If you are a tech business or you sell Software As A Service and you get most of your business from “word of mouth” referrals, your business hasn’t yet reached a consistent level of sales and you’re not yet making a good profit – you probably need to take a good look at your sales process.
What is a sales process?
A sales process is a systematic way to identify the problem your prospective client wants to solve, the solution you provide which has solved the same problem for other people like him or her, and the steps you will both take to solve the problem together and inspire them to buy.
We typically create an image, or diagram, or picture or other visual representation of the steps a prospective customer or client goes through. Starting from the time they first interact with you and your brand to the time when they recognise that you can solve their problem and engage with you and “convert” into a client. We call this a Visual Funnel, which maps the steps you have designed for your client to take to get their problem solved and feel delighted with your service.
This sales process becomes a “blueprint” for your lead generation and sales and guides you in every conversation you have with your prospective customer or client – whether face to face or in writing in a letter or an email, or on social media.
So, it’s a structured way to start, maintain, and develop your conversation with your prospective customer until they convert. As far as possible that conversation is designed to continue across multiple media and interactions as you gradually get to know your customer or client well and educate him or her on what you can do. Like you are reading his or her mind and you can
- Articulate his or her problem
- Identify with his or her deepest fears, challenges, dreams, and desires
- Build a relationship so that he or she knows, likes, and trusts you to solve his or her problem
- Guide him or her to imagine that your services can solve the problem
- Show him or her how to engage you to provide your services
What are the benefits of a systematic sales process?
Good salespeople are students of human behaviour and naturally start with an intense
What are the steps in a good sales process and how many do you need?
We typically design sales processes with between 5 and 7 steps.
1 – First Interaction – Often on social media or at a networking event to create connection (sometimes known as an elevator pitch or connection request on social media).
2 – Educate and inform to articulate the problem and the solution you can provide to solve the problem.
3 – Request more information – this is when your prospective customer asks for information from you (typically known as a “lead magnet”) in return for his or her contact details.
4 – Qualification – a short conversation to ensure that you are a good fit and can solve the problem, within time, qulaity and budget constraints.
5. Conversion – a more “in-depth” appointment or conversation to build a plan, make your pitch and guide the prospective client to make a purchase.
These are illustrative steps and the process needs customising for each different context, to reflect your unique customer journey.
