How to Build a Sales Process in 8 Steps (Free Template) for 2023

Converting a prospect into a customer in your sales process can sometimes feel like hitting a moving target. On a windy day. With a blindfold on. It can be a challenge, to say the least.

However, some steps can streamline the sales process and make it easier to get your next potential customers to a clear "Yes."

I’m talking about a documented, effective sales process that works for your sales team—a collection of repeatable steps you can take to move a potential customer from prospect to customer to brand champion.

A sales process means you're no longer going in blind and hoping for the best. Instead, you're using information about what’s worked in the past, to create a checklist for closing more potential clients moving forward.

Ready to create your own sales process? Here's what you need to know.

What is a Sales Process?

If your business sells anything—from software to handmade trinkets—a defined sales process will help you understand how decision-makers find your business and what drives them to convert.

What’s the Difference Between a Sales Process and Sales Methodology?

The main difference between a sales process and sales methodology is their specificity. A sales process is a defined series of steps your team can follow to close deals, while a sales methodology refers to the broader approach a company takes.

There are multiple types of sales methodology, including the Miller Heiman, Sandler, and MEDDIC methodology. On the other hand, a sales process is a customized plan for a specific business and may be influenced by the methodology the company uses.

Do I Need a Sales Process for My Sales Cycle? 4 Reasons Why

Even the most detailed sales process can't account for every possible touchpoint for every possible prospect.

That's okay.

The goal of a sales process isn't to force all users to follow the same path, but rather to understand what steps have the most impact and where potential leads fall out of the sales funnel.

Here are a few other benefits:

1. A Documented Sales Process Addresses Customer Problems

Too often, sales teams leverage sales strategies they like rather than focusing on how customers want to buy.

And customers want to solve problems.

A documented sales process helps you create "if-then" scenarios that adapt the process to fit each prospect and effectively solve their pain points.

If a customer is an enterprise business, then we send them this document.

If a customer is struggling with defining their business plan; then we send them this webinar.

A clearly defined sales process is a roadmap to success for both sales and customers.

2. An Effective Sales Process Enables Your Sales Team to Succeed

Sales isn't easy. It's fun, sometimes exhilarating, often frustrating—but never easy.

A clearly defined, well-thought-out sales process is as close to easy mode as you can get. In fact, it’s the only real path to enablement with your sales team.

When sales reps and account managers know the next step in your sales approach, they can spend more time qualifying leads, following up with inbound leads, improving forecasting, or building automation processes.

It also helps sales managers track which teams (or strategies) are most effective.  

And, as we mentioned above, an effective sales process isn't just a direct path from prospecting to closing the sale. Rather, it accounts for the needs of different prospects, helps sales reps to deliver a consistent experience faster, and ensures you’re really addressing your new customer’s needs.

3. A Standardized Sales Process Can Be Improved Over Time

Standardizing the sales process increases accountability and makes it easier to measure results because every sales proffessional uses the same (or very similar) strategies.

You can leverage that data to improve the sales process over time.

For example, if delivering a recorded demo is part of every sales rep's process, you can see how many times the demo is viewed and maybe even track how many prospects then return to your website.

If you find a larger percentage of leads that view the demo convert, you might decide to develop more demos, longer demos, or even consider sending it out twice during your sales process.

On the other hand, if demos have no impact on conversions, but take up tons of time for your sales team, you can remove or reduce their role in the sales process. Or, you can even consider setting up an available anytime demo like we have for Close.

Markets change. Competitors switch tactics. You need to know what’s happening and how you can adapt. That’s why you defined all those metrics and set up a clear plan.

With a standardized process, you can regularly review what works and what doesn't, and make improvements.

4. A Defined Sales Process Helps with Accurate Sales Forecasting

A well-defined sales process makes gathering data about the sales process easier, improving sales forecasting accuracy.

More accurate sales forecasting helps your team plan for the next quarter, improve pricing models, plan advertising budgets, and guide product development in the right direction.

8 Steps to Create a Successful Sales Process Right Now

You understand the benefits of a successful sales process, and you know you need one.

But building a new sales process from scratch feels overwhelming.

That's why we created this sales process guide. We'll explain the steps to include, and you can adjust the sales process template based on your target audience, market, and competitive analysis.

1. Find Your Prospects (and Generate Qualified Leads)

The first step of the sales process is finding the right people to target for your sales pitch.

Just like forty-niners in the days of the gold rush, sales prospecting requires digging around in the mud looking for gold. In sales, however, you're after hot leads, not shiny gold.

The goal of prospecting is to develop a database of strong leads you can nurture through to conversion.

Target the right people, and you close more deals.

Target the wrong people, and you'll waste a ton of time.

The lead generation process differs for every company, so focus on what works for your company. Remember, your sales process should be a living document, so don't worry about getting it 100% right the first time.

In the beginning, your prospects are likely broken down into two groups:

• Suspects: Individuals or companies you think need your product or service, but probably haven't heard of your business.
• Prospects: People or organizations who confirm in one way or another that they might be interested in buying. For example, a startup with a new round of funding dedicated to growing their sales team could be a prospect for a sales CRM, as long as they know who you are.

Beyond that, your leads are likely broken down into buyer personas based on demographics or prospect needs.

Documenting this part of the sales process might include noting where you gather prospects from—such as social selling, lead magnets, and the beginning stages of qualifying leads.

2. The Research Stage (Understanding Your Prospective Customers)

As you build out your database of suspects and prospects, you’ll conduct additional research to understand their needs and develop a more personalized outreach plan.

Outline what that looks like for suspects, prospects, and different segments of your ideal customer profile.

Check out their Twitter or other social media and see what they talk about. Do you have any common interests that could create a connection?

What about complaints? Have they spoken publicly about a problem your product or service solves? Knowing these sorts of things before reaching out can be the difference between a hard no and the more ambiguous and optimistic maybe.

For our fictional sales CRM company, we might search Twitter for people tweeting at a competitor’s support to see where we can capitalize.

Remember, research isn’t a do-it-once task. Continue to perform research throughout the sales process as you learn more about your prospect.

3. Connecting with Potential Customers

Now we know who we’re after; the next step is to engage to let them know who you are, how you can solve their problems, and why they should be giving you some of their hard-earned cash.

Outline what this looks like for your company, and remember to develop a sales process map with multiple paths for different types of leads that come into your funnel.

Connecting can take many forms, from emails to social media messages to picking up the phone and cold calling.

Whatever format you choose, you should have a clear script in place and know what you’re saying before you get involved. This is your first impression and can make or break the sale.

Here at Close, for example, we’re a sales CRM company. Given that, we might divide up our daily list of qualified prospects (or trial users) and set a goal that every rep makes 20 sales calls per day in order to advance the right prospects further into our sales funnel.

4. Presenting, Pitching, and Qualifying Leads

Once you have your prospect's attention, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, light a candle, and turn on the real talk.

Seriously though, it’s time to explain why they should care about you and what you’re offering them (which is why we lean so hard into consultative selling & solutions selling).

The presenting part of the sales process depends on what you’re selling, but could be anything from a formal presentation to a walk-through of your app or service. This is your opportunity to show benefits and explain how your solution solves the problems that you know your prospect has.

It can be time-consuming, however, and you should ensure that you’ve qualified your prospects properly before taking the time to present.

Because our sales CRM is a SaaS company, the best way for us to present to customers is to show them the software. So, for every lead we present to, we have a presentation showing off our product’s main benefits and specific use cases we discovered during our research.

5. Addressing Objections

Somewhere along the sales process path, you will hit a few bumps. It’s normal for a prospect to have objections or question how you can really help them. Our brains are hardwired to hold onto what we have (money) and not like change.

You’re asking them to do both.

So do we give up? Nope.

A good sales process takes into account any objections prospects have. Some of these objections will be specific to your business, but to get you started, here are 7 of the most common objections you’ll hear from prospects:

• Price: Example: “We don’t have the budget for your Sales CRM.” The oldest objection in the book is price. When the bottom line is the biggest hurdle for a potential customer, you need to help them justify the value of what you’re providing.
• Complacency: Example: “Yeah, I’m OK with what I’ve got now…” It’s hard to sell a prospect if there’s no clear, immediate need for them to switch. Try showing them results and research why you’re better than what they’re using.
• Fear of change: Example: “We’ve been using X sales CRM for 5 years. I don’t want to change a good thing.” As I said, we’re hardwired to fear change so you’re bound to hit this objection more than a few times. Try showing your prospect how the industry has changed in that time and how you’re addressing current and future issues.
• Trust: Example: “I like what you’re saying, but you’re new. How do I know your sales CRM is going to be around in a year?” Trust takes years to build and seconds to destroy. If you’re starting out and going after new customers, be transparent. Show testimonials from your customers and offer to put them in touch (if the customer is fine with it).
• Personal politics: Example: “I’m close friends with our current sales CRM’s CEO.” Competing with friendships and close customer relationships is hard, but this is business. You might not get them with the hard sell today, but plant your seeds now and send follow-up emails down the road to see if their needs have changed.
• External input: Example: “I like it. But I need to run it past my business partner first.” This is a potentially positive objection if your prospect is actually showing your service off rather than just trying to get out of the conversation. In this case, try to stay part of the process. Offer to jump on a call and walk their partner or other decision-makers through the product.
• Timing: Example: “We’re really busy right now and it’s just too much to try and switch our sales CRM. Call me in 6 months.” Right. If they don’t have time now, nothing will change in 6 months. At this point, you need to make purchasing your product the easiest option for them.

As you map the sales process, provide examples of how to overcome any of these objections. Outline resources reps can share and provide scripts to overcome these objections.

If prospects have objections outside the ones we've listed, add them to your sales process!

6. Closing the Sale

With objections out of the way, expectations set and met, and benefits were clearly shown, it’s time for the ask. After all of your hard work getting to this point in your sales process, the close should be a no-brainer for your prospect.

But it isn’t always so simple.

Deals can get derailed, and the time you've invested might feel like a waste. This is where your sales process comes in handy. Look at how deals have closed in the past and ask your prospect: “What will it take for you to become a customer?”

Continuing with our sales CRM example, let’s say our prospect tells us they have to talk to legal before they can sign. Here’s how we could play this out:

You: “After legal gives the go-ahead, are we ready to move forward?”

Prospect: “Yes, we’d only need to run this past a few higher-ups, then the ethics committee and procurement.”

You: “Interesting. What can you tell me about this part of the process?”

Prospect: “Well, the ethics committee usually takes a couple of weeks to review agreements, and if everything looks good, they'll send it to procurement, who has the final sign-off."

You: “Great. And then we're in business, right?”

Prospect: “Yes. At that point, we'd purchase your product.”

Not only are you exploring their buying process, but you’re getting your prospect to imagine a scenario where they become your customer, which is a powerful tool for getting close.

7. Delivery

You got the sale! Congrats!

Time to sit back, kick your feet up and crack a cold one, right? Not quite yet.

This stage of the sales process is about ensuring your new customer gets the product, is successfully onboarded, and sees value as soon as possible.

Why? Because there’s always someone else lurking around the corner doing their own prospecting and presenting. If you drop the ball now, it’s easier for your shiny new customer to jump ship to someone else.

Outline what this process looks like. It might include scheduling a team-wide call to walk them through setting up their product, assigning an account manager to help with day-to-day issues, or even sending a thank-you gift for becoming a customer.

8. Following Up (and Asking for Referrals)

A mistake many companies make is ending the sales process after the close. You got the sale, you delivered, and your customer is happy.

Why do anything else now? Well, it’s worth taking one more step because a happy customer is your greatest asset.

Entrepreneur, investor, and sales coach Grant Cardone cites not following up to ask for referrals as one of the biggest missed opportunities for increasing sales.

Cardone shares, “91% of clients say they are open to providing referrals. Yet, only 11% of salespeople ask for referrals.”

After delivering your first results, incorporate a feedback loop of requesting referrals directly into your sales process.

Set a reminder to follow up with new customers regularly (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year) to see how they’re doing. Not only will you show just how customer-centric your business really is, but you’ll create opportunities to win repeat business and generate qualified referrals.

At a certain point, ask them if they know anyone else who would benefit from your service or product. A warm lead like this is the easiest way to bring in new business.

If they don’t have any connections, you can still plan to ask them for a testimonial or case study to help convert future prospects.

Sales Process Template

Ready to build your own sales process? This sales process template will ensure your process hits the mark. Don't forget to follow the steps above to ensure you outline every step in the process.  

Even the Most Successful Sales Process Will Fall Flat Without the Right CRM

While it’s no magic bullet, a clear sales process is the closest thing you can get to a checklist for success in scaling your business. Put it in place, stick to it, and tweak your process as necessary.

You’ll have a repeatable way to take a prospect from an unknown stranger to a lifelong customer.

The right CRM can help your team implement your sales process, build repeatable workflows, and see where prospects are in real-time.

Looking for a CRM to help support your sales process? Check out a free, on-demand demo of Close to see if it's a good fit for your team.

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