Sales Process
Sales Process
A sales process is simply a series of customer-focused steps that enables the sales person to substantively increase win rates, build customer retention, and increase revenue production. Each step consists of several key activities and has a predictable, measurable outcome.
A great sales process can help your sales force succeed.
The benefits of a sales process include:
• Definable steps. A sales process helps you identify best practices for working through sales opportunities. Random acts produce random results.
• Predictable outcomes. A sales process helps you see which steps will bring a sales opportunity to closure.
• Repeatable activities. A sales process helps you replicate your successes and avoid your failures.
• Measurable results. A sales process helps you forecast revenue and measure the time required for key steps in the process.
A well-defined sales process can help you:
• Identify and qualify leads.
• Find more opportunities for repeat business among your existing customers.
• More consistently position the unique value that your company can deliver versus the competition.
• Discover your customers’ needs and match these needs to your products or services.
• Identify and deliver convincing proof that your products can meet those needs.
• Better assess the revenue potential for a given customer – and be able to view consolidated information for all customers in your sales pipeline.
• Negotiate and close more sales.
• Build stronger relationships with customers and business partners.
• Put a follow-up process in place after the sale that helps drive customer satisfaction – and generates repeat business and referrals.
Buying Process v Sales Process
Customer Buying Process
All customers go through five basic steps in the Customer Buying Process.
Step 1: Identify needs. Business owners look for ways to improve revenues and market share, to lower costs, and to improve operating efficiencies. Consumers look for ways to improve their standard of living or their overall satisfaction.
Step 2: Determine requirements. The customer’s goal in this step is to clearly identify all the aspects of the problem or opportunity they are trying to solve and to specify the requirements for a solution.
Step 3: Evaluate options. The customer solicits proposals and seeks out proof that the potential vendors can meet the stated requirements.
Step 4: Negotiate. The customer now has a clear understanding of the options available and begins negotiations to acquire the product or service. Price is one consideration, but negotiating considerations include the cost of change and the risk that the solution will not meet their needs.
Step 5: Implement and evaluate success. The product or service is implemented and the customer begins the process of judging whether it truly meets the stated needs.
Five steps define the sales process methodology. Each step is made up of several key activities with predictable, measurable outcomes. The steps help the business person succeed by:
1. Focusing on a total understanding of critical business issues faced by customers.
2. Developing potential value to be gained by customers.
3. Creating a strong desire in the customer to buy products and services supplied by your company.
Step 1: Prospecting. At this first stage of the sales process, the salesperson is generating qualified leads, finding new opportunities among the existing customer base, and differentiating his or her company versus the competition.
Step 2: Qualifying. In this stage you and the customer are sizing each other up.
Step 3: Proposal. When you reach this stage the promises end and you have to demonstrate to the decision maker that your company can really deliver the goods.
Step 4: Decision. The desired outcome, naturally, is a successfully negotiated deal.
Step 5: Repeat Business. A signed contract is really just the first part of the Process. The Repeat Business step acknowledges that it is indeed a sales process – not a moment in time when a contract is signed.
What is your Sales Process...
Do you have one? Is it working? Do you need one?
Sales Process - To learn more about this author, visit Colly Graham's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Why Your Business Needs a Sales Process
A sales process is simply a series of customer-focused steps that enables the sales person to substantively increase win rates, build customer retention, and increase revenue production. Each step consists of several key activities and has a predictable, measurable outcome.
A great sales process can help your sales force succeed.
The benefits of a sales process include:
• Definable steps. A sales process helps you identify best practices for working through sales opportunities. Random acts produce random results.
• Predictable outcomes. A sales process helps you see which steps will bring a sales opportunity to closure.
• Repeatable activities. A sales process helps you replicate your successes and avoid your failures.
• Measurable results. A sales process helps you forecast revenue and measure the time required for key steps in the process.
A well-defined sales process can help you:
• Identify and qualify leads.
• Find more opportunities for repeat business among your existing customers.
• More consistently position the unique value that your company can deliver versus the competition.
• Discover your customers’ needs and match these needs to your products or services.
• Identify and deliver convincing proof that your products can meet those needs.
• Better assess the revenue potential for a given customer – and be able to view consolidated information for all customers in your sales pipeline.
• Negotiate and close more sales.
• Build stronger relationships with customers and business partners.
• Put a follow-up process in place after the sale that helps drive customer satisfaction – and generates repeat business and referrals.
Buying Process v Sales Process
Customer Buying Process
All customers go through five basic steps in the Customer Buying Process.
Step 1: Identify needs. Business owners look for ways to improve revenues and market share, to lower costs, and to improve operating efficiencies. Consumers look for ways to improve their standard of living or their overall satisfaction.
Step 2: Determine requirements. The customer’s goal in this step is to clearly identify all the aspects of the problem or opportunity they are trying to solve and to specify the requirements for a solution.
Step 3: Evaluate options. The customer solicits proposals and seeks out proof that the potential vendors can meet the stated requirements.
Step 4: Negotiate. The customer now has a clear understanding of the options available and begins negotiations to acquire the product or service. Price is one consideration, but negotiating considerations include the cost of change and the risk that the solution will not meet their needs.
Step 5: Implement and evaluate success. The product or service is implemented and the customer begins the process of judging whether it truly meets the stated needs.
Five steps define the sales process methodology. Each step is made up of several key activities with predictable, measurable outcomes. The steps help the business person succeed by:
1. Focusing on a total understanding of critical business issues faced by customers.
2. Developing potential value to be gained by customers.
3. Creating a strong desire in the customer to buy products and services supplied by your company.
Step 1: Prospecting. At this first stage of the sales process, the salesperson is generating qualified leads, finding new opportunities among the existing customer base, and differentiating his or her company versus the competition.
Step 2: Qualifying. In this stage you and the customer are sizing each other up.
Step 3: Proposal. When you reach this stage the promises end and you have to demonstrate to the decision maker that your company can really deliver the goods.
Step 4: Decision. The desired outcome, naturally, is a successfully negotiated deal.
Step 5: Repeat Business. A signed contract is really just the first part of the Process. The Repeat Business step acknowledges that it is indeed a sales process – not a moment in time when a contract is signed.
What is your Sales Process...
Do you have one? Is it working? Do you need one?
Sales Process - To learn more about this author, visit Colly Graham's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Colly Graham Video - Colly Graham discusses Creating Customers on the Telephone -The importance of the telephone in selling is now well documented. This training DVD focuses on getting in front of more prospects by teaching the skill of telephone appointment setting. The workshop demonstrates the connection between daily activities, the sales cycle, and the number of sales necessary for a consistent flow of qualified appointments. Based on practical skills that get results fill your diary with qualified appointments.
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