Process is the mother of replication

Process is essential to success in all areas of business. Even creative people have a process for manifesting inspiration. In sales a successful process allows you to work by a consistent set of operating principles that guide and support you towards realising an outcome. This outcome can then be replicated time and again.

A lack of expertise in moving customers through an engagement process is commonly flagged by management as, “poor lead generation or closing ability from salespeople.” More accurate is both these points of failure are merely symptoms of a much larger problem: poor process. In that instance, where the process starts or finishes are determined by the customers and not salespeople.

A doctor has a proven process for identifying and determining a patient’s appropriate course of medical treatment. A builder has a process for moving a project from plan to lock-up. Athletes adhere to processes to maximise their performance. Equally, all salespeople should and are empowered when they work by a simple and well defined best practice process.

Process can be as simple as three steps or as complex and elaborate as you need. In my experience, process works best when it’s simple to understand and easy to deliver. Each step of the process should provide both salesperson and customer with the right information to make the right decision in order to move the process forward.

Your best salespeople are most likely already working by a conscious or unconscious sales process. This needs to be identified and then mapped and demonstrated by all team members. The key word here is: buy-in. “No why, no buy” applies to customers and salespeople. If they don’t understand the benefits they won’t engage with it. Regular training, collaborative strategy sessions and role-playing help to embed a sales process into a team and ensure it’s consistently utilised.

A process will lend itself to measurement. This makes developing team members more effective as you can chunk down their areas for development and augment their strengths.  The beauty of a successful sales process is that even less experienced salespeople can make it work. Such is the power of process.

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Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.