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The sales process is a set of specific steps that must be followed in order to guide a potential customer from the moment of first contact to the finalization of the transaction. It is a kind of manual that indicates to salespeople the precise actions they should take in order to effectively win a new customer. By delineating the specific actions necessary to achieve a sale, you ensure uniformity of action across the team, which increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the sales process.
In a B2B business, customer acquisition requires much more effort than a single email or phone call. The process is usually complex, lengthy - sometimes taking months or even years - and involving many people from different levels of the organization. Each customer acquisition case can be different, especially for more complex sales. Therefore, the existence of a well-planned and well-thought-out sales process is crucial to effectively and efficiently manage customer relationships and lead each transaction to a successful conclusion.
Implementing process-based sales management has many benefits, including:
In order to gain even more effective control over sales, it is a good idea to create several sales processes tailored to different customer acquisition methods. A single company may need to implement different sales processes, especially when the company acquires customers in different ways, such as through partnerships, direct sales or responding to customer inquiries. Customized sales processes for each of these avenues will help you better understand the specifics of each channel and maximize the effectiveness of your sales efforts.
Think about your company's sales processes - often each sale looks different, which is natural. It's crucial that each action is the result of a well-thought-out plan, rather than spontaneous decisions. This strategic approach allows for a more controlled and predictable sales process, where every step is deliberate and well thought out.
Start by setting clear rules for choosing the right sales process. Establish clear and measurable criteria, such as:
Based on customer segmentFor customers in selected segments, such as key accounts (VIP), the sales process may require additional efforts. In these cases, it makes sense to develop dedicated sales processes specifically tailored to the needs of these customers.
Depending on the specialization of the salesmanWhen the customer acquisition process is divided into stages handled by different specialists, sales processes can be adjusted according to their competencies. For example, one salesman may be responsible for pre-qualification, while another is responsible for negotiating and finalizing the deal.
Based on the type of products or services you sellYou can also customize your sales processes based on whether you sell products or services.
Depending on how the customer is contactedIf you vary your actions depending on whether the customer is self-submitting interest (inbound sales) or being actively solicited (outbound sales), you can apply different sales processes to each of these scenarios.
Once the processes for acquiring customers have been defined and systematized, the next step is to integrate them into the CRM system. CRM is an ideal solution for mapping the actual operations of a company, including various sales processes, allowing for effective organization and monitoring of sales activities.
In the CRM system, you have the ability to create many different sales processes. This functionality is extremely helpful when your sales model varies depending on the type of service or product, the method of customer acquisition, or the characteristics of a particular customer group.
When you add a new sales opportunity to your CRM system, you have the option to select the appropriate of the active sales processes to be used in that particular situation. In addition, there is an option to change the selected process in the course if you get more information about the customer and decide that it would be better to proceed with a particular transaction according to a different, more appropriate sales scheme.
To make your work easier and better manageable, it's a good idea to give your sales processes intuitive names that reflect the context in which they are used. For example, you can introduce separate designations for the active sales process, where you initiate contact with potential customers yourself, and the inquiry response process, where the customer already knows their requirements and is looking for specific solutions. These two processes will differ in their approach: in the former you start by identifying the customer's needs, while in the latter you respond to specific requirements right away. For the sake of clarity, you can call them, for example, "Active Sales" and "Response to Request for Proposal." In addition, you can set one of these processes as the default when opening a new sales opportunity, e.g. "Active Sales", if this is the process you use most often.
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If you manage sales using different sales processes and use the Livespace CRM system, you can expect all of these activities to be accurately reflected in the CRM statistics. In the Livespace example, under the open sales opportunities tab, you will find separate graphs and analysis for each sales process used. This allows you to track exactly how each individual process affects the overall sales result.
At the top of the page, in the "Open Sales Opportunities" section, you will find a summary of the value and number of all open sales opportunities, regardless of their process type. This allows you to quickly assess your company's overall sales effectiveness.
Similarly, statistics on sales opportunities that have been closed are also segregated according to the sales process used. This gives you a clear picture of which sales processes are most effective in closing deals and which need to be optimized.
Such differentiation in a CRM system like Livespace provides clear insight into how individual sales strategies work in practice, enabling better planning and adaptation of sales tactics to dynamically changing market conditions and customer needs.
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An important aspect of any sales process is the ability to analyze it in detail for efficiency. The ability to evaluate the results of specific activities makes it possible to identify areas for improvement and to improve the entire sales process. This allows salespeople to focus on activities that actually affect customer acquisition, avoiding wasting time on less effective methods. For you as a sales manager, analyzing the effectiveness of various sales processes allows you to identify the most effective ones and focus more attention and resources on them. As a result, such analysis is a key tool in optimizing sales strategies and maximizing the effectiveness of the entire sales department.
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