A sure-fire method to extend the sales cycle, add confusion to the forecast, and lose more deals is to have an informal sales process. Having a B2B sales process that’s too simplistic leads to inconsistency and confusion. Imagine if a recipe just listed “add ingredients, mix, then heat”. Or a football running play, like the counter, was described as “run, fake, handoff”. You would not have much success in the outcome of either of those scenarios. So, don’t expect much sales growth when you have a few general sales stages that leaves a lot to the imagination. Your reps will be all over the place when they strategize on next steps, report deal status or provide a forecast. Your sales process has to be well aligned with the activity that goes into a successful sale - that is based on how your customers buy. It should also help in making decisions on next steps and be consistently understood by the entire sales team (sales rep, sales ops, sales management). ...
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