How clear is your sales process?

Most organizations have a sales process that defines how a lead moves from opportunity to close. But over time, new enhancements are adopted, new tools are integrated and new steps get added. You may think you have it down, but when you look closely at each step, your sales process may not be as clear as it should be.

We’ve written extensively about the power of playbooks to help improve process implementation and adoption, but we have also discovered that a great deal of benefit is derived from putting the playbook content together. Sales process playbook creation forces you and your leadership team to really think about what you are asking your reps to do. This level of analysis can also reveal if things are in the right order and as our clients describe how they do things we often uncover missing components. Sometimes a fresh look and an objective opinion can reveal inconsistencies and you may be surprised to learn that some parts of your process just don’t make sense. 

A well-defined sales process contains phases from start to close of the sales cycle, each of which has a clear description, associated activities, next steps and green lights to move the opportunity to the next phase. It also maps out who needs to be involved in each step and what their role in the process is. Ideally, all stages are linked to your CRM system and provide quick access to any sales tools, forms or assets the reps will need to fulfill each step. Ensuring that your reps know what to do, when to do it and why it’s important, can shorten the sales cycle and create a faster path to revenue.

And of course, packaging everything in a well-designed playbook increases the chance that your sales process will be successfully adopted. If you need help seeing your sales process more clearly, we’d love to help!