Sales Training Article: The Benefits of a Defined Sales Process
By Gary Walker, EVP of Channel Sales & Operations, CustomerCentric Selling® – The Sales Training Company
“Are there any benefits to following a defined sales process?”
Would you agree that most salespeople typically hate to be held to a documented/prescribed sales process? Would you also agree that regardless of the direction and training they have been given, they prefer to do what they have always done – with or without the desired success?
Unfortunately, we are creatures of habit. It takes courage to change. But for salespeople and their management, with the courage to adopt and follow a defined ‘customer-centric’ sales process, there are many benefits, such as:
- Understanding where the prospect is in their evaluation/buying process
- Following a set of clearly defined steps, sales best practices, that take the prospect from interest development to closure
- Improved productivity/efficiency
- Improved personal sales effectiveness
- Reduced cost of sale
- Improved forecasting accuracy
- Increased WIN rates
- In a report published by CSO Insights entitled Optimizing Sales Performance for the High Tech Market, sales organizations that adopt and implement a defined sales process where sales rep adoption is actively managed and changes to the process are made proactively as needed, enjoy a WIN rate of 55.2% compared to 40% to those that don’t.
Do yourself, your sales team and your company a favor. Invest in adopting and implementing a defined sales process. The potential benefits to everyone are HUGE.
Take a look at the sales training workshops available to you.