For the people who work with sales, having a well-structured work process can get the team closer to the goals. With the phases of this procedure defined, it is possible to map the customers' journey, from the beginning of lead generation to post-sales, and optimize the work in each of these moments to achieve goals more effectively.
In this article, we will learn more about what a sales process is, how many steps are in it, and how it is possible to monitor them effectively to increase conversion rates and, consequently, the company's revenue and productivity teams.
What is a sales process?
Vital to attracting new customers, a sales process ensures the maintenance of revenue and loyalty of people who consume the product or service.
When considering this process as a pipeline—which begins with prospecting and ends with monitoring the customer's experience even after the purchase—there are several phases with specific characteristics.
By mapping these stages, it is possible to understand how to optimize the relationship with the customer in each of them, avoid failures that might happen along the way and, therefore, increase the chances of making the customer move forward on this path, whose finish line is beyond the moment of purchase.
Each phase has characteristics that can be fundamental to the client's move on to the next step. Let's get to know some of the most critical stages of this process:
Prospecting
In this step, the main goal is to attract the greatest number of people, then to identify which people have the potential to move on to the next stage of the process.
Prospecting is the first contact between the company and the customer during the sales process. These potential consumers can be sought through various techniques: online, offline, or by referring customers who have already gone through the entire pipeline.
Lead qualification
After lead generation, it's time to figure out the people who have the most concrete chance of buying the product to take another step toward conversion. At this time, it is important to establish a connection with the prospect to understand their pains and problems, identify what that person needs, and, thus, assess whether the product meets their needs.
Sales Pitch
After learning the context of the lead, this is the moment to present the characteristics, qualities, and benefits of the product or service in case there is a match between what the customer wants and what the product offers. For this step, it is essential to have a good sales pitch prepared for the context that the prospect presented, showing that the product or service can fulfill the customer's needs. Later in this article, we'll discuss ways to set up an excellent pitch to ensure progress to the next sales process step.
Closure/follow-up
This is the crucial step of the sales process, when the prospect finally becomes a customer. Despite being the most anticipated stage since the beginning of the pipeline, the sale isn't the end of the process, since it is vital to guarantee customer satisfaction in the after-sales process. For that reason, it is always nice to check whether the product or service meets the needs and strengthens the connection created in the first stages, to enable the possibility of making new sales in the future.
Tips for optimizing your sales pitch
How do you ensure that the pitch will impact the sales process with prospects who have already started to form their opinion about the product or service based on what they may have found online? Let's go to the tips!
- Refine the stages of the sales process
Make sure the sales pitch is consistent with the product or service offered. From the beginning of lead generation, it is essential to adapt to the particularities of each one of the steps, making possible adjustments according to the sales scenario or the customer's context, to ensure that prospects will become consumers.
- Automate the process
By automating the sales process, it is possible to monitor and optimize each one of the stages. With Qntrl, you can give visibility into the steps to the rest of the team, control campaign expenses, and track the customers at each step of the process, encouraging prospects to move on to the next step.
- Understand the scenario and goals of the lead
Active listening is essential to understand the context of the prospects. Also, with the power of the internet in promoting brands, it is vital to adapt the pitch to this scenario, where this potential customer has an active posture and seeks references about the product or service on their own.
During their search, these people may come across not only the information provided by your company but also references and reviews from other customers. That's why listening to what the customer has to say—not only about what they need but also about what they know about the product—is an essential part of the process, so that you can adapt your pitch according to their context and needs.
- Make sure you're selling more than a product or service
In many situations, customers are not simply looking for a product or service but a solution to a problem they face. By practicing active listening, which we've already talked about, it is possible to find out what difficulties these potential customers face, so you can offer the solution they want.
The increment of the conversion rates might be an obvious consequence of executing a sales process in a fluid and organized way. Still, the other benefits of structuring these steps, such as improving visibility and allowing the team to identify and correct any mistake, can be as powerful as the final goal of turning a prospect into an engaged customer.
GUEST WRITER: Marina Meireles
Comments