Building Our Sales Process

Introduction by Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com considers the essential steps to deliver an effective and repeatable process.

Introduction - What Is a Sales Process?

Essentially a sales process is a structured approach to achieve our sales objectives and to be able to repeat this approach with multiple persons following the same guidance. A sales process acts as a roadmap as well as a guide for the sales team.

» Considers a repeatable set of steps which the salesperson should take to turn an early-stage lead into a new customer.
» Each step in a sales process can contain several separate elements.
» Each step is considered crucial and a clear process enables effective oversight.
» Managers are able to see where and why a sale has stalled, and they can take the necessary steps to recover or retrain/ coach.

General Notes Regarding Sales Staff

» Salespeople need to know about their product, target customers, industry, and the unique value their brand provides.
» Preparation is the fundament on which a successful sales process is built.
» How well do you know the competitor? (What can you offer that is different?)
» What are the core problems your buyers usually experience and what is the benefits of our product to address those problems?

The Importance of Approach

» Identify the correct point of contact
» Speak to the opportunity
» Active listening, empathy, note-taking, trust-building, and following up are paramount skills to build/develop
-» Share the USP of our product connect needs & wants
» Put the customer first focus on the buyer not the seller
» Become a trusted advisor reference your specific knowledge of the company where possible listening carefully to the customer
» During this step by referring back to what you learned during Research and Approach, and listening closely to your prospect
» Being able to handle objections and pushback is one of the key things that allows a salesperson to reach the close of a deal (Practice empathy and focus on the customers viewpoint)

What is the Difference Between Sales Process & Sales Methodology?

» Sales methodology is the framework that guides a salesperson through each step within the sales process

o Single methodology to govern your entire sales process
o Multiple methodologies related to different steps of the sales process

» The Sales Process typically consists of multiple Steps

Sales Process Explained

» Preparation

o Know the product
o Understand the customers perspective
o What is the competitor offering
o Identify customers for the Product
o Check for Best fit
o Approach the Customer  
o How to get the attention of Key Persons

» Pitch/Presentation

o Consider the Unique Selling Points of our product
o Handle Questions
o Manage Objections
o Send Proposal
o Finalize the deal
o Follow-up
o Nurture customers

- Offer up-sells
- Ask for referrals

The Importance of Screening Customers

» The sales and marketing teams should develop ideal customer profiles related to each product and to use this information for the screening of potential clients.
» Limited resources should always reflect the data related to ideal customer profile data by focusing on high value leads.
» Effective screening requires the maximum effort and is of the highest value
» Align the customers’ needs with the product (Tailored Solutions?)

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