Sales Management Tips: The Personal Sales Process

Sales management is a term that encompasses many different responsibilities, not the least of which is formulating the proper sales approach for your sales team to follow. While there are many different types of approaches, the personal sales process, of which there are many variations on, is the most classic and the most widely used, even in variations, still today.

The personal sales process consists of prospecting, pre approach, approach, presentation, overcoming objections, closing, and follow up. Prospecting is simply the process of developing and identifying potential clients, which can come from a variety of sources including data bases and mailing lists, company sales records, public records, referrals, directories, and many other sources. Only potential clients who appear to be ready, willing, and able to purchase the product or service being sold should be entered into this list of potential clients.

The pre approach involves an analysis of all of the available information about a prospect, including understanding their current needs, current use of available products, and the creation of a sales presentation tailored to the concerns of the individual prospect. A preliminary sales strategy is also developed at this point, although this strategy is usually adjusted as more information is gathered about the prospect.

The approach is when the first actual contact between the sales person and the prospect is made, and an introduction to the company, product, and service is made as well. The sales professional generally asks a series of open ended questions in order to evaluate the prospects needs and generally let them do most of the talking.

During the actual presentation, the sales professional is then more able to address the needs and wants of the prospect and over come objections as well by answering questions in such a way that the prospect feels that the sales professional truly understands their aspirations, concerns, and goals.

Closing the sale technically happens when the contract is signed and the goods and services are delivered and or the services are implemented, but the true moment of closing actually occurs when the prospect agrees to the sale. This is part of the reason why follow up is so crucial, since it is the sales professionals chance to ensure that the products were delivered on time and that the services were performed to their satisfaction. Good follow up is also the bet way to encourage repeat business.

For more information on managing your sales pipeline ,the author recommends Cloud 9 Analytics on-demand Business Intelligence solutions.

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