Whether you like it or not your sales process is a core component of your business development strategy. Consistency and discipline in the way you pursue customers and opportunities creates a strong chance of success. I talk about the overarching Sales Path in my recent post. If you haven’t done so already I recommend checking it out for context. In this post I discuss how to instill consistency in your process once a lead is qualified.
A Real-Life Example
Sam, a good friend of mine, had spent months perfecting his side hustle handcrafting beautiful wooden furniture. He had identified a customer niche in the creative corporate space. Business owners who valued fine craftsmanship, sustainable materials, and local business. Feeling inspired, he set up some simple digital marketing, which lead to a couple of face-to-face meetings. This allowed Sam to refine his offering. From there, a number of very warm leads rolled in that qualified as opportunities.
Everything seemed suddenly real. The side hustle had the potential to sell. Sam froze, afraid of taking the next step. Opportunities with the potential to make significant revenue sat there doing nothing.
Sam explained his dilemma to me over a beer. So I laid out a simple systematic pursuit process on the back of a paper napkin. My slightly smudged pen highlighted the key points—clarify, call, meet, send proposal, follow up, and adjust. I sensed Sam’s demeanour changing from subdued to excited. He understood the structure and was comfortable implementing the process.
I got a call a week later to let me know that he had secured his first sale.
Sales Process and the Art of Pursuit
Opportunities are qualified leads. Therefore they indicate that the customer has identified a need for your company offering and wants to learn more. Engaging with the customer quickly is essential. Ask yourself this—would you rather buy from a company that sends you a price via email, or a company that calls and takes the time to understand what you are looking for?
Easy right?
Relatively, though you do need to be consistent. It is crucial that you run all opportunities through the same sales process so that nothing is missed. This is where the systematic pursuit process comes in. Below, I’ve detailed a simple systematic pursuit process, based on the scribbles I’d developed for Sam back in the day. Systematically leading your customers through this process vastly improves your chances of turning those opportunities into revenue.
Seven Stages of Systematic Pursuit
Systematic pursuit follows seven consecutive stages.
One: Clarify—carefully examine what the customer is asking for. Subsequently, define a list of questions that need clarification. Show the customer that you know your subject and are interested in finding them the right solution.
Two: Call—I cannot emphasize this enough—pick up the phone and call your customer. Ask clarification questions and listen to the answers. Make sure to get answers to all the items from stage one. Putting a human face (or voice) to your organization will set you apart from the majority of your customers.
Three: Meet—if the opportunity is particularly large or complex, arrange a face-to-face meeting. Use this to clarify points, discuss concerns, and do a deep dive into the customers problem. Again, ask questions and listen. You need to be the customer’s guide.
Four: Proposal—simply sending a quote with a price is not enough. There needs to be context around how you can assist your customer with their problem. Brevity is preferred. A quick skim of the document should be enough to know why they should be using you. Usually a simple explanation with key bullet points should be adequate.
Follow Up
Five: Follow Up—this critical stage is often forgotten. Even seasoned business developers will sometimes immediately move on to the next opportunity following submission of a proposal. Give the customer time to read the proposal, and then follow up with a call. Does it meet the requirements? Is the price point right? Get valuable feedback—without it, you can’t adjust your offer.
Six: Adjust—once you have the proposal feedback from the customer, don’t waste it. If possible, adjust your offer based on the customer conversation. Next resubmit a version that is more aligned to the customer expectations.
Seven: Feedback Request—once the opportunity has been won or lost, use this as a way to open up further dialogue with the customer. Ask for feedback on why the proposal was won or lost and be sure to listen. Use this to sense check your assumptions. Discuss this feedback with the leadership team, as there may be gold in adapting the organization for future wins.
Key Takeaway: Listen
I hope you can see the value in implementing a consistent pursuit process into your business. It’s a relatively easy way to get more air time with your customer. By doing so you get a greater understanding of their needs and the ability wither to adjust.
Asking questions is a crucial part of this system. But they are worthless if you don’t listen to the answers. Listen to your customers and adapt!
If you like what you read please consider downloading my free business development resources. These include a BD Checklist, LinkedIn Mastery Roadmap and Assess Stage workbook. A great way to keep yourself on the right path.
My new book: Business Development Begins Here is available for Pre-Order on Amazon. Visit the link to reserve your copy.
If you need help with your sales process, spaces are available on my personalised coaching program. This a one on one service will let us do a deep dive into your business development planning, market assessment, processes and daily activity. I’ll personally keep you focused and accountable.
As always I’m keen to hear your thoughts. What process do you use for your pursuit? Let me know in the comments below or reach out to me on LinkedIn.