ABSTRACT
Forecasting viewed as a tool which insures the happening of a future event. Its major contribution is that it forces a systematic and careful appraisal of the past and the future. There are three basic types of business forecasts: forecasts of general business activity, long-range sales forecasts, and short-term operating forecasts. Short-run forecasting technique says that the best indication of what is going to happen tomorrow is what happened today. The mail survey in which questionnaires are sent to a predetermined list of potential respondents. The telephone survey, in which a sample of respondents is reached by a telephone call. Personal interview survey in which the interviewers ask a series of questions during a face-to-face meeting with the respondents. Non-probability samples are the type that do not use a sampling design based on random methods with automatic selection. Starting with a budget as a planning device, the sales manager has many powerful tools available for sales analysis.
