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Sales Process

NEVER QUESTION YOUR NEXT STEP AGAIN

Sales is a Thinking Process.

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What is a Process?

A series of steps that someone follows, in a particular order to accomplish something. 

The definition of sales process shifts depending on if you are looking at it through the lens of the customer, the business, or the individual. 

Benefits of Having a Sales Process

Forecasting

When using a process, you are able to create timelines and know where you are going to stand day, weeks, or months from now.

Creating Predictability

After using a process for awhile and gather data on it, you will be able to make estimates based off numbers.

Identifying Risk

Leaning into your data can help you identify outliers and any potential gaps withing your process.

Know your customer

Understand the Buying Process

Before you interject yourself into the process, you've got to know where your customer is coming from. Why are they looking for a solution? What will go into their decisions?

know your business

Know Where You Stand

Knowing who you can serve and how exactly you can serve them, puts you in the driver's seat. When you know the solutions you can offer, you know the problems you can solve.

flow chart of the sales rep approach

know your approach

Follow the Sales Rep Approach

Identify prospect, ideal customer profile, engage with the person(s), and establish objectives. Then, we clarify next steps by identifying the next actions, and call the prospect to action (use this as a way to hold the person(s) accountable). This process loops until the deal is closed.

Putting it all together using "Sales is a Thinking Process"

1. Validated

Ask yourself “Can we see a scenario where we would conduct business with each other?” If you are speaking with someone who is in your ideal customer profile at an individual level (person/role), and they work within an organization that is within your ideal customer profile (company), there is a high likelihood that within the first discussion you will be able to validate an opportunity.

2. Qualified

This step is about understanding the story from the perspective of the customer. You need to identify what problems exist, who cares about those problems, why do they care about those problems, how have they attempted to fix the problems, when do they need to fix the problem? If we can answer these questions, we can move to the next step.

3. Fit Established

Based on our understanding of the problem, can we solve it with our existing solution or product? This is an internal test, a test that we use to validate that we are working with the right customer and that it makes sense for us to move forward.

4. Client Fit Established

Here is where the customer’s perspective is critical, do they think that we can solve the problem? Can they afford the solution? Can they implement the technology or service? This is FIT from the perspective of the client.

5. Proposal Sent

We have done a fair amount of work to get here. We understand the customer and can define the problem from their perspective. Plus, we have determined that we can solve the problem and they have agreed that we can do so. Now we move forward with listing out the Problem, the Solutions, the Costs, and Next Steps in a single document.

6. Contract Signed

We’ve negotiated terms and conditions, and agreed to these terms and conditions. The deal is now moved into a CLOSED WON status.

7. Confirmation

It is important for us, critical in fact, that we go back to the customer, and confirm that we did what we said we would do. We confirm that we delivered the solution, solved the problem, or are on the right track, and if we have not – take the time to fix things. Once solved, or fixed, ask your customer if they know of others who are struggling with solving the same problem. This is where we ask for a referral – either within their business or within their network.

Take the Next Steps

Download the sales process worksheet and start testing.

"I strongly recommend this course for every stage of a sales career, from casual contemplation to veteran pro."

"For most of my 19-year sales career, I've sought to continuously improve my processes. This has lead me down a number of paths as it relates to seller journeys, buyer journeys, org charts and everything in between. What many of the methodologies I encountered had in common, was that they seemed to add complexity when simplicity is what I sought. Enter the "Demystify Sales" course. Through this course, what felt like it should be simple, actually became so. Mike makes such sense of what's necessary to identify gaps in my process, that what I'm learning is immediately actionable and effective. Mike covers everything from thinking and planning, to execution while including essential tools to help accelerate learning. Instead of scripting, Mike introduces an on-point framework that makes gaps evident, prompting me to creatively consider the questions I need to ask to fill them. I strongly recommend this course for every stage of a sales career, from casual contemplation to veteran pro."
DeJuan A. Brown
Director, Solutions Specialist- SLG at Microsoft