A sales process is a set of steps that sales representatives follow to close a deal. Sales, in general, is a process that consists of different stages. Every business has a unique way of selling depending on their products and services. That should be documented in the form of a flow chart or any other convenient presentation. A well-defined sales process is easy to follow for your sales team and thus they can spend more time selling and improving your ROI.
A simple, clear set of steps that are formed based on your business goals and vision will act as an action plan for your sales team.Track their progress with a field employee tracking app and make necessary changes based on their performance. Your business must have a precise, actionable sales process to scale new heights. Come, let’s see how to create a winning sales process.
Tips To Create A Great Sales Process
Before you start creating a sales process for your business, keep in mind the following tips:
- Be precise with your solution and your ideal customers.
- Focus on your customer’s pain points.
- Easy to understand and put into action.
- Keep the process simple, flexible, and scalable.
- Discuss with your sales team and improve.
Remember, a great sales process is a path to winning more customers. Once it is in place, your sales team finds it easy to reach the target customers and approach them in the right way. You can see your sales team performing better resulting in more happy customers for your business.
7 Steps In A Sales Process
An ideal sales process consists of 7 different steps. Each step involves a series of actions to be followed and according to the results, the next steps are decided. They are as follows:
- Prospecting
The first step in the sales process is prospecting, which means finding new customers for your business. You can find them through cold calling, emails, platforms like LinkedIn or Quora, referrals, or any online/offline events too. Whatever way you get, you must first get their contact information and arrange for a discovery call. Reports say that more than 70% of B2B sales take a minimum of 3 months up to a year to close a deal. So the next step is qualifying the leads.
- Qualifying
Once you get the prospects, you have to qualify them. Even though you get a handful of leads, only a part of them will be a good fit for your business. By doing extensive research, your sales team can filter out some based on their priority, needs, budget, etc. First, try to find the decision makers of a company and their contact information. Then, ask them for a convenient time to have an initial discussion. Getting more high-quality leads will improve your chances of selling and thus boost your revenue.
- Initial Discussion
A discovery call is a very first discussion you have with the prospect to figure out their requirements. Be patient and listen to them. Ask relevant questions such as,
- What kind of services are they looking for?
- When do they need your service?
- What will be their ideal budget?
- What are their goals and vision?
The most commonly used methodology for a discovery call is called BANT(Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline).
- Product Demo/ Presentation
Based on how the initial discussion goes, your prospect may ask you to schedule a product demo at their convenient time. The key decision-makers will be present during this demo, so your sales team must be well-prepared with a pitch. First impressions decide the outcome. So be prepared, and maintain a positive attitude and body language. Highlight how your product addresses the prospect’s pain points. End your presentation with a clear CTA (call to action) and guide them in choosing the right plan for their business.
- Negotiation And Objection Handling
Next comes the toughest part of the sales process, negotiating the deal with the prospects. Give frequent training sessions on negotiation skills and handling objections to your sales team. If a prospect rejects your offer after consistent negotiation, understand the reasons and move on. Your time is valuable and you spend it on the right prospects. Don’t take rejections personally. Instead, try to understand their perspective and make changes in your selling process and strategies accordingly.
- Closing Deal
Closing the deal includes signing contracts, SLAs, and other legal documents. Be transparent with your customers in terms of pricing and offers. Once you close a deal successfully, appreciate the effort of your sales team. Give rewards and recognition they deserve.
- Follow-ups And Support
After onboarding a client successfully, do regular follow-ups to check whether your product serves its purpose effectively. Engage your customers through newsletters, the latest offers, and other valuable information. Be available at more than one communication channel to clear their doubts and queries.
Summing Up
There is a saying, “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing”. So true, isn’t it?!
A sales process may look like a simple 7-step process but each step involves a series of actions that needs consistent effort from your sales team. Creating a sales process flowchart will streamline your sales team’s efforts and help them close deals more effectively than before. As a sales manager, it is your responsibility to think and develop a proper roadmap to achieve your sales targets for which you need a great sales process. With the help of the best field employee tracking app like Lystloc, you will have a highly productive sales team to achieve your targets on time.
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