The Sales Process 2.0

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It’s time for a more honest, descriptive outline of the sales process. The current ideas just don’t work well anymore. They don’t really help a newer salesperson know how they have to work through the process with a buyer in order to win the sale. Think of a few sales processes out there:

Approach-Interview-Present-Close
Prospect-Interview-Analyze Needs-Present-Negotiate-Close-Service & Follow-up
Opening-Qualifying-Information Gathering-Proposal-Close

These are unacceptable. Think of them as frames, when what we really need are paintings.

For example, is it enough to “Approach” people? Can we expect to simply conduct an “Opening” with any random buyer, and trust that that will be adequate to move the sale forward? No. Of course not. But we can engage them. We can open up a two-way dialogue with them to decide together on possible next steps.

How about “Interviewing” buyers or “Qualifying” them? Are those terms up to snuff? No way. You can go through the motions, ask a list of questions, and still get nowhere. But if you were to partner with buyers to investigate their problems, getting everything relevant on the table (i.e., how they’re doing things, who they’re doing them with, who’s affected in the buyer’s business, what the results are currently, and how acceptable the results are), NOW you’re getting somewhere.

Moving on to the infamous “Presentation” step. There’s no getting around a point in the process where everything is summarized, when problems are married to possible solutions. But are successful presentations one-sided, where YOU alone are doing the presenting, and only occasionally checking in for agreement? Haven’t you had more success when you collaborate with buyers to either select your off-the-shelf solution, create a customized solution, or, heaven forbid, have them stay put or choose anothers’ offering?

And finally, how many buyers want to be “Closed”? Do YOU want to be closed? I don’t want to be closed. Closing is such an old-school word. It is impersonal. It happens TO someone, not WITH them. Aren’t we, instead, opening new accounts and customer relationships?

See, today we’re not specific enough with our names for steps in the sales process. We mention them as though they’re checklist items, not subject to quality. It doesn’t work this way: “Yeah, baby! I just approached my fifth customer today! Five down, 10 to go! I can see the money rolling in now!”

It doesn’t work that way because it’s ALL about quality. The checklist doesn’t matter much when it’s just OUR checklist of things to do TO someone.

And we all know it. Listen, this is sales. There is no magic potion. There are so many variables that go into being successful: your mindset, time management, your personal achievement drive, your people skills, your questioning skills, your follow-up, etc. The last thing we need is a sales process floating around organizations which implies all you do is follow this step-by-step process and you WILL win sales. Again, quality trumps process.

If I’m a new salesperson, don’t show me a ridiculous Approach-Interview-Blah-Blah-Blah checklist sales process. Show me something that emphasizes the quality I need to maintain to win sales.

Engage-Partner/Investigate-Collaborate-Open.

**Update July 3, 2006: The idea of “opening accounts” over “closing deals” emphasized here…