Paulina Romero H
We can all start a business by "experimenting" with it and even be satisfied when making profits that exceed the investment done. It's all good until there. But what if I told you that in addition to simply making a profit -randomly, you can significantly increase your sales by optimizing the way that you sell ... sounds interesting, right? Why leave it to chance when you can actively intervene so that your company grows?
What is a Sales Process?
If your company has a set of steps that each seller can repeat in order to turn your prospects into sales, congratulations! you have a sales process. If not, it would be best if you started to systematize this process as soon as possible so that you can close more sales, more efficiently.
Where should you start from?
There are many ways to systematize a sales process. We recommend you keep in mind the following aspects:
1.- Set your objectives/goals
They should be realistic, that is to say, they should be achievable within the time that you have set, and with the tools and resources that you have. For instance, you can't expect to make the same profits that a company of 40 employees, with more than 50 years of operations makes, when your company has just started, has two employees and a very low budget for marketing. Start with realistic goals and then level-up your goals little by little, according to your growth.
2.- Create a Sales Funnel
- What is a Sales funnel?
A sales funnel standardizes the purchase process of a customer. It begins with a customer barely knowing your product or service, then getting to know you better with time, until the sale closes. A sales funnel will help you define when a prospect can be passed from the marketing area to the sales department and what steps should be followed according to this buyer's journey.
- How do you build your funnel?
Watch your sales representatives. How often do they make a sale? What steps do they follow? How long does it take them to achieve it? What actions do they follow and with what results? Keep a record of this information.
Turn what you observed into a map. If 8 out of 10 sales happen to do something that you think should be done by everyone, then make it a part of your process. If on the contrary, you detect something that you don't like and it happens a lot, delete it from your process. For example, if calling your customers before offering them content on the internet sends them away from you, stop calling. If, on the contrary, sending them information by mail brings them closer to you, make sure that this step is a part of your process.
In other words, define what makes your prospect takes the next step of your funnel so you can repeat it with every client. If most of your salespeople detect that doing something specific closes a sale more easily, make sure that that "push" is present for everyone. (For example, offering a quote or making an appointment)
Re-evaluate your process constantly. Contrast your sales process with the reality. What works today may not work tomorrow. The worries of buyers change, the way they buy changes too. Even your goals and objectives can change. If some action was successful when you built your process but, when you evaluate it you suddenly realize that it is not successful anymore, you have to alter your map so it reaches your goal, even if it means taking a different route.
3.- Use a CRM
This software is key to:
- Better manage the relationship you have with your clients
- Automate processes and be able to analyze them more easily
All in real time and with access from any computer or device. This will make your sales team much better organized and keep them always updated.
Once you have followed these steps, it's time to share your sales process with your team so that they get to know it, understand it and start applying it. Try to be in constant communication with them in order to detect failures or successes in your process and thus, be able to optimize it.
