A well-oiled sales process is the key to any successful business. There is a tried and tested formula that you should follow, which charts the entire sales journey from first generating interest from customers, all the way up to completion and payment. Companies have been relying on this five step program for years and it’s proven to work. If you aren’t using it, your sales process isn’t as effective as it could be. When your sales team are in need of an overhaul, make sure you follow these steps.
Lead Generation
The first step in any sales process is to generate leads. It might sound simple, but there’s a huge difference between finding leads, and finding valuable leads that will actually convert into sales. It’s not that difficult to reach lots of potential customers but if they aren’t the right ones, you’ll be wasting resources on dead end leads. Social media marketing is one of the main lead generators in the current climate, as you can reach huge numbers of potential customers without needing to spend a lot of money. The tone of your content is very important because it will dictate the kinds of people that you engage with. Any posts that you make need to appeal to the target demographic for your product. You also need to be clear about the purpose of your posts so customers know where to go next. Give clear direction to your website so there is a direct path from engagement to sales.
Qualified Leads
A big portion of those leads that you generate are not going to go any further, but those that show some interest become qualified leads. A qualified lead is any customer that has shown interest in buying your products. Capitalizing on these leads and making sure that you don’t lose them is the key to increasing sales. One common example of a qualified lead is somebody that has browsed products on your site but abandoned their shopping cart. You need to follow up on these qualified leads while they’re still hot. Sending people a reminder email, for example, is a simple way to do this.
You also need to demonstrate the value of your product to these qualified leads. They are currently on the edge of a decision to buy your product so you need to give them that final push and convince them.
Close The Deal
A percentage of those qualified leads will decide that they want to buy your product. Now you need to close the deal and take payment from your customer. At this point, you may want to use a cashflow finance service. They will give you 90% of the customer’s invoice upfront so you don’t need to wait for that money. It can help to make sure that you’ve got enough cash in the business which is especially helpful during the first few months.
Aftercare
Once the sale is made, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the process is over. While you might have made one sale, repeat business is the way to take things to the next level. Too many businesses neglect their customers once they’ve got their money but this isn’t the way. Make sure that you have a good customer service team to deal with any problems.
Follow these simple steps and you should be seeing a sales increase in no time.
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