quote before. But it hits differently when you slow down and really take it in.

Yesterday gave us lessons. Some are beautiful. Some are uncomfortable. All are useful if we’re courageous and honest enough to learn from them.

Today is where it counts. It’s where we show up, make the calls, have the conversations and do the small things to the best of our ability.  Today, right now, in the present, it’s the only place where we can actually improve anything.

And tomorrow? That’s the wildcard. That is still a mystery.

The last five years have made that crystal clear. A global pandemic. Wars. Political shifts. Economic pressure. Rising costs. Changing buyer behaviour. The rise and rise of AI. Things most of us never had in our plans suddenly became the plan. Because no matter how good your plan is, at some point, you’re going to get “smacked in the mouth” (perhaps only figuratively).

Six or seven years ago, very few people had “global disruption” in their pipeline strategy. And yet here we are. So the question isn’t whether disruption will happen. It will.

The real question is: What’s your Plan B? And better still… What’s your Plan C?

In sales, we invest heavily in Plan A. Ideal customer profile. Strong sales process. Awesome value propositions. Great presentations. Well-practiced objection handling. A slick close. All essential.

But high performance isn’t just executing Plan A well. It’s seeing change coming. And moving early. That’s where three skills separate good from great.

Resilience. Critical thinking. Initiative.

Resilience is the reset. You take the hit and go again. No drama. No long story. Just move forward. Lesson learnt. Loud and clear.

Critical thinking is your edge. Not just reacting when things change, but asking better questions before they do. What could shift? Where are we exposed? What would we do if this stopped working tomorrow? This is your risk profile.

Initiative is the move. You don’t wait for permission or perfect information. You test. You adjust. You create options before you need them. As Colin Powell said “I made decisions on 30% of the information.” Trust your gut. Not blindly, but bravely.

Because Plan B and C shouldn’t be built under pressure. It should already be in motion.

Here’s the reality. Most people don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they hold on too long to a Plan A that isn’t working.

Same message. Same approach. Same playbook. The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.”

Hoping. But hope isn’t a strategy. Preparation is. Adaptation is. Informed intuition is.

Sometimes Plan B is simple. A different segment. A sharper message. A better question. A real conversation instead of another email. Sometimes it’s going back to basics and doing the work you’ve been avoiding.

It doesn’t need to be complex. It needs to be deliberate. And while all of this is about performance, there’s something more important sitting underneath it.

People.

Behind every deal is a human being. Someone dealing with pressure, uncertainty, and their own version of disruption. We don’t always see it. We don’t always know it. But it’s there.

In my fifty odd years the greatest lesson I’ve learned isn’t about strategy or process. It’s this. Be kind.

Not as a slogan. As a daily choice. In your calls. In your emails. In your meetings. In how you respond when things don’t go your way. Because you never really know what someone else is carrying. And while you’re doing it, bring a bit of light with you. A smile. A moment of patience. A touch of understanding.

So show up where you need to be today. Do the work. Think ahead. Build your options. That’s how you make tomorrow better. Not just for you. For the people around you as well.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow isn’t promised. The ANZACs remind us of this.

Today is the gift.

Use it well.