Getting your sales process right is a key part in being able to grow your business. All businesses owners have their own way of doing things, however to help you optimise your sales process there are a number of simple things that any business can do.

Below are a few of our favourites:

So where do you start?

As an owner, director or manager of the business, on the basic level, what is important when looking at how you can improve your sales process is:

• Focus & Clarity – Clarify the most important activities and encourage focus
• Direction & Communication – Give direction and communicate it to inspire and motivate your team
• Staggered Approach – Make it easy. Break tasks down into practical and achievable steps. Don’t run before you can walk.
• Delegate – When growing it’s important that your team do things not you. You direct, motivate, and inspire.

By applying these four bullets to what you are trying to change you can start to make the impact you are looking for become more sticky.

How has the sales process changed? – Old Selling vs New Selling Styles

The sales process has continued to evolve over the years, with the focus of sellers changing most dramatically during the birth of online sales. The diagram below shows the difference between the levels of  focus on: Rapport, The Actual Sale, and Follow Up Process for Old and New Selling Styles:

Old Style Selling – Where focus and time is spent on the actual sale and less on building rapport or following up on how the experience was.

New Style Selling – Where focus is on building rapport and ensuring reputation and processes are working correctly with follow-up activities. There is less focus on the actual sale as this part of the process needs to be simple and quick. A good example of this is amazon, where you can even buy with just one click for some products.

Whether you are currently running an old style or a new style sales process, the sales steps tend to remain the same:

1. Introduction
2. Key step: Opening With A Benefit – Take control of the conversation & capture interest
3. Establish The Need
4. Re-confirm Needs
5. Meet Needs With Benefits & Summarise
6. Next Steps

Dealing with objections

During a sales process you may come up against some objections the important thing to remember is how you react to these objections. This could take place in a single day or it could be over a period of weeks or even months, however a common best practice way to manage objections is as follows:

1. Maintain Presence – Ensure that you check-in with them and see how they are doing. Is there anything you can clarify or help with?
2. Show Empathy – Be understanding to their situation. Be on their side when taking time to decide what to do.
3. Ask Questions
4. Repositioning – If they are looking for another reason to buy or not completely sold, try another way.
5. Active Listening – Listen for buying signals – Positive questions or sounds about the product/service e.g. “That sounds good” or “How soon can I start?” or “How long does it take?”
6. Checking – Confirming information that you have already mentioned
7. Closing – Close the deal. Give them the call to action to buy.

Is there a point where you can identify where the prospect is showing interest?
Yes – This is called the emotional pop.

Usually, a sales process starts with the salesperson asking lots of questions and the prospect replying. The point at which this changes is called the emotional pop. Where the prospect starts asking the questions. At this point start working you way towards closing the deal.

At Modus Accountants we’re more than just your Chartered Accountants, we’re your business support network. Yes, we can provide you with all your essential accountancy services like payroll, bookkeeping, end of year accounts, etc…. But, what we love doing is using your data to identify where you can optimise your business, take advantage of opportunities, and help grow your business. Interested in finding out more? Book a complimentary one-to-one session with a member of our team.