3 Ways a Defined Sales Process Will Improve Your Sales Efforts
- Dan Flynn
- Jan 27, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 30

A ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ is a series of repeatable steps, or stages, a seller guides a potential client through in hopes of closing a deal. While the specific requirements of what needs to occur within each stage are unique for every company, the basic framework consists of the following stages:
๐ค๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด: Where the seller determines if the potential client is ready, willing, & able to buy their offerings.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Time spent uncovering the prospectโs goals, challenges, consequences of not addressing those challenges, timeline to accomplish their goals, decision maker(s), & their budget. This is the time to diagnose, not solve!
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น: The sellerโs opportunity to present their solution for solving the prospect's needs & fully communicate their value proposition.
๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: When concerns of the proposal are addressed, negotiated & possibly accommodated to progress the deal to close.
๐๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ: When a contract is signed & the deal is closed.
Below are ๐ฏ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ a defined sales process will improve your sales efforts:
๐ญ) ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ค๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐: A common issue is when sellers spend too much time on prospects that shouldnโt be considered prospects in the 1st place. Incorporating a clearly defined sales process, where a thorough checklist of factors is utilized to determine if a lead is in fact worth pursuing, will help shorten sales cycles, increase close rates, & maximize your sales teamโs efforts.
๐ฎ) ๐๐ป๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐'๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐: Sellers often jump at the chance to present their offerings to potential customers. But if proper qualifying hasnโt been performed, or if a thorough discovery meeting failed to occur, then it's a waste of the prospect's time. Imagine your doctor communicating that you need a surgery when an acceptable diagnosis procedure never happened. A well-defined sales process will list essential information that needs to be obtained prior to advancing a prospect to the next stage. This will greatly improve the prospect's experience by keeping the process moving efficiently & ensuring their needs are addressed. At the same time, this will increase the likelihood of closing a sale.
๐ฏ) ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด: A defined sales process helps you identify the stages where each deal resides, & with assigned close ratios for each stage, you will have a more accurate estimate of the revenue in your pipeline. This will only improve as close ratios can be adjusted to reflect historical averages.
If you're having trouble getting your sales team to perform at a higher level, in need of building a sales team & structure for growth, or having trouble recruiting high-performing sales professionals, please schedule a free consultation with me here on my website, or email me at dflynn@skyhawksales.com.
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