Picture this … You are walking in the local shopping mall when you spot a beautiful woman in the distance, you walk up to her, tap her on the shoulder and when she turns around, you get down on one knee and ask her to marry you. What do you think her answer will be? After asking this question in literally hundreds of seminars, the feedback I get from everyone is always that the answer will be a resounding NO!

This analogy is exactly the same when trying to sell something to somebody without following a sales process. You see, a sales process is like the dating game. Before you propose, you date the person during which time you get to see if you like each other, are compatible, have the same outlook on life etc. Only after the dating phase of your relationship do you propose marriage, when the answer will most likely be a YES.

The benefits of having a defined sales process are as follows:

• Likeability & Trust: People buy from people they like and trust so you need to use your sales process to build the likeability and demonstrate trust.
• Consistency: Having a defined sales process ensures that all members of your team will follow the same process. This means that all prospects are treated exactly the same. In the absence of a defined sales process, you risk some prospects being treated brilliantly and others treated not as well, depending on the staff member who deals with them.
• Wow Factor: When you break your sales process down into small steps, you get to brainstorm ideas to wow the prospect along the way with various customer touch points.

Here is a very basic example of a Sales Process – using the example of a kitchen cupboard installer:

Step 1: You receive an incoming lead via your website and contact the prospect within 2 hours via phone to introduce yourself and set up an appointment.

Step 2: You send them a company profile including some client testimonials and photos of recent installations via email 48 hours prior to meeting. This company profile should be succinct and should include what makes you different and why the prospect should choose you.

Step 3: You meet the client on site to measure up and to get a thorough understanding of their needs and requirements.

Step 4: You prepare their design and quotation within the promised timeframe.

Step 5: You meet with the client to present your proposal and get their thoughts.

Step 6: You follow up in accordance with the promised timeframe and close the deal.

Step 7: You meet the installation team on site on the day of installation to introduce them to your client and confirm the installation details.

Step 8: You phone / visit the client on completion to ensure they are 100% happy.

Step 9: You deliver a gift to your client to thank them for their business and celebrate their new kitchen.

One of the biggest benefits of having a defined sales process is that it ensures your team is more efficient and productive. Implementing a defined sales process will definitely increase your sales conversion rate too.