Forecasting upcoming sales in your Spa business is a critical constituent of starting up and running a business; it is a fundamental constituent of your Spa business plan. It’s doubtful that your Spa business will be dead on but you ought to be able to make credible, evidence-based projections in order to plan your Spa business strategy.

The quantity of money your Spa business will achieve each year depends on how many sales of its products or services – but before you start off the process of actually making these sales you should create a sales forecast. The sales forecast for your Spa business will stand on its own virtues – it will of course be a part of your overall Spa business plan.

So why do you need to forecast sales?

A sales forecast is necessary in order to

1. Plan cash flow – that you will need to add into your business plan when seeking funding, and to avoid sudden cash flow problems by establishing if and when you will need to inject capital or have access to funds.
2. Manage Cash flow – innermost to the success of your business, it is essential that you appreciate how sales forecasting contributes to the computation of the cash flow forecast.
3. Plan future resource requirements – for example, you may want a new mechanism which produces more goods.
4. Plan marketing activities – this will obviously have a knock on effect to the quantity of sales you make as well.

Whatever the situation, it is crucial that you research your projected sales regularly and realistically, and take appropriate action to have another look at your strategy. Your sales forecast is the point of reference alongside which you should constantly gauge what in fact happens in your business with regards to sales and the important thing is to appreciate the variances and why they arise, and to incorporate what you have learned into coming forecasts.

What components do you need to think about?

Your sales forecast should show sales by month for at least the next 12 months, and then by year for the following two years. Three years, in total, is generally enough for most business plans.

Things to think about

1. Is there an customary market for your product or service?
2. How extensive is the sector?
3. Is this an escalating/contracting market and if so; by what %?
4. What are the most important considerations for this market?
5. What may possibly affect it in future?
6. How do recurring factors affect purchases of your product or service?
7. What trends or fashions are related to the sector?

Who are your customers going to be?

1. What % will purchase?
2. Why will they finish trading from someone else to buy from you?
3. What is your pricing plan and how will it influence sales?
4. Can you in fact make available the products and services that you are predicting?
5. How many competitors do you have?
6. Your business will not be distinctive; what happens when new competitors come into the market once you have done the footing to raise market awareness?

The whole planet is your marketplace with the invention of the world wide web – but what products/services can you persuade somebody to buy Virtually every business has some competitor(s) – how can you hoover up your competitors customers? How can you avert your competitors taking your customers? Can you adjust your product prices up or down to match new customers – can you easily add or adjust the services you offer to new and existing customers to boost your turnover and profits?

Preparing your Spa business forecast

You need to make certain future assumptions for your Spa business in order to create a sales forecast

1. Sector increase/decline by a certain percentage e.g. 5%.
2. Personnel increase to increase production or sales – maybe 25%.
3. Different location – more customers – 30% increase in sales.

Preparing your forecast

You should prepare a sales forecast for each item you sell,and forecast:

1. By volume
2. By value
3. By a combination of both value and volume.

So what are the pitfalls when forecasting sales?

1. Make sure your forecast is based on verifiable,realistic and unbiased info.
2. Don’t be tempted to overlook your study if it showed bad results.
3. Don’t make projections solely on historical results. Put your business under a microscope – try and imagine what might have an effect on your sales in the future – good or bad.
4. Make sure you understand your capacity limits. Can you produce the amount of sales being forecast with the equipment,personnel and monetary resources available to you?
5. Does the pricing policy you have used in working out your sales forecast relate to what is really achievable?, or conversely, have the prices been set too low or too high so that either way your forecast is potentially unrealistic?
6. If you have just started up in business, your business may take longer than you believe to get established, and have you set accordingly realistic sales targets?
7. Have you allowed for the possibility that high sales based on an initial promotional surge may drop off, leading to a need for more intensive marketing and higher ongoing expenses once preliminary interest has peaked?
8. When you make clear your sales forecasts to prospective investors – are they believable?

Predicting possible sales for your Tent and Marquee Hire business is a very worthy process; you should have a strong idea before you commence your business of your likely sales. It is doubtful you will be right on the money but if you do not make a realistic attempt your Tent and Marquee Hire business will likely not succeed; forecasting is an essential component to your business stratgey.

Your sales forecast is the financial projection of the quantity of revenue your Tent and Marquee Hire business will create from the sales of its products or services. Your sales forecast can stand alone, but it will be closely connected to your Tent and Marquee Hire business plan. It is an essential and fundamental piece of the planning process and it will be a major part of your profit and loss account and cash flow forecast.

So why do you need to forecast sales?

It is needed so you can

1. Plan cash flow – that you will need to include in your business plan when seeking funding, and to avoid out of the blue cash flow problems by establishing if and when you will need to inject capital or have access to funds.
2. Manage Cash flow – central to the success of your business, it is essential that you recognize how sales forecasting contributes to the computation of the cash flow forecast.
3. Plan future resource requirements – for example, the quantity of personnel needed to manage your orders and provide a certain level of service.
4. Plan marketing activities – and the consequent fiscal strategies arising from these.

Whatever the situation, it is critical that you investigate your expected sales frequently and realistically, and take proper action to re-examine your strategy. Your sales forecast is the standard alongside which you should frequently quantify what truly happens in your business in terms of sales and the important thing is to recognize the variances and why they transpire, and to incorporate what you have learned into yet to come forecasts.

So what do you need to consider?

It’s usually considered you should look to the next 3 years of your Tent and Marquee Hire business for your sales forecasts – the first year being detailed on a monthly basis

Things to think about

1. Are there any related products or services already being provided in the region?
2. What is the extent of the market?
3. Is this an growing/contracting market and if so; by what percentage?
4. What are the major factors that are at this time influencing that market?
5. What may well affect it in future?
6. Is your business cyclic?
7. What trends or fashions are appropriate to the sector?

Who are your customers going to be?

1. What percentage will purchase?
2. Will they desert a different supplier to come to you?
3. What is your pricing strategy and how will it affect sales?
4. Can you actually supply the products and services that you are predicting?
5. How many other businesses like yours are out there?
6. It’s not likely your business is the only one of its kind – what happens to your customers when fresh businesses enter the market?

You must be transparent about how your products or/and services match the marketplace. Practically every business has some competitor(s) – how can you hoover up your competitors customers? How can you prevent your competitors taking your customers? Just how adaptable with regard to pricing and the assortment of products or services to be had can you be?

Preparing your Tent and Marquee Hire business forecast

All Tent and Marquee Hire businesses need to base their forecasts on certain assumptions regarding potential changes that may take place in the future. These can be quantified and could include:

1. Sector growth/decline by a certain percentage e.g. 5%.
2. Staff increase to increase production or sales – maybe 25%.
3. Different location – more customers – 30% increase in sales.

Preparing your forecast

You should prepare a sales forecast for each product you sell,and forecast:

1. By volume
2. By value
3. By a combination of both volume and value.

So what are the pitfalls when forecasting sales?

1. Make sure your forecast is based on certifiable,realistic and unbiased information.
2. Do not be tempted to pay no attention to your research if it showed bad results.
3. Don’t make predictions only on historical results. Keep looking at what else might impinge on your sales in the future and amend your forecast appropriately.
4. Understand what volume of goods you can produce. Can you produce the amount of sales being forecast with the equipment,personnel and financial resources available to you?
5. Are your prices realistic?, or conversely, have the prices been set too low down or too high so that either way your forecast is potentially unrealistic?
6. If you have just started up in business, your business may take longer than you imagine to get established, and have you set accordingly realistic sales targets?
7. Have you allowed for the possibility that high sales based on an opening promotional surge may drop off, leading to a need for more intensive marketing and higher ongoing expenses once initial interest has peaked?
8. Can you identify and justify the assumptions you have made in reaching the forecast, and explain them to interested parties if necessary?