Most Sales Plans in Kenya Fail. Here’s Why
Let’s stop pretending.
Across Kenya and East Africa, most businesses don’t have a sales plan; they have targets copied from last year, plus pressure from management.
That’s why:
- Sales teams chase everyone instead of the right customers
- Revenue is unpredictable month to month
- Businesses blame “the economy” instead of a weak strategy
- Cash flow remains unstable even when sales increase
Sales planning is the difference between structured growth and survival-mode selling.
What Is Sales Planning? (A Practical Definition)
Sales planning is the process of systematically identifying revenue opportunities, prioritizing customers, allocating resources, and executing repeatable sales activities to achieve predictable revenue.
In plain terms:
Sales planning is how serious businesses stop guessing and start controlling revenue.
If your sales depend on luck, personal relationships, or end-of-the-month panic, you don’t have a plan; you have exposure.
Why Sales Planning Is Critical in Kenya & East Africa
East African markets are price-sensitive, relationship-driven, and increasingly competitive. That combination punishes poor planning.
According to regional SME performance studies:
- Over 60% of Kenyan SMEs fail within the first 5 years, largely due to poor revenue planning and weak sales execution
- FMCG, logistics, hospitality, and professional services face shrinking margins, making efficiency more important than volume
- Customer acquisition costs are rising due to digital competition and informal market pressure
Without a sales plan, growth becomes expensive and eventually unsustainable.
The Biggest Sales Planning Mistakes Kenyan Businesses Make
1. Confusing Activity With Strategy
“Let’s add more salespeople.”
“Let’s push discounts.”
“Let’s do more promotions.”
None of these are strategies. They are reactions.
2. Selling to Everyone
In East Africa, many businesses fear a narrowing focus. That fear kills profitability.
Not all customers are worth pursuing.
Some delay payments.
Some negotiate margins to death.
Some overload your team.
A good sales plan deliberately excludes bad customers.
3. No Data, Just Experience
“I’ve been in this industry for 15 years.”
Experience without data is just memory, and memory is biased. Strong sales planning uses numbers, not opinions.
How to Create a Sales Plan That Works (East Africa Edition)
Step 1: Set Revenue Targets Based on Reality
Your sales target must be grounded in capacity and market size.
Basic Sales Target Formula:
Sales Target =
(Number of Salespeople × Deals per Month × Average Deal Size × Close Rate)
If the math doesn’t work, your target is a lie.
Step 2: Segment Your Market Ruthlessly
Segment by:
- Industry (FMCG, hospitality, logistics, healthcare, etc.)
- Customer size
- Buying behavior
- Payment reliability
- Lifetime value
In Kenya, cash flow reliability is just as important as deal size.
Step 3: Define a Clear Sales Strategy
Your sales plan must clearly state:
- Who are you targeting
- How do you reach them
- Why they should choose you
- How long does the sales cycle take?
- What pricing discipline looks like
If your sales team can’t explain this in under 60 seconds, alignment is already broken.
Step 4: Build a Sales Action Plan
This is where execution lives.
Your plan must define:
- Weekly prospecting targets
- Key accounts per salesperson
- Sales scripts and objection handling
- Follow-up timelines
- Retention and upsell actions
Sales plans that don’t translate into daily actions fail.
Step 5: Forecast With Discipline, Not Optimism
Most Kenyan businesses overestimate close rates by 30–50%.
Use conservative assumptions:
- Track historical conversions
- Separate pipeline from revenue
- Discount deals that rely on “verbal commitments.”
Hope is not a forecasting method.
Step 6: Measure What Actually Moves Revenue
Track:
- Cost per lead
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Average deal cycle
- Win/loss reasons
- Customer lifetime value (CLV)
If you’re not measuring these, you’re managing in the dark.
A mid-sized service business in Nairobi:
- Had strong demand
- Still struggled with cash flow
- Relied on referrals only
After structured sales planning:
- Customer segments were reduced from 6 to 2
- Sales cycle shortened by 25%
- Revenue stabilized within 6 months
- Sales team productivity improved without hiring
No magic. Just discipline.
Why Most Businesses Fail to Do This Internally
Let’s be blunt:
- Owners are too emotionally attached to customers
- Sales managers are stuck in firefighting mode
- Teams resist accountability
- Data is either missing or ignored
This is exactly why external sales advisory works.
How Brina Solutions Helps Businesses Win at Sales
At Brina Solutions, we don’t give motivational talks; we build practical, data-driven sales plans tailored to Kenyan and East African markets.
Our Sales Advisory Services include:
- Sales diagnostics and performance audits
- Market and customer segmentation
- Sales strategy design
- Revenue forecasting models
- Sales team structure and KPIs
- Execution support and reviews
We help businesses move from random selling to repeatable growth.
Final Thought: Revenue Is Too Important to Leave to Guesswork
Markets are tougher. Customers are smarter. Margins are thinner.
If your sales feel unpredictable, your problem is not effort; it’s structure.
If you want a sales plan that reflects your market, your team, and your growth goals, talk to Brina Solutions. Let’s build a sales system that delivers revenue consistently, not excuses.
