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Definition: Sales process - Step-by-step guide

What is a sales process?

The sales process refers to all the sales actions and best practices implemented to convert a potential customer into an actual customer.

Structuring this sales process increases sales, improves response to customer requests and saves your teams a significant amount of time.

In this article, we'll detail the 10 essential steps in the sales process, illustrate the importance of lead management, and explain how integrating technology (CRM, automations) and collaboration between stakeholders (sales, marketing, customer service) can boost your conversion rate and your closing rate.

Step 1: Identifying sales reps objectives

The first step is to clearly define your objectives for this purchasing process:

• Increase your sales.
• Maximize conversion and closing rates.
• Build loyalty among existing customers through regular follow-up.

Clear objectives provide the basis for setting performance indicators (KPIs) and guiding the work of all stakeholders. Alignment between sales and marketing teams, as well as communication with other departments (finance, production, etc.), ensures the consistency of your sales process.

Step 2: Prospecting and lead generation

To develop good sales performance, it's essential to attract potential customers. Here are some best practices:

• Digital marketing: inbound marketing campaigns, search engine optimization, targeted advertising.
• Trade fairs and shows: direct exchanges to understand customer requirements.
• Professional networks: partnerships, co-optation, recommendations.

Qualified lead management

Lead management often relies on a CRM tool. It allows you to :

• Centralize contact information.
• Define the next sales actions to be carried out.
• Personalize the relationship for each potential customer.

Good lead management translates into proactive follow-up, increasing the closing rate and limiting the loss of opportunities along the way.

Step 3: Nurture and retain prospects

Once you've identified your leads, you need to nurture them (lead nurturing) in order to build a solid commercial relationship. Best practices include :

• Personalized email campaigns or newsletters.
• High-value-added content: white papers, webinars, case studies.
• Targeted invitations to events or product demonstrations.

This step also increases prospect engagement rates, indirectly improving your performance indicators (e.g. the proportion of leads that move on to the next phase).

Step 4: Assessing prospects' needs and expectations

To tailor your offer to each potential customer, you need to understand their demands and needs. This is done through :

• Telephone interviews or videoconferences.
• Online questionnaires.
• Physical appointments (when possible).

Adapting product offering and knowledge

In-depth knowledge of your products and services is essential. It makes it easier to respond to sales objections and reassure customers of your expertise. Trained sales reps aligned with marketing teams can offer relevant solutions, saving time for all stakeholders.

Step 5: Presentation and demonstration of the offer

When your offer has been adapted to the prospect's buying process, it's time to present it:

• Online demonstrations: webinars, screen sharing, explanatory videos.
• Physical presentation: appointment at the customer's premises or your own.

To maximize the closing rate, tailor your pitch to the prospect's situation, highlight the benefits and show how your solution meets their requirements.

Step 6: Negotiating and managing sales objections

Negotiation involves adjusting the offer to reach a mutual agreement. You must deal with commercial objections by reassuring the prospect about :

• Price and return on investment (ROI).
• Payment terms and delivery times.
• The relevance of the proposed functionalities.

Best practices:

• Offer special discounts or promotions.
• Illustrate added value with concrete examples.
• Maintain a respectful and transparent business relationship.

Step 7: Signing the contract and starting the business relationship

When all commercial objections have been resolved and an agreement reached, the signature (electronic or paper) formalizes the commitment. At this stage :

• Save the opportunity in your CRM to update your performance indicators.
• Inform the relevant teams (production, customer service, billing).
• Define the first post-sales sales actions (installation, training, etc.).

This marks the start of a new business relationship, in which customer satisfaction becomes a priority.

Step 8: Commissioning and delivery

Ensure smooth commissioning and rapid delivery to avoid frustration:

• Organization: planning tasks, coordinating teams.
• Training: if it's a technical product, support your existing customers and new users.
• Support: remain available to respond to customer requests right from the launch.

If well managed, this stage will help you turn customers into ambassadors and consolidate your sales performance. sales performance over the long term.

Step 9: Tracking satisfaction and building loyalty

After the sale, the goal is to turn your new customers into satisfied, loyal customers:

• Satisfaction surveys: NPS, questionnaires, telephone calls.
• Regular visits or videoconference appointments.
• Cross-selling cross-selling and up-selling tailored to existing customers.

A happy customer is more likely to recommend your company, indirectly increasing your sales. Bear in mind that the business relationship doesn't end with the sale, but extends over time.

Step 10: Analysis and continuous improvement of the sales process

To perfect your purchasing process, you need toanalyze it regularly and act on the following performance indicators:

• Conversion rate: proportion of prospects who become customers.
• Closing rate: number of sales closed in relation to bids submitted.
• Performance by channel: evaluate the effectiveness of each lead source.

Optimization through technology and best practices

1. CRM tools: These centralize lead management and give you an overview of your sales actions.
2. Automations Reminders to follow-up with prospects, automatic sending of targeted emails, etc. to save time.
3. Regular training: Helping sales reps to better master the CRM tool and sales pitches to deal with sales objections.
4. Team alignment: Sales, marketing, support and other stakeholders need to share information to improve the consistency of the sales process.
5. Adapting to uncertain times: teleworking, reinforced communication routines, use of collaborative software.

This continuous improvement of your purchasing process will enable you to remain competitive, maintain a high level of satisfied customers and sustainably develop your sales performance.

Conclusion

The sales process is an essential pillar of commercial success: it encompasses lead management, negotiation, loyalty andcontinuous improvement. By following these best practices and taking full advantage of technology (CRM, automation), you'll achieve :

• Increased sales.
• Satisfied, loyal customers.
• Improved conversion and closing rates.
• Save time for your teams by optimizing processes.

Don't forget collaboration between all stakeholders (sales, marketing, support, etc.) to better respond to customer requests and maintain a quality commercial relationship at every stage. By adopting these principles, you'll lay the foundations for sustainable, scalable sales performance, even in uncertain times.