By John Hertel
October 19, 2007

Why a Sales Process is Important

Too often we are guilty of searching for a quick fix or a silver bullet to drive performance improvement. The reality is that quick fixes are much like fad diets whereas sustainable, profitable, high performance companies invest in a sales process, not just sales skills, then follow through with rigorous monitoring and execution of the process.

Successful organizations have everyone in the company focused on their customers; that includes production, finance, IT, logistics and all others who traditionally might not think of their role as Sales or Sales Support. Take your CIO or CFO out to meet a few key customers and see if they don’t change their approach to providing support tools to both your internal team and your customers.

Integrate the sales process across your organization. Make sure that everyone’s role adds value to your customers. It can be as subtle as the format of your invoices or as complex as utilizing a CRM system across all customer touch points.

Keep Your Sales Process Simple

A user friendly easily understood sales process is a key ingredient for maximum adoption. Maximize the tools that help your sales teams be successful, and minimize the time and effort required for them to provide data back to management.

We use a simple, somewhat linear approach that has six steps; we gave it an appropriately simple name … The 6 Step Selling Process. A key premise of this approach is a heavy investment at the front end to make the ‘close’ a natural next step that is welcomed by the customer.

The 6 Step Selling Process is principle based and can therefore apply equally well to Direct Sales, Retail, or Contact environments.

Also, the 6 Step Selling Process leverages existing and future investments by supporting your organizations standardized sales tools (e.g. CRM) and processes (e.g. order processing). Lastly, it includes and relies on a comprehensive coaching package to ensure adoption and consistency.

In this issue, we will have a summary look at the first two steps: Preparation and Approach.

Step 1- Preparation
The goal of preparation is to be “ready” to sell. Top achieving individuals and teams in every field - whether it’s sports, academics, or business - credit much of their success to great preparation.

Summary Tips

1. Train your sales and support teams on selling skills, your solutions, promotions, and sales tools
2. Segment your customers based on current and potential value; you can use a simple A, B, C, D
3. Build both a territory plan and key account plans
4. Be organized to maximize selling time
5. Be able to give your 30-second Value Proposition

Sample segmentation model for your customer base
‘A’ customers = top 20 per cent revenue generators and you have a large per cent of their total spend.
Strategy: retain and grow
‘B’ customers = top 20 per cent revenue generators but you have a small per cent of their total spend.
Strategy: acquisition (high growth opportunity)
‘C’ customers = lower 80 per cent revenue generators but you have a small share of their total spend.
Strategy: acquisition (relatively high growth opportunity)
‘D’ customers = lower 80 per cent revenue generators and you have a large per cent of their total spend.
Strategy: retain if can be done cost effectively; discontinue relationship if it cannot

Build a Territory Plan Create a roadmap for achieving your targets for the period Identify known (highly probable) revenues Identify the size of the gap compared to your total targets Develop specific plans and program ideas to close the gap with dates, & metrics Identify the 5-10 clients by quarter that you will focus on to achieve greatest gains Develop Strategic Account Plans Focus on the clients that could have the greatest impact on your results They are not necessarily your largest accounts today Identify the top 3-5 actions you can take to maximize success with each account Review the draft plan with the customer and build the final details based on his/her input Manage the plan together through quarterly reviews Articulate Your Value Proposition Identify the key elements that differentiate you from your competition Make sure it is customer-centric Practice delivering a 30 second version Be organized to maximize selling time “Take 5” to plan your day before launching into it – concentrate on results Book time and make proactive sales calls in the morning Manage directions not minutes. Set priorities based on where you need to get to Don’t just work smart; work smart on the right things OHIO – only handle it once

Step 2 - Approach

The Approach step is all about making an immediate positive connection with your customer with the aim of advancing the conversation to the Discovery phase. This can take place in a variety of ways: greeting a customer as they enter a retail store, your call centre, or your website; calling out to a customer through telephone calls, emails, or viral programs.

Summary Tips

Communicate succinct and engaging messages to generate interest Create Marketing programs that build on your unique Value Proposition Seek out new sources of qualified leads through existing networks and non-traditional media

Prospecting Calls

• Target the decision makers
• Use referrals, research data, or related personal experience to create a warm call
• Prepare a short, compelling message that will make the customer want to speak to you
• Be prepared to reach voicemail – leave a brief message that creates interest, a sense of urgency, and will stand out among the other numerous voicemail messages they might receive that day.

Handling Inbound Calls (or visits)

• Welcome each caller as if they are entering your office
• View every caller as a prospect until YOU determine otherwise
• Take control of the call by getting agreement to ask a few Discovery questions in order to help them
• Add value on every call – exceed your customers’ expectations
• Your tone, enthusiasm, confidence and pace is extremely important

Electronic Media Opportunities – In addition to the conventional approach to clients, which is typically done over the phone, there are also several new, exciting, and engaging ways to ‘approach’ clients using electronic media.

Some of the viral seeding tactics can include:

• Dynamic email newsletters
• Blogs and Vlogs
• Press releases
• Video sites

While the Preparation and Approach stages may not have the same pizzazz as presenting to a customer and going for the close, they are the foundation pieces that will help you target the right customers with the right message, and securing their interest in moving to the next step of the selling process.

In the next issue we will explore the Discovery and Solution Design steps; where we uncover the business challenges, decision makers, and budgets and put it all together in a solution.

For more information about this article, please contact John Hertel.