Sales Process Right Inside your Outlook

| Posted: 09-11-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 5 | Rating: (50)

(?)

Is Sales Process Important?

A Sales Process is that series of steps a sales person follows in their relationship with a prospect that leads to a completed transaction. OK, it sounds more complicated than it is. If you are a salesperson, you probably already have a Sales Process. Basically your Sales Process is those things you consistently do with all your prospects in order to get them to purchase. For some salespeople their process is very loose and for others it’s a well defined set of actions. In the world of sales, it is virtually impossible to be successful without some kind of Sales Process.

Finding a Sales Process?

People that are new to sales may be overwhelmed by the options when trying to find a Sales Process for themselves. Likewise, companies looking for a Sales Process for their team may have a hard time deciding which option works best in their industry and for their group. If your organization has been in sales for some time, flushing out your Sales Process may be equally difficult. There are plenty of programs that outline various models of Sales Process and can offer a good solution for new sales teams. But, if you have been in sales for some time it can be difficult to change what you do to match some “boxed” Sales Process. You may be better off identifying your existing Sales Process and finding a system that fits well with that.

Stages in a Sales Process

Whether they are loosely or rigidly defined, every Sales Process has Sales Stages. These Sales Stages may be based on a customer-type concept such as Lead, Suspect, Prospect, and Client. Or they may be based on Milestones, which are actual actions in the Sales Process. Milestone based Sales Stages include Identified, Contacted, Qualified, Presented, Proposed, and Closed. Regardless of the type of Sales Stages you use, they are one of the most important tools in the Sales Process to ensure you stay on track and provide the customer the information they need to make a decision. More than that, they can provide you as the salesperson a mechanism for maintaining some control over the Sales Process.

Identifying a Sales Process

This activity is often easier than people think. If you are defining a Sales Process for a team, a good place to start is with your top sellers. Look at the actions that these people do on a regular basis, with every customer, in every sale. Identify the actions or events and label them with a name. These become your Sales Stages. Once you determine the “steps” in the Sales Process, you can associate activities that go along with them to move customers from one Sales Stage to the next.
Your Sales Process can be as simple or complex as you need. If you have a short Sales Cycle you may find you’ll have very few Sales Stages, such as Suspect, Prospect, and Customer. If you are working with long and potentially complex sales you may have three times this many Sales Stages or more. Again, the key to identifying the Sales Process is to find those repeated, successful actions that lead to closed sales.

The Value of a Sales Process

A good Sales Process shows its value in a very short time. There are numerous advantages to having a defined Sales Process, but here are some of the keys:

* Shorter Sales Cycle
* Higher close rates
* Better organization by the salespeople
* A system that can be easily taught
* Better accountability in the Sales Process
* Easier identification of weakness in the process

About Avidian Technologies:
Avidian Technologies is a software company specializing in creating software solutions for users of Outlook and Exchange. Prophet, developed by Avidian Technologies on the .NET platform, is the leading contact management and sales CRM software built in Outlook. The company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.avidian.com or call 1-800-860-5534.

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags: CRM Software, Sales Force Automation, Contact Management Software, Act Software, Contact Management System, Sales Management Software, Business Contact Manager

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/sales-process-right-inside-your-outlook-255936.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Many of today's most successful large and small businesses have chosen Avidian's CRM Software as their sales management and contact management software.

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

A Better Business Contact Manager
By: Jose Vanegas | 25/10/2007 | Sales
Many professionals looking for a Business Contact Manager are searching for a program that will help them to organize all the information they work with in their daily business.

Act Software
By: Jose Vanegas | 30/10/2007 | Sales
Is your business looking for a great way to manage your sales and contact information? Are you a little perplexed as to which software is best for your businesses needs?

CRM Implementation
By: Jose Vanegas | 05/11/2007 | Sales
With new technology being constantly added to the marketing world, new businesses are finding themselves in need of CRM implementation.

Microsoft CRM
By: Jose Vanegas | 07/11/2007 | Sales
Microsoft CRM, or Microsoft customer relationship management, is important to every company not matter the size.

Plethora of Palm Pilot Software
By: Jose Vanegas | 12/11/2007 | Sales
Prophet for Palm is the mobile version of the Outlook based sales software Prophet.

Sales Lead Management
By: Jose Vanegas | 15/11/2007 | Sales
Every company that is trying to sell its products or services needs to have good sales lead management.

Business Management Software
By: Jose Vanegas | 25/10/2007 | Business Opportunities
Many companies are looking for new and improved ways to increase the sales within their company and one way this can be accomplished is by Business Management Software.

Act Training
By: Jose Vanegas | 30/10/2007 | Sales
In recent years, customer relationship management software has been on the rise. Among the two highly used programs for CRM relationships are ACT and Prophet.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

I have had a job offer from worldwebpromote.com as ...
By: tupelohoney17 | 25-09-2007
I have had a job offer from worldwebpromote.com as an Internet Manager for their PPC division? Is this a legitimate company, are they proven to provide results for the companies they represent?

Segway Sales
By: evil_twin | 20-12-2006
Anyone knows how the Segway sales are going? It's not as successful as they hoped, right?

How to force a keyhole or a lock with a barrette ?
By: peissea | 01-09-2006
Or with anything I can have easy access to.Thanks,

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Sales Articles

Specialized Storage Comfortable Discounted Carry Bag
By: m.jeya | 08/09/2008
This carry bag makes carrying your City Mini or City Classic baby stroller as convenient as possible. It is made with specialized storage compartments, durable fabric and a sturdy carry strap. They offer very high durability and are pretty comfortable and easy to use. These bags are very comfortable and handy to use for most of carrying purposes.

How to Maintain Your Cellular Phone Battery
By: Sharon Samraj | 08/09/2008
Cellular phones have become a part and parcel of everyday life. No one can be without one. It has become an integral part of communicating with everyone at any time and at any place. Therefore, it is essential that the battery on which it runs is maintained in the right manner, so that we get an extended lifetime on it.The cellular phone batteries have a storage or capacity that is said to be in terms of the talk time and standby time of the phone. This is measured in milli - amph hours (mAh).

Discover Advanced Document Imaging and Workflow Solutions From Cdit Inc. at the Upcoming 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum
By: WowGao Inc. | 07/09/2008
September 8, 2008 - Toronto, Canada – CDIT Inc. (CDIT), Canada's leading Enterprise Capture Consultant/Integrator, is pleased to announce its sponsorship of and participation in the 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum scheduled on October 28 & 29, 2008 at the Design Exchange in Toronto, Canada

Market To The Regular Guy Inside That Executive
By: Ramon Vela | 07/09/2008
Too many businesses are discounting the value of marketing and too many businesses are not marketing in a natural, conversational way with buyers.

What Results To Expect Using Voice Broadcasting To Generate Leads
By: David Seldon | 07/09/2008
Experienced voice broadcaster urges newbie broadcasters to set realistic expecations for their lead generation campaigns.

Audio Visual System Integrations- What, Why and How?
By: rajan mr | 07/09/2008
What grabs the eye of the audience at the first go? The answer is the display. What is necessary for keeping up with the pace of the display attention you are getting? Answer would be the audio clarity of the message that is being conveyed.

Courier Services for Business
By: rajan mr | 07/09/2008
We all have parcels and packages either big or small that require the urgency of an overnight courier to ensure that your business survives and prosper. There are many courier companies that offer a range of guaranteed overnight courier services.

Courier – Packing Guidelines
By: rajan mr | 07/09/2008
How often do we pay attention on the importance of the packing when making a parcel courier? If the packing has not been done properly, chances of breaking or getting your stuff damaged increases.

More from Jose Vanegas

Online Contact Management
By: Jose Vanegas | 20/11/2007 | Sales
Many companies are finding that they can improve the effectiveness of their sales force by using online contact management software.

Campaign Management
By: Jose Vanegas | 19/11/2007 | Sales
ampaign management can be one of the most difficult aspects of a business.

Sfa
By: Jose Vanegas | 19/11/2007 | Sales
In order for a company to be successful with the sale of its products or services the sales force must work as a well oiled machine.

Sales Marketing Software
By: Jose Vanegas | 19/11/2007 | Sales
Keeping track of sales, sales leads and sales calls in extremely important for every business.

Sales Manager
By: Jose Vanegas | 19/11/2007 | Sales
If you want to make sure that you’re the best sales manager you can possibly be, why not check out these helpful sales manager hints below?

Sales Management Tools
By: Jose Vanegas | 19/11/2007 | Sales
In the sales world, every sales person and manager is looking for sales management tools that could make their lives easier.

Sales Management Software
By: Jose Vanegas | 19/11/2007 | Sales
One of the most important aspects of any business is sales. Without sales there is no revenue and without revenue the company ceases to exist.

Sales Management
By: Jose Vanegas | 16/11/2007 | Sales
Sales remain a woefully misunderstood profession. As far as the general public goes, a salesman who has tremendous skills can be somewhat of a nuisance.

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Follow ArticlesBase at http://twitter.com

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.19, 17)

Sales Process Right Inside your Outlook

Article Comments

Related Articles

Got a Question? Ask.

Latest Sales Articles

More from Jose Vanegas

Need Help?

Site Links

Webmasters

Business Info

Sign up for our email newsletter