A major component of the Discipline of Business Development is sales (along with marketing and customer service). 

Selling is moving somebody else to action. We define sales this way: “Professionally helping others to buy.”

That means that everyone in a company should be moving someone else to action every day. The whole organization is involved in selling. Not just the sales department. That’s important to remember because without sales there is no business. Every company needs to have a clear sales process that is predictable. Based on how you ask questions, how you address customers’ concerns, and how you solve their problems. That is sales.

Your company needs a step-by-step sales process. It is the only way to make your sales predictable.

With a step-by-step process, you understand how to build trust and rapport with a prospect, you are clear on what questions to ask that get a desired response, and you are clear on how and when to ask for a commitment. A commitment could be a next step or a purchase. 

A sales process helps you manage your actions and timing with a prospect. Your salespeople know exactly where they are in the decision-making process. This step-by-step process must be documented, tested, and duplicated with your entire sales team. You are defining your organization’s way of gaining new clients. 

Every great sales process is also tested and measured. You should know your conversion rate, which is the number of yeses divided by the number of prospects.

If you knew your conversion rate was 60% and wanted six new customers, then you would need to have 10 new prospects. This creates predictability in sales. 

So, to repeat, every company needs to have a clear sales process that is predictable. Based on how you ask questions, how you address customers’ concerns, and how you solve their problems. That is sales.

We’d love to hear from you. How would you describe your company’s sales process? Contact us today to learn how to build predictability through sales in your organization.