What is the Purpose of the “Sales Process” in Your Company?

What is the Purpose of the “Sales Process” in Your Company?:by Michael Webb
What is the Purpose of the “Sales ProcessA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs.” in Your Company? by Michael Webb

Most executives and managers would acknowledge that their company should have a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs..  But what does this term actually mean?
To the extent that your company has a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs., it is probably thought of as “what salespeople do,” which usually means qualifying prospects, conducting sales presentations, submitting proposals or quotes, closing deals, and other sales activities.
Yet a true business processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. firmly roots any given job into all of the functions necessary for valueThat which one (i.e., the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. to flow. Processes exist in a valueThat which one (i.e., the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. stream, and organizations who map these valueThat which one (i.e., the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. streams gain the perspective they need to eliminate bottlenecks and wasteThat which the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner). does not want. Also, that which our own company does not want.. A sales valueThat which one (i.e., the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. stream map aligns the functional groups with the priorities required to generate the flow of desired customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner). actions. This map can point out which minor variations in qualityThe science of defining what the customer wants, and enabling your organization to provide it to them. or procedure in the valueThat which one (i.e., the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. stream make a huge difference. They also point out the functions that, when distracted by other priorities, tend to impede or even halt the flow.
In other words, a true business processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. reveals interdependencies to other functions, and displays more consistency, reliability, and accountability than the traditional perspective on “what salespeople do.”
When management and salespeople within a typical business-to-business (B2B) company realize that sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. is important, they often start by deciding on general guidelines for what salespeople are supposed to do and call this “the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs..” This does give them a better way to begin thinking and talking about their work. Unfortunately it may not change what salespeople actually do very much (even after spending money to develop supportive training and software).  When this happens, these companies get far too little return on their investment of time and effort.
Why?  Because although they think they have established a processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement., in reality they have not yet done so. Why? Because they don’t yet grasp the purpose of “a processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.”; – especially when it comes to sales.  Until executives and managers understand the purpose of a processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement., they will continue to be frustrated dealing with lip-service and the inability to improve.
This article examines three key mistakes that executives and managers make regarding the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs., and then discusses characteristics of a true sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. and why every organization needs one.

Mistake #1: Considering a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. as an “ideal” method of selling

A sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. is often misinterpreted to mean some ideal method for getting customers to buy.  In a sense, sales are a performance art, something to be practiced and perfected.  As such, it’s also subject to being thought of as some “ideal” methodology.  Yet there’s a downside to this approach.  Whether promulgated by a senior executive, sales manager, or sales training company, the “ideal method” tends to ignore the company’s specific obstacles and sales challenges.  Often the method amounts to a script that salespeople should follow (although prospects often may not) or it amounts to extra work that someone wants salespeople to perform (for example, regarding the CRM system).
Sales training programs usually teach desirable behaviors, but also can fail to connect them with the reality of how orders are won and money is made out in the field.  Sometimes the “method” comes from a CRM company’s default configuration settings. In either case, if the company’s salespeople had little or nothing to do with defining the method, it may not be of much valueThat which one (i.e., the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. in helping them to sell – if indeed they even use it.

Mistake #2:  Disconnecting the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. from reality

The above error is usually compounded by officially disconnecting the so-called processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. from reality.  This occurs, for example, when companies assign arbitrary standards such as “30% chance of close at Stage Three” rather than collect actual data on what salespeople do and the results they experience.  (This occurs with most CRM systems, unfortunately.)  So salespeople, who played little or no role in creating “the system”, are asked to provide information that can be used against them.  They are held accountable for an arbitrary assessment of the “likelihood of close” at various stages, and they may, let’s face it, fudge or be encouraged to fudge some related numbers from time to time.  This also often occurs with companies’ sales goals.  No wonder the “data” in sales forecasts is so unreliable.

Mistake #3: Assuming that the salespeople are the problem

Salespeople are generally expected to overcome all obstacles, work around all inconveniences, and deliver at all costs.  This is true for other departments as well: when any department fails to reach its goals, executives may conclude that there must be a problem in that department.  Meanwhile, the people involved may just as likely be hamstrung by a broken processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement..
I’m not saying that sales should be easy, or that salespeople’s methods or motivations are never the problem.  I am saying that management needs evidence drawn from the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. (and not just from sales results) before concluding that salespeople are the problem.  In this context, the key question is:  How can the organization obtain evidence of whether the root causes of sales (or other) problems lay in the market, marketing, product, pricing, salespeople, or some other factor?
Any of these three mistakes can prevent an organization from developing and benefiting from a processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. approach. This is even truer of a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. because by its nature, the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. is cross-functional: it is heavily dependent on the performance of other functions to succeed (not to mention the actions of customers, which by definition cannot be controlled).
The antidote is to understand the real purpose and nature of a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs..

The REAL Purpose of a Sales ProcessA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs.

Think back to a time when you were trapped in a processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. incapable of producing the desired results.  Perhaps you waited tables in a restaurant with a helter-skelter kitchen, or did time as a telemarketer for a dialing-for-dollars business, or worked in a similarly frustrating situation.  Were you interested in improving your performance?  Did you see any viable way in which you could?
I didn’t think so.
People need explicit, motivating, practical ways of improving their performance.  They need an agreed-upon means of learning and improving together.  So, the real purpose of a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. is to give salespeople, their managers, and the business a means of learning and improving.
It is OK for an organization to begin by defining a generalized approach to their processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.. However, a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. isn’t about some surefire sales method or having salespeople marching in lockstep. If a generalized approach actually removes the right kinds of variationDifference from the standard or expected. All processes produce some degree of variation, some of which may be good, and some of which may be bad. Understanding variation is the key to understanding cause and effect., short-term results may improve (though that doesn’t happen often). However, if a processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. approach is to succeed at the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).-facing level in the long run (i.e., if it is to serve its purpose for the people within the organization), it needs to enable them to clarify what they are trying to do, identify ways of improving their ability to do it, and know whether improvement has occurred, over and over again.  A real processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. enables participants to implement and observe their own activities and to connect these activities to outcomes. It enables all to see what works, what doesn’t work, and why. Then, and only then, can real learning occur.  This may be the most telling difference between a real processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. and an ersatz one.
A processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. is not a static thing; it is a means to create improvement.  A sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. represents respectful agreement within the team on the best currently known method of enabling customers to take the steps you want them to take.  It is constructed to enable participants to identify the observable characteristics of their sales opportunities and the root causes of problems so that improvements can be devised and implemented.  Sometimes the causes of success or failure are within salespeople’s control.  Sometimes they are in another function or department or out in the marketplace. The business needs data telling it where these opportunities and problems reside.
If a business is to improve its results rather than endure frustration, managers must enable customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).-facing teams to develop a sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement.The standard work required for finding, winning, and keeping customers. "What salespeople do" in the sales processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. should be distinguished from what the rest of the organization does. Both need to be aligned to the customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner).'s needs. worthy of the name. Doing so can uncover uncomfortable truths and require difficult decisions.  But respecting these realities and making the needed changes is the surest way to win the respect and participation of a sales team, and to elevate the performance of the entire sales organization and of the larger enterprise.