Your sales process

20th October 2011

When did you last analyse your sales process?

How are sales going at the moment? If you have a sales force are they all performing equally well, or are some better than others? If things are not going that well, have you put it down to the current economic climate, or might it be worth having a long hard look at your sales process and then decide what you could do to improve it.

Of course there is an art/skill to selling, and some are most definitely better at it than others, but when needs must, it is essential that you give yourself and your sales force the best chance that they can get. So start by analysing your sales process in detail, and be brutally honest with yourself. Ask where the bottlenecks are appearing on your process, and then identify ways of changing and improving these.

Remember the sales process is not just when you are sitting in front of your “lead”, it’s all the pre-sales meeting contacts, and indeed your after sales service (although the after sales is more about getting referrals and repeat business). You can achieve a lot before you even see your lead, by preparing them for what will happen when you see them, and let them know that you will be asking for the order when you are there. Make sure all the decision makers will be present, and of course turn up on time, looking smart, confident and fully prepared.

I recently spent a morning preparing a client for his first sales meeting with a new client that afternoon. We practiced scripts, and covered all aspects that we could think of. So was it worth it, well he got the business, and at a considerable premium above which others had previously been selling at.

So don’t blame the economic climate if you aren’t getting sales. Look at your process, look at yourself, and make changes to make it work.

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