Sales processes vary a lot from industry to industry and even team to team. Do you have a long sales cycle with lots of steps, or is your sales process simple and transactional? Maybe it's somewhere in between. Share the number of steps in your process below. (No need to share any company secrets--just the number will do!)
Our sales process is evolving and looks like the following today:
0. Pre-sales: our BDR team sets an appointment with a lead for a sales rep. If possible, customer information is collected and passed along to the rep beforehand.
1. New: The sales rep and lead attend a virtual meeting where the sales rep reviews the information collected by the BDR and creates a custom quote based on that information.
In most of the organizations I've worked for, there are on average seven stages in the pipeline from the initial pipeline gathering stage to the final analysis of the won/lost reasons on opportunities tracked in the pipeline.
1) Discovery - Initial Stage where BANT data is qualified.
2) Needs Analysis - This is more indepth than the discovery to identify challenges
3) Demo
4) Feedback Loop from the demo
5) Scope of Work - Gathering to Finalization
6) Negotiations - Usually on the price and any adjustments to the SLA and Agreement
7) Close (won/lost) - Gathering the reasons from the front line team
Sales processes can indeed vary widely, ranging from simple to complex with multiple steps. In the company where I work for, our sale cycle may involve such steps as:
Identifing potential customers and gather information about their needs and determining whether the prospect is a good fit for our product. Showcase how our product addresses the customer's needs. Providing a detailed proposal, including pricing and terms by understanding the customer's specific requirements and challenges. Drafting and signing the necessary documents to formalize the arrangement. At the end, ensuring a smooth transition and assisting the customer in getting started with our product. Maintaining communication with the customer post-sale to address any issues and explore opportunities for upselling or additional services.
