If we asked you and your company team what your sales process was, would you have a straightforward, well-tuned, organised answer, or would you act as if you had not heard the question? Either way, here at Digikat, you can learn about the need for creating a sales process that will offer a massive difference in your company's bottom line. 

Why Your Company Needs a Sales Process that Works

A sales process is imperative because it complements your business, sales representatives, products, services, and customers. It allows your business to close more deals, boost conversions, and ensure that all reps give customers positive and consistent experiences, no matter with whom they are talking. A process is a set of actions followed by the sales team to win over a new customer.

You may find that building a repeatable, scalable sales process can be tricky since each sales team, target audience, and business is unique. But we have tactics that map and create a strategy that fits your sales team and your target audience.

What is the Difference between a Sales Process and a Sales Methodology?

The sales process relies on a repeatable system that a sales team uses to move a prospect from an early-stage lead (a contact who converts on a form, not a blog subscription) to a closed customer.

A sales methodology is the philosophy that the entire company uses to achieve growth by way of sales. The procedure is how company teams approach a sales process.

Five Often-Used Sales Methodologies

The following ideas assist a team in setting a foundation for their sales process. One of these types of methodology might be incorporated, changed, or improved upon as the sales team works at streamlining the customer's buyer journey.

1. Solution Selling

This method requires reps to focus only on the potential customer's pain points, not the services or products involved. The representative frames solutions that resolve the buyer's pain point.

2. Challenger Sales Method

This approach requires the seller, or challenger, to teach the prospect. As the challenger learns more about the prospect's needs and pain points, the seller points out any preconceptions the buyer may have.

3. Consultative Selling

The emphasis when using this method is on becoming a trusted authority to the customer and gaining the buyer's trust over time. This sales technique depends on a trusting and robust customer-rep relationship.

4. Sandler Sales Methodology

This technique bases itself on the idea that the buyer and seller equally invest in the sales process. The seller learns to come against objections from the buyer early in the conversation. This action saves valuable time for both parties, and the buyer eventually gets to the point where he or she is attempting to convince the seller to make the sale.

5. Inbound Selling

This sales approach attracts buyers' attention through tailored and relevant content, not by advertising irrelevant correspondences and hoping the customer will buy.

The Steps in a Sales Process

HubSpot points out a typical sales process in its simplest terms:

1. Begin target audience research.
2. Create awareness and generate leads.
3. Make contact, arrange a meeting, or conduct a presentation.
4. Submit a proposal and win the business.
5. Repeat.

How the sales process works for HubSpot

Sales Process Stages

1. Qualification

After some conversation and discussion with the head of the company, if the salesperson asks all the right questions and gets the answers needed, the prospect becomes a qualified lead.

2. Preparation

Not only is getting prepared to communicate with your candidate an arduous task, but it is also ongoing. Preparation components include:

• Scoping out competitors
• Understanding prospect's challenges
• Matching your products and services to the buyer's challenges
• Being cost-effective
• Establishing quantifiable value

3. Approach

The first contact with the buyer occurs by phone, face-to-face, or by video chat or other mediums. Create actionable curiosity. At this stage, three main methods available for your use are:

• The Premium Approach — A promotional gift is offered, such as a gift card or something specific to your company or business.
• The Question Approach -This approach involves critical thinking skills. Ask questions that lead your prospect toward critically examining the current pain points.
• The Product Approach — Offer a prospect a sample or free trial of your service or product to help the individual know how your product works.

4. Presentation

Know your prospect's business inside and out. Use everything you have learned from your potential client to make a presentation that is rehearsed and thorough, yet spontaneous-sounding, as well.

5. Realisation

If a salesperson has done what was needed, this is the stage where an opportunity to present a proposal may take place.  The client's need-based analysis and quantified value benefits should be clearly and precisely shared and justified. The seller must be ready to use all the information from the presentation stage and explain how it applies to the client's needs.

6. Performance

The client's ongoing actions now include an obligation. If the rep gets the gig from your company, it is the rep's obligation to ensure all that was proposed to the client is delivered, and the client agrees that the results are successful. At this point, the product takes over, and the business begins to have better results because of it.

7. Communication

In this stage, internal and external contacts must be in the loop. Use your CRM System and make sure your client is updated regularly. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management and is a system for managing relationships with your customers. Your company team will have context about every customer's wants, needs, and current status. Having one central place to organize the details of your customers and leads, every person on the team has access to the state of the business and the status of each customer relationship.

DigiKat

We are a HubSpot Platinum Partner, so we are in a perfect position to improve your company's marketing performance, lead generation, and continued high performance. Book a meeting with us today, and together we will begin the journey toward some excellent outcomes.