Understanding the Sales Process - 2007

There are 3-truths that we can all agree on:

1. Selling is the lifeblood of any organization.

2. Sales only work when there are interested and qualified people to “sell to.”

3. Sales become much more successful (and profitable) when there is an easy and predictable way to continue generating revenue beyond always searching for new clients.

If your goal is to increase revenue, here’s how the sales process should work.

Step 1: Marketing (identification, outreach and attraction) – Marketing’s only job is to identify potential clients, create an outreach campaign and attract them to your selling system. This is where qualified leads move into the sales pipeline.

Step 2: The Selling System (converting attraction into money) – The only thing sales has ever done is convert attraction into money. It’s a one-two punch; marketing attracts and the sales system closes.

Step 3: Client Relationship Management CRM (backend selling, referral generation, Word Of Mouth) – Here’s something odd; few people ever ask existing clients if they’d like to buy more. Even fewer ask for their clients help in reaching new buyers.

To power your business forward this year, develop a winning sales process and watch your revenues soar.