Every year most companies go through the annual ritual of trying to figure out what their sales revenues are likely to be. Unfortunately, some will never get a good handle on it; they'll look over the landscape and make a few assumptions based on how sales grew last year, what they think the economy "feels like" to them, and what the prevailing trends have been over the past few months. Then they'll use a "Kentucky windage" approach of putting their finger up in the air and basically guessing at what their sales will be. You can't afford to be one of those businesses.

Determining where future sales are going to come from is one of the most important things any small business should focus on - and the process usually needs a little more science and a little less art than it is given. Ending up with a meaningful sales forecast involves actively thinking through what drives customers to buy from you, how that will change during the forecast period (whether you initiate the change, or it just happens), and how your small business is going to try to shape its world. It requires actively collecting and analyzing information that will make the forecast process more accurate.

Think for a minute about the sales and marketing resources you have at your disposal - and what you pay for them; it