Customers don’t live in a one-size-fits-all world.  Customers expect you to deal with them as individuals… individual unique companies with differentiated needs and distinctive requirements.  To be successful your company should not have a one-size-fits-all sales process.

BUYER BEHAVIOR is the first step to defining your sales process.  Build your sales process around how your customers make decisions.  There are many buyer-behavior defined sales process, here are three of the most common.

  • Vertical markets – create sales process around common industry buying behavior, like Federal Government, retail, or other key industries that purchase your product.  These buyers want to work with vendors that understand their business process.
  • Commodity buyers– set up sales process to best address buyers that want detailed comparative analysis of features, function and price.  Best practice incorporates informative websites, self-service and inside sales.  These buyers are looking for vendors that fit well with their existing operations.
  • Change agents – establish a fresh new thinking sales process to help these early adopter buyers make innovative changes in their business.  Create use cases.  Allow for trials, pilots and proof of concept.  These buyers are looking for a vendor that will partner with them to make successful changes to their business.

RELATIONSHIP sets the rules of engagement for the buyer-defined sales process.  The level of connection established with a customer defines the distinct process, like the four outlined below.

  • Discovery – uncovering the initial connection between the customer needs and your products and services. Qualifying.
  • Initial Engagement – establishing the first business transaction which could be a trial, a pilot or the first sale. This is the first buying decision.
  • Maintaining – building mutual trust for a comfortable and confident long term service and support relationship.  Selling support services.
  • Developing – creating new opportunities that expand and enhance the existing relationship.  Up-sell, cross-sell and repeat-buy.

Sales process is not static.  Define it. Refine it.  Tune it.  Keep it fresh for your sales people and for your customers and you will win market share and long term business relationships.