To build an amazing sales process and automate it, use Sales Sunday. Prospecting is usually the first step in a sales process, followed by gathering client feedback and fostering supplier relationships. Here is how each stage might proceed:
1. Prospecting in Sales Process
In prospecting, fresh sales leads are sought after. Prospecting is the initial phase in the sales process, and it is crucial since it dictates how the next processes will proceed. Proper prospecting can guarantee success and keep sales representatives from investing in leads that may lose interest at some point throughout the sales process.
Create buyer personas and ideal customer profiles based on people who have already made purchases from you and can explain why they did so in order to find suitable prospects. Recognize the difficulties prospects encounter and consider how to present your offerings as a remedy for their most urgent problems.
Prospecting can be done by salespeople using a variety of offline and online technologies. Emailing and social selling on websites like LinkedIn are examples of online tools. Cold calling, meetings in person or online, trade shows, and industry gatherings are examples of offline tools. Smart sales representatives often make an effort to obtain referral leads from current clients.
2. Qualifying in Sales Process
Connecting with prospects and determining whether or not your offerings are a suitable fit for them should be the next stage in the sales process. Also, consider whether continuing the sales process with them would be beneficial. A sales representative can contact a lead through a discovery call or email to learn:
- their position within the organization
- What tasks do they perform on a daily basis
- What issues do they seek to resolve
- Why fixing the issue is critical to their business
- Other options are being considered by them
To make sure that the prospects you are chasing are likely to make a purchase from you, you can utilize a sales-qualifying approach.
3. Research
The sales representative needs to know more at this point about the prospect. They can better grasp the wants and challenges of the prospect thanks to this research, which enables them to put themselves in their shoes. As a result, sales representatives are able to customize their sales presentations and promote their products as the solution. A sales representative must undertake extensive, in-depth research.
4. Pitching
The salesman can give the prospect a formal demonstration of the offerings after they are sure they are knowledgeable enough to comprehend their wants. Each presentation or pitch needs to be customized to the specific use case of the prospect. An engineer who can address any technical queries during the pitch may also be considered by a salesperson for certain sorts of services, such as technology solutions.
Because pitching requires a lot of time, qualifying leads is a crucial stage. The limited time that salespeople have should not be used to make pitches to prospects who are not likely to become customers.
5. Objection handling
Prospects will inevitably have queries and worries regarding your offerings. This crucial stage in the sales process has the power to make or break a deal. Your reps will have an easier time closing the deal without any delays if they are able to satisfactorily address all the concerns and issues raised by prospects. Representatives should anticipate and get ready for typical objections like:
- The budget is not yet available. Is there a less expensive model of your product we may purchase?
- Your rival is providing greater features for less money.
- I’m not sure how your product may assist me in achieving my professional objectives.
As a matter of fact, salespeople should use the lead qualifying and research phases to compile a list of every potential objection the prospect might make and prepare solutions to each one. Salespeople have the chance to reinforce the prospect’s knowledge of why your offerings are the best choice by handling objections.
To read more on objection handling read our blog: TOP 5 SALES OBJECTIONS, PROVEN WAYS TO DEAL WITH IT?
6. Closing
Every sales representative aspires to reach this point. A sale must go through a number of steps in order to be considered closed, including submitting a quote, engaging in final discussions, signing the contract and other crucial papers, etc. Sales representatives should enroll the prospect in a nurturing program to keep them interested in the future if the close does not go as expected.
7. Promoting and maintaining sales
After a sale is closed, the sales process is not over. Once a prospect becomes a client, they can be handed off to the customer success or account manager who will start the onboarding procedure.
A salesman should keep in touch with the client on any potential post-sale assistance needs. The salesperson will have the possibility to cross-sell, upsell, and receive qualified referrals by maintaining a connection with the customer.
