The faster your sales reps can hit the ground running, the faster they can generate revenue for your company. Is your sales process overly complicated? Does it take days to learn? If so, read on to understand why it’s so important to simplify your sales process for new sales reps.
Complex Sales in a Complex World
As our world becomes more infused with technology, it seems like it should be easier to sell than ever before. In fact, the opposite is true. Research shows that selling has become increasingly complex and demanding for sales professionals.
Sales complexity often comes from things like:
- Having an increased number of high-tech products to sell
- Providing communication to a large number of stakeholders
- Widespread demand for fast turnaround
- Desire for a transparent process
- Balancing data management with good customer service
- Expectations of ever-increasing sales revenue
For a salesperson who’s new to your company, this situation can be overwhelming. According to Brigade Group, 50% of new salespeople never reach their quotas, even after a thorough onboarding process.
Why? The answer often lies in the sales process itself.
Signs of a Sluggish Sales Process
If your current sales process has any of these characteristics, it’s too slow, outdated, or complex:
Data isn’t mobile. If your sales reps don’t have all the information they need right on their smartphones or tablets phones, the process is outdated.
There’s no big picture. If your reps can’t see the big picture of their overall sales, the process is clunky. They should be able to easily view a dashboard of their goals and how they compare to their associates.
It’s not transparent. Sales managers and other supervisory staff need at-a-glance views of employee standings. Your process should be transparent enough to provide this at any time.
It crushes enthusiasm. Your sales process should give reps a boost of confidence, not a burst of frustration. The platform should be sleek and intuitive. Closing deals should be simple. Making money should be fun!
Fast as Lightning
So, how do you develop a sales process that gets it right? It starts with using a robust sales management platform that sets the stage for simplicity and speed.
Salesforce’s process, called the Lightning Experience, has a variety of sales-focused features that support productivity. Examples: The dashboard offers a color-coded gauge that measures sales-to-goal. Reports show things like quarterly performance, client projections, and revenue from new opportunities.
For a new salesperson, this is a roadmap to success. Salesforce guides the rep through each stage in the selling process, ensuring nothing is missed along the way. The experience is highly intuitive and easy to navigate.
In fact, Salesforce is so packed with potential, many companies find their sales reps can hit the streets within one day of learning it. Companies can get closer to guarantee this kind of success by partnering with a certified Salesforce consulting firm that specializes in learning productivity.
Signs of a Successful Sales Process
When the sales process is simplified, the results will be obvious.
Faster quote to cash. The time period between making proposals and recognizing revenue is significantly shorter. This makes CFOs and CEOs very, very happy.
Shorter sales cycle. In turn, the entire sales cycle is shorter. A brand new rep with a brand new client can get to the point of invoicing within minutes of a new agreement.
More revenue per client. Clients will take notice of your smoother sales process. Better customer service brings more closed deals and more revenue for every client in your database.
Higher lifetime value. When your salespeople have everything they need to succeed, they can focus on long-term customer relationship strategies, rather than nagging details. This contributes to higher customer lifetime value (CLV), not to mention better employee retention.
Need help simplifying your sales process? Turn to StarrData, 5-star certified Salesforce consultants who can help you streamline and maximize your sales efforts.