It occurs almost every time I speak or every initial client visit. Whether your organization is using CRM or not I find that most organizations have not taken the time to define, write out and train their sales team on how to use prescriptive a sales process. Why is this important enough to write about? The Results!
Recently in working with a client we spent about two hours simply documenting what a salesperson should do on each of the various steps of their sales process, it enlightened the existing sales manager and created the beginning of a new sales driven culture for the company. What happened?
1. In forcing the process of “thinking through’ the logical progression and the actual actions the salesperson should take, we altered the second step and changed “what “the salesperson was to say and sell during that stage.
2. We created one additional professional service product that could be re-sold.
3. The Sales Manager began to fully understand not only what the steps in the sales process were, but more importantly WHY the salesperson needs to execute on them.
4. Actual definitions of each action within each stage were specifically defined. Why is this important? Pipeline values become more accurate. Let me describe this in more detail. Let’s assume there is a “demonstration” stage in your sales cycle, next ask yourself, when do your salespeople move the prospect to the demo stage: When it is scheduled? Or after it is completed? This is an example of the kinds of detail that will come out during the process.
5. During the sales process your companies Value Proposition must be proven. You can build a step or an action that takes place at the appropriate stage that can validate your messaging. We created what we expect to be a unique idea for the client to prove theirs.
6. One of the most important aspects of creating a prescriptive sales process is changing the sales process! What I mean is; if you and your competitors use the basic sales stages in the same sequence and say and do the same things no one stands out and prospect becomes confused. When there is confusion, generally there is no decision. Change your sales process to stand out, be different and make the customer remember you. Refer to my previous blog on the End of Solution Sales.
7. We added a last step: a follow up at 90 days post implementation/installation to validate customer satisfaction and ask for a reference letter.
The next step is for the sales manager to roll you the process, teach the salespeople how to execute and then “inspect what you expect” that the sales team is using the process as it is defined. Set a 90 day plan in place to implement and evaluate the results; create four or five metrics to measure its effectiveness, validate it is being used and to listen to your team. If it needs to be altered to increase effectiveness that is ok, but before you change-make sure you are fully understand the impacts.
Let me know your thoughts on creating a sales process. What has worked for you? What hasn’t?
Thanks for sharing this steps Ken,
Informing them is the foremost also on how long the process is going to take so that they usually are not left wondering when problem is going to be resolved in this form of sales process. I’ll be able follow these tips, not only I have ability to earn back the business, as well as the trust of the client and I believe that I might also be able to using them as to brand preacher for the marketing campaigns. In your help, I fully now understand the impacts are. Thanks again.