TIME WASTER #11 of 15: Poorly Defined Sales Processes
This is where the typical Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system comes into play. A study was done to show that solving this time-waster resulted in a 17% increase in net sales productivity. (Contact CSO Insights for more information.)
A 17% increase in sales is a great return on a relatively small investment. While analyzing and designing an effective sales process is not difficult, implementing it can be. Sales reps who prefer their “home-grown” approach may fight the process and actually hurt overall productivity. An effective customer relationship management system must appeal to the sales reps by solving immediate pains and by making it easier for them to stay organized and keep promises to their customers and co-workers.
A typical Sales Process usually involves the following steps:
- Introduction
- Qualification
- Demonstration
- Proposal
- Overcome Obstacles
- Closure
- Follow Through
It is critical to analyze and formalize your sales process. If you don’t feel competent enough to do this on your own, hire one of the many sales consulting firms that are only a few clicks away on a Google search.
Best Practice: Invest the time and money in formalizing your sales management processes and implementing the underlying technology to optimize it for your sales reps.
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