Sales Process: The Foundation of Sales Management
The sales process is a series of steps that sales teams follow to convert potential customers (leads) into actual customers. It provides a structured approach to selling, ensuring consistency and efficiency in sales activities. Here are the basic phases of a typical sales process:
Basic Steps of Sales Process
- Lead Generation: Identifying potential customers through various methods such as outbound (cold calls, emails) and inbound (website inquiries, content marketing) efforts.
- Lead Qualification: Assessing whether a lead has the potential to become a customer based on criteria like need, budget, and decision-making authority.
- Lead Nurturing & Relationship Building: Building relationships with leads through emails, calls, and meetings, providing relevant information to move them further down the sales funnel.
- Sales Presentation & Proposal: Presenting the product or service through demos, meetings, case studies, and tailored proposals.
- Handling Objections & Negotiation: Discussing and resolving any objections or concerns about price, features, contracts, or risks.
- Closing the Deal: Finalizing the agreement and securing the sale through contract signing, payment processing, and agreement finalization.
- Post-Sale Engagement & Growth: After the delivery, ensuring customer satisfaction, ensuring customer satisfaction through onboarding, support, and proactive follow-ups. Identifying opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, and referrals to maximize lifetime value.
How Aptien CRM Helps You Manage Your Sales Process
- You can enter and manage your sales opportunities (prospects, leads, deals) in the sales opportunities organizer.
- Here, you can track all your sales activities related to your business opportunities.