Sales Processes: Everything starts with a sensible  structure

Sales success is everything other than a coincidence; instead it is the result of tireless hard work. We are convinced that meaningfully structured sales processes will deliver measurable results.

Not everyone is a born salesman, even if there were such a thing as a ‘sales gene’. Each member of the sales staff will have individual strengths and weaknesses, depending on their qualifications and experience. Obviously, many of them will simply develop and explore their own recipes for success if they do not receive suitable professional leadership. What remains is a vast array of different sales documents and methodologies. Pretty soon you will be faced with sales processes you know nothing about, especially if some employees have built up a knowledge silo.

Is the level of care your customers receive pure coincidence?

The first step is to create greater transparency in order to fully exploit sales opportunities and to avoid leaving success to chance. High quality support should not be something that customers experience only when they happen on a competent member of the sales staff. Ideally it should be normal for them to receive good service. In contrast, continued investment in campaigns or training for individual staff members will foster individual development.

This way, selective sales success will precipitate broad revenue growth.

Each member of staff will make a personal contribution to the success of the sales team if sales management and top management put ideal framework conditions in place. First of all it is necessary to establish meaningful standards and feasible structures within sales processes. Identifying best practices is also an important step – particularly if they nurture good teamwork and contribute to knowledge exchange.

It is understandable that standardisation will initially generate some tension, as it interferes with personal freedoms. But experience has shown that staff quickly realise how structured processes will provide certainty in each stage of sales. The employees can invest all their energy in winning new customers and strengthening business with existing customers once the individual steps are clearly defined. There are even more benefits: Structured processes ensure that the specialist knowledge held by individual sales experts is universally available, allowing the sales department to benefit from ‘swarm intelligence’. What’s more, new members find it much easier to adapt quickly to their new tasks. In a nutshell: Success is no longer dependent on individual high performers, and everyone involved is a contributor.

Quick Check: How well are your sales processes structured?

Sales managers and others responsible for the business should be able to answer a raft of questions about your sales processes, including: