How to Create a Sales Blueprint for your Organisation

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WHAT’S A SALES PROCESS?

A sales process is a systematic approach with clearly defined steps that can be consistently executed in order to accomplish your goals.

The main things to remember in a fully built out sales process are: 

FOCUS & PREP

If I asked you who you sell to and you reply “Everyone,” you’re an idiot.

You need to define exactly who you sell to because if you chase 2 squirrels, you end up with no squirrels. You need to define your ideal client and know everything about them. You must know everything about their Challenges, Pain Points, Desires & Goals and their Hot Button.

The best way to determine this is by looking at your previous BEST clients. I don’t care what 80% of your client’s say, I want to deeply understand the 20% that pay me the most money and I have the most fun working with.

Once you have this, go look for more people that fit this avatar. They are called your prospects. 

PROSPECT

Having potential clients is the first ingredient to closing a deal. The person you reach out to will vary on the target market; however, you need to have a strategy in your outreach. Are you going to meet them at a networking event? Are you going to send them a cold email or cold call them? Will you ask a mutual contact for an introduction? Will you use some form or marketing to attract them?

There are a million ways to skin a cat but at the end of the day, all you need is one good way. That ONE WAY will likely depend heavily on who it is that you are targeting and what you are trying to sell them. Don’t just go for the latest craze in sales, it is important to sell to your prospect in the manner they buy. 

You can include using different platforms and tools to identify potential clients and/or use an existing database. An old prospect who didn’t become a client in the past may suddenly need a second look. 

RESEARCH/EVALUATE

A crucial step is getting to know your potential clients. Researching the company and understanding their situation will allow you to tailor the sales pitch.

Once you have identified who you are going after, you will need to know something about them in order to reach out to them. Without that, you come off like a bull in a china shop, trying to sell them. You must create some level of the common ground and look to finesse your way into a conversation.

Also, in researching your prospect, you will also learn what the best approach is to connect with them.

If this sounds tedious, it is, but don’t be lazy. In the early days, you will have to do these steps manually and it will take time. But after a while, you will see patterns emerge, and then you can create a ‘template’ that you can scale with automation. Do things that don’t scale, until they do!

The biggest mistake people make is trying to automate too quickly, they don’t have their message honed in yet, but they blast off 1000 emails. This is how you blow your chances of ever making a sale because you sound like a greasy salesperson. 

CONNECT

You can’t sell what you don’t touch. Reach out to them and get the conversation started. Don’t come in like a bat out of hell, finesse the outreach and make it about them; get them engaged and allow for the conversation to naturally lead to the pitch.

Now, in this situation, everyone will tell you to give VALUE! I won’t. I hate that word, it is so overplayed, and it’s meaningless at this point. What’s valuable to you, means nothing to them.

Now, when you were doing your research, you should have learned enough about your prospect to know what you don’t know. This will allow you to have a genuine curiosity and start with a relevant and personalised question or talking point.

Start with that! 

DISCOVER & SOLVE

Once a prospect has made it through the initial stages and is deemed a fit, is when you start talking solution.

Listen… as I frequently like to remind people: 2 ears, 1 mouth, use them in those proportions.... and that’s great and all but I know many shitty salespeople who do a fair amount of listening.

You have to know what you are listening for, not only that but if the conversation never goes there, you won’t have the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation. If you spend your entire time listening, they may tell you all about their pregnant dog, and you get nowhere.

Now, this step is the most important because this is where the sale happens, so listen up:

First thing’s first, know what you are looking for. You need to know what problems you may be able to solve and how you can help. If you don’t know that, you have no business in talking to the prospect, this is why the research and prep section is very important.

Once you know what problem you solve, you need to have a series of conversation starters and tailored questions that you ask, with an intimate understanding of knowing what answers you are looking for. If you don’t get the answers you need, the prospect is not a fit, if you hear the magic words, then you can move to ‘solve’ part.

Now, this is another spot where I see many salespeople screw up hard.

It is not enough to uncover the problem, you need to solve it, at least show that you can.

If you are selling a product, don’t just tell them, show them.

If you are selling a service, give them exact steps of action on how you will solve their problem.

I see too many salespeople hold their cards too close to their chest here in hopes the client will sign up before they demonstrate effectively.

Yes, you have qualified them as a fit, but it works both ways, they have to sign off on you too. 

Give them a reason to, make them believe that they cannot live without moving forward with your solution. This will happen only if you tie it back to their situation and show how you and only you can solve their problems and pains

CLOSE

This stage can vary depending on the solution offered but this is where the prospect becomes a client and gives you the money.

OBJECTION HANDLING

Now in a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to deal with this step, but not everything in this world is perfect like me.

The salesperson’s job starts when the prospect says “NO”. Anyone can sell to the guy that walks off the street and says, “I want that one”.

If you don’t know what to say when your client says, “Let me think about it”, let me know, I will help you through it. 

FOLLOW-UP/REFERRALS

It’s very important to ensure clients are happy with the outcome of the sale, as happy clients will be able to provide referrals to add to the pipeline.

It’s important to note that although these are the basic steps in a sales process, the process should be tailored to best suit the needs of your business and clientele.

A solid process will result in outcomes that can be predicted; steps that can be repeated and tangible results can be realised

WHAT MOST PEOPLE GET WRONG!

TWO OF THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES WITH A SALES PROCESS:

Anywhere someone can screw up, assume they will and guard against it. Everyone’s fear with creating something as important as a sales process is that the prospecting aspect will come off too rigid or scripted to the client, so I encourage sales people to personalise their pitch to themselves. The only way someone can personalise something is if they have experience.

When it comes to creating a sales process see if you can copy your best salesperson. If you let inexperienced salespeople create your sales process then your process won’t be the most efficient. This is why we believe that it’s important to give your sales team everything; let them learn with the guardrails on, then once they have experience in doing it the right way, then they can personalise it for themselves.

It’s imperative to create a bespoke sales process geared towards the client’s needs. Don’t try to use a template or inject a process used by another company. Buyers see a lot nowadays & are easily turned off by generic pitches. A generic approach to any of the sales stages can ruin your sale. A custom process won’t only differentiate you from the competition but will show you as a true expert. The client will internalise this expertise and be most likely to purchase from you. 

1. Most of it is left for interpretation 
2. It’s not  customised for you

PLAYBOOK

BUILDING OUT YOUR PLAYBOOKS CAN BE A DAUNTING TASK BUT ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ENSURE COHESIVENESS ACROSS THE SALES TEAMS. 

SCHEDULE

Have a detailed break down of their day to day and what you suggest a successful rep does with their time. The thought is that "Idle hands make for the devil's work-shop"… 

The thing you have to remember is that most sales people don't start off lazy, they just don't fully understand what they can and should do. If you leave them to their own devices, they won't be able to accomplish much. 

But if you guide them and build good habits from the beginning, they will be able to carry that work ethic with them throughout their career. This foundation of activity is the  responsibility of the sales leader.

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE

It's important to identify your ideal client and specify their characteristics. The more detailed you are in identifying your ideal client, the better your sales team will be able to prospect and weed out clients who aren't a good fit. This will increase your efficiency. 

Without a client profile in place, your sales team will waste time chasing useless leads. You will find them to be highly inefficient and unable to hit their sales projections. 

SCRIPTS

Let's face it; most salespeople hate their script but they are a necessary evil. Scripts enable pointed messaging for most common situations you will face during a sales call. They help guide the client through the buying process, loan a path you laid out to help them realize they need what you're selling to better close the deal. In that context, scripts are the best  documentation you can provide!

The scripts also keep all of your team pushing the same message, versus "Winging," every sales call or email by saying whatever they want. This may often be masked as conversational selling but what it really boils down to is a mess. A mess where you can end up selling your product at a discount or with over-inflated expectations. 

Without properly built-out scripts, salespeople are lost. They need scripts to keep the messaging uniform and concise while allowing them the freedom to still be conversational where appropriate. 

TRAINING AND ENABLEMENT 

It’s imperative to understand the solution to better explain and sell your product to the ideal client. Knowing your product enables you to match a particular feature to the client’s needs or objectives to help the client come to the conclusion they need it. 

To make this even more productive, research the prospect before calling or emailing. This enables you to identify any trigger points or milestones that may be leveraged to help coax the client to the close. The better your research, the better the call will go and the more likely the call will end up becoming a success. 

Next, tailor your messaging to procure the client’s trust so you can better sell to your value proposition. During this phase, consciously think of your tonality and pitch; be sure to match that of the client or fluctuate where appropriate to show you are not only listening but 

understanding the client and their situation. You will be asking open-ended questions throughout to keep uncovering the client’s situation and objectives. 

Once you have listened, questioned, and procured the client, you can transition to the close. During this phase, you are listening more than ever or reading your script to ensure you 

handle the client’s objectives with precision and remind them of the uses to realizing their overall objective so they sell themselves. 

Without salespeople having a deep understanding of the depth of these pieces and how they all come together within the sales process, you will find your team to be flippant. It’s important to make sure your sales professionals are trained properly on the sales tactics so they can consciously be present throughout the call or email to ensure the messaging is pointed, concise and geared towards the company’s objective. 

CULTURE AND ROLE DEFINITION

In sales, you need to cultivate an environment of results. Results driven sales teams are the basis for the company culture. Without results, there would be no company to mention. Also, you must understand that Sales Culture and Company Culture are different things, don’t be lazy and try to duplicate them. 

Speak to the team about the results that need to be achieved and ensure that they are confident in their ability to achieve the goal. Get commitment from them in the goals; we can’t want it more for them than they want it for themselves. 

Determine the potential roadblocks that will prevent them from achieving the goal and have a plan of action on how to cross those hurdles when met with the known challenge. 

Understand their motivation for achieving the goal. Again, like previously discussed, we need commitment and the best way to gain commitment is to understand the bigger picture and how the achievement of the goal will help move them in the direction they want to go in.  Not only do we need to have a plan of attack against potential hurdles, we need to fully understand how we plan to deal with falling short of the goal but also what checkpoints we will have in place and the adjustments we will need to make at each checkpoint if we are not on track. 

CREATE DATA-DRIVEN ACCOUNTABILITY

You need to create a common understanding of what the core metrics for your sales team are because they will drive every conversation you have throughout the business. This needs to be a goal setting activity in your weekly sales meetings.

Poor metrics pose a huge hindrance to accountability because people don’t have the same understanding or interpretation of results.

Everyone needs to have a clear understanding of what those metrics are and how they can individually influence them. This enables you to guide your team members and improve their performance. You can help them create the career path they want, and help them own their sales flow accountability.

SHARE TEAM GOALS WITH A PERSONAL FOCUS

You really need to create a shared goal for the business, and then turn that into something that has a personal focus for the people within your team. This concept isn’t just about 

helping your team be more productive or have a more enjoyable work experience. It’s also something that can drive you. If you’re motivating people towards a common goal of helping others and contributing to the “why” of the organisation, it creates a certain sense of fulfilment in your work life.

How does pursuing that common goal ultimately help THEM succeed? Once you can draw those parallels and get your team believing in their own contribution to a greater objective, it starts to build momentum within the organisation. That’s your pathway to a high-performance culture and a great team of salespeople.

HAVE FUN TOGETHER

The last thing you need to do to create a high-performing sales team is to have fun together. The best performing teams really like each other, you’ll find that when you do hit tough times, it’s much easier to handle when you enjoy having your team members around you.

If your sales professionals don’t have a path that they see for themselves, they will leave. You need to ensure you have the right succession plan set up. Don’t promote your best salesperson to a manager…. When would some team pull out their best player off the court? That don’t make no sense. You need your top performers, selling, multiply their efforts through others.

HOW TO HIRE SALESPEOPLE

People are the key to success in business. Making sales goals and increasing our revenue is only possible if we cultivate the best sales team. Hiring, firing and retaining great people, is no small feat. It’s one of the most difficult challenges for businesses and sales organizations alike. Sales organizations with a strong hiring process and talent identification approach have a huge advantage over those that don’t.

Hiring the right people requires diligence, clear vision and a concise process. Without keeping these points top of mind the process can be daunting therefore the wrong people will be selected. However, there are a couple of key attributes one must possess in order to be cultivated for a sales position.

COACHABILITY

If a sales professional is not coachable then they will not be an asset to you. This is someone unwilling to learn and will, therefore, become a liability. 

EMPATHY

A salesperson without empathy will be ineffective in their pitch. A salesperson needs to understand the points of conversation allowing them to pick up on the tone and react accordingly.

When it comes to bringing in the right professional for the job, it’s imperative to take your time looking for the right professionals for the job. 

NOTE THERE ARE NO POSITIVE OUTCOMES FROM SOMEONE WHO LABELS THEMSELVES AS A PERFECTIONIST. THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE UNAWARE OF THEIR FLAWS OR OVERCOMPENSATING FOR THEIR INCOMPETENCE.

ONBOARDING + TERMINATION

Salespeople are not born; they are trained and groomed for a given position. The first 30-90 days are when people are on their best behaviour and they are developing their habits. It’s imperative to coach, mentor and train appropriately so that the initial days are spent cultivating the proper behaviour. 

This can’t be ad-hoc, it must be completely buttoned up and train not only the product but as well as the entire sales process making sure to take time to explain the strategy and the tactics. 

When on-boarding it’s important to take your time and make sure the communication is clear and concise so there are no grey areas in employee expectations and their role within the organisation. 

Once you have on-boarded the ideal teammate for you, its time to communicate an environment of need. Without a committed executive leadership team, developing and maintaining any concerted employee engagement initiative will prove difficult. 

If a leader acts like the job is hard, the salespeople will act like it’s hard. If the leader acts like the product is a ‘nice to have’, so will the salespeople. Moreover, a manager should convey the message that the product is ‘easy to sell.’ “Everyone wants it, and everyone can afford it. This messaging will empower the sales team to sell harder because they know the product is tailored to a market, ready willing and able to buy. 

Termination is a process in which you don’t want to drag your feet. Once you have identified an employee as incompetent or unable to rise to the occasion, terminate them immediately to minimise their harm to the duties of the position, the company culture and organisations objectives. These individuals are dangerous. 

Speaking from personal experience, individuals who cry on the job are ones to keep an eye on. The majority (not all) of these people are only crying as a way to manipulate a given situation. They should be monitored for they have the power to demolish the company culture and sabotage progress. If the behaviour persists it is encouraged to terminate these individuals as soon as possible. 

TECH STACK

We have all heard the importance of sales automation. As technology progresses the need for many activities diminishes, especially in regard to a sales team. 

Automate your repetitive tasks and anything else as much as you can to free up the load on your employees so they can optimse their time and efficiency. The best way to start is to invest in a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM). A CRM manages the process of tracking and analysing all of the interactions you have with your clients and prospects. A CRM is a tool that centralises, simplifies, secures, and scales our customer engagement. 

OTHER AUTOMATED NEEDS ARE:

The beauty is that most of the top automated systems communicate with each other. As your business grows and you embrace technology your employees’ time will be used more efficiently.

1. Visual marketing automation system and customer journey software. 
2. A document automation software service enabling built-in electronic signature and document builder functionalities. 
3. A system that creates forms and online surveys. 
4. An email cadence tool
5. A data-gathering tool

STRATEGY

A proper strategy is essential for targeting and identifying your ideal client and going where the money is for your business. 

Who is our ideal client? 

Find great prospects and disqualify poor prospects quickly. 

What would be the red flags and deal breakers? 

Identify signals or signs that would prevent us from working with the prospect early in the deal cycle. Budget? History? Recent investments?

This is the start of evaluating which clients are ideal to push through the pipeline.

The big questions you must ask after you answer each of the above are HOW questions. How will you execute all this? That is how you create your strategy. Your strategy must be client centric. Sell to people how they buy, where they buy. It’s not about you and how & where you want to sell. 

KEY ACCOUNTS

Once you have built out your strategy and have identified your ideal client profile you can start to plan out how to target and acquire your Key Accounts. 

There are your big fishes and your bread and butter clients that you need to sustain for the long haul. However key accounts act differently from your traditional client. 

Where your typical client cares about the transaction, your key client wants a business partner. They don’t just want a supplier; they want someone who understands their business well enough to add value to it and help it grow. Because of this, the traditional vendor/buyer relationship, simply will not work.

Key account clients don’t just expect a more personal, strategic approach; they expect more of everything. They want more service, more ideas, more understanding, and more results, for you and for themselves. Developing the insights to offer these benefits can take months or years.

ANNUAL GROWTH GOALS

To achieve your annual goals you must know how many salespeople you are going to add (if any at all), what they will cost you and what you and what will the gain be from them? How long will it take them to ramp up? 

You have to have revenue goals and a clear plan for how you will accomplish your goals. 

Setting your plan can be a daunting task; you must ask yourself if you have set a proper plan and if you have, are you following it? 

The first step is to understand all the actions that need to be taken in order to hit the sales goal. Sit and think about how you’re going to get there. 

Secondly, consider what you are going to do to assist your team to help them drive the results to hit the desired target. Your specific action steps are unlikely to be the same for every salesperson on your team so you must tailor the message to each team member to help them reach their pinnacle. This will subsequently help build the company culture. 

PLANNING FOR FAILURE

No one likes to think about failure, but don’t skip this step, because it’s vital. Part of planning your annual sales goal isn’t just planning to meet it, it’s also knowing precisely what you’ll do if you don’t meet a quota.

Failing to hit a monthly sales goal once or twice doesn’t mean the annual sales goal has to be abandoned. You will, however, need to know how you’re going to adjust your plan to meet your annual goal.

Make a list of all the problems your team could experience, and consider how you’ll handle them during coaching sessions. 

If your most successful rep quits, how will you adjust goals for your team?

If a competitor changes their price, will it impact your strategy?

If a team member is not making their calls or following their action plan, how will you coach them?

What do you do when your team is not hitting their targets?

What exactly will you do if your team doesn’t make a monthly sales goal?

Setbacks are a part of the business. Knowing how you’ll handle those problems will take some of the stress out of the experience, and may help you be more proactive about identifying potential problems before they happen. Remember, planning for failure is not the same thing as planning to fail.

GOALS VS. QUOTAS 

Setting your annual sales goals is about much more than choosing a number, or expecting your salespeople to meet a quota that’s been set for them. It’s about putting together a roadmap that will get you and your team to the sales goal that’s been set; it’s about understanding your sales process and making a plan to help your team succeed.

Also, consider not having a linear growth goal, not all industries are consistent across all months. It’s important to know if you should have weighted and ramped quarters, this will give you true insights on whether or not you’re on track to meet your goals.

SALES METHODOLOGY

It's very important to identify a proper sales methodology for your company. Every business needs a sales methodology that best represents its solution, values, market, and goals. Your methodology should be a guiding practice of how you sell and of how your target market buys. 

There is no "1 best solution" and nothing works for everyone. Everything is dependent on the situation. When determining which sales solution is best for your organisation you must analyse your current methodology to see how you can optimise your productivity and tweak your methodology to achieve your desired objectives. 

SALES OPERATIONS STRUCTURE

Sales operations are all about system, activities, and processes within an organisation that help you sell more efficiently. With technology, companies can help salespeople spend more time selling and engaging in activities that are revenue generating opposed to other administrative tasks. 

Perhaps more than anything else, sales operations provide a system for selling. This is often overlooked and but can seriously impact the bottom line because of the deep impact on both productivity and efficiency. The sales operation is a strategic and indispensable component of sales.

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