These are the top ten signs that a sales process is needed in your organization:
- Inaccurate forecasts and deals continue to appear in the pipeline quarter after quarter
- Sales cycles vary greatly and lack consistency across similar markets and solutions
- Use of the words “ I think” when reps describe their deals, and a missing buyer’s point of view in their explanations
- Absence of a clear strategy or set of guidelines when reps describe how they plan to win
- Reps are stuck in reactive mode rather than controlling the next steps
- Most of the opportunities being worked are lost at the very end of the sales cycle
- Reps state your solution’s features as what is driving the customers to evaluate your offering
- Your organization seems to have a low deal capacity per rep
- There is no common language when reps are explaining deals to the needed resources
- Reps are rushing to demos and meetings, or doing proposals as a key selling event with little knowledge of the key strategic initiatives, priorities or needs of the organization and/or key stakeholders
Do any of these indicators look familiar? Take a moment to reflect on how your reps work deals and manage their sales cycles. It’s possible you’ll need a sales process that will help you establish a framework for more accurate sales forecasting and achieving your goals.