Partner Article

Reviewing the sales process

Companies’ sales departments often find themselves in need of improving their sales process. Newly commercial or recently expanded businesses can be hit with a sudden need for more effective and efficient sales.

Many of these businesses don’t even recognise this need for improvement, and the difference an effective sales department can make.

Sales gets the product to the customer, and for a business that’s becoming more valuable than it is used to, it’s a crucial investment. A full re-evaluation of the sales process by experienced sales professionals can breathe life into a sales department and reveal an unprecedented host of exciting opportunities.

The importance of process

A sales department and a sales process are two distinctly different things. You may have a great team on board, but if they’re not carrying out their sales in an ordered and defined way, you are losing out on efficiency.

The process, in practice, is the culmination of experience and planning. Sales experts hone their processes into detailed plans of attack – including prospecting, client relationships, pitching, managing – the whole nine yards.

Serving as guidelines to selling at a higher level, one of durhamlane’s Sales Mantras encourages business leaders to optimize their sales process:

durhamlane’s Sales Mantra #3: ‘Business fit, business value, long-term relationships’. There is no transience in sales – it’s all about the long term, so a detailed process is crucial to consistent success.

That way, the process can be followed to the letter, tried and tested methods can be employed, and the business’ future can be much more accurately forecasted.

A fresh perspective

Taking a step back and analysing the process by which one does business is a helpful exercise for any professional to take part in.

Far too often sales professionals are so involved in their processes that they forget to evaluate, reflect, and hone them. A real cross-section of your management, sales, operations and customer services will expose the gaps, and allow you to increase your efficiency more than ever.

durhamlane’s Sales Process Reviews take place over one or more days, and involve a detailed study of your organisation. We simply observe, and in no time we’ll deliver a comprehensive, impartial report with advice and useful techniques that will help you to hammer down your sales process.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by durhamlane .