The most successful organizations have a strong sales forecasting function, which allows them to precisely design their operations to match expected sales levels. In the Effective Sales Forecasting course, we discuss how to construct a robust forecasting system. Topics covered include the drivers of forecast accuracy, the forecasting process, sales forecasting techniques, detecting cresting sales, structural improvements to the process, related Excel tools, and how to measure forecast effectiveness.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
Identify the problems associated with sales forecasting.
Specify the advantages and disadvantages of each approach to sales forecasting, as well as the situations in which each one works best.
Identify the forecasting method in which a smoothing constant is used.
Recall the information revealed by the correlation coefficient.
Identify the different methods that can be used to expand sales.
Recall the impacts of constraints on projected sales.
Specify the structural improvements that can be applied to the sales forecasting process.
Specify the forecast modeling options available within Excel, and the information they provide.
Specify how forecasting error information is used.
Major Topics
The Importance of sales Forecasting
Problems with sales Forecasting
Characteristics of the Market
Sales Forecasting Techniques
The Forecasting Process
Excel Forecasting Tools
Forecast Evaluation
