Mapping out the sales process steps is secondary to knowing what a sales process is, when it comes to acquiring, developing and maintaining customers. In the digitally influenced sales process, the goal is no longer so focused so much on giving pitches and pricing, but to offer value propositions personalized to each client. The modern sales process is void of any unnecessary complexity or obstacles in customer interaction.     The term “sales process” usually refers to the series of steps a business has mapped out that gives it the best possible outcome to generate revenue with both new and existing customers. It could form part of the bigger sales playbook. It is different from company to company depending on their industry and complexity or pricing of the product. In a practical level, the sales process steps act as a prescriptive guide for salespeople to follow when engaging in sales prospecting, business development, retaining customers and closing deals. Sales Process Steps.   Research shows that the more formal the sales processes steps, the stronger the sales performance. This is because closing a sale is becoming ever more difficult. Buyers have access to numerous sources of information and can be highly educated when they first come into contact with a salesperson. So, a sales process must plan to intervene with customers further and further upstream in their buyer’s journey.   A modern sales process should be: Customer focused Clearly outlined Prescriptive in nature Aligned to buyer’s journey Outcome oriented Measurable against KPI’s Adaptable across channels Many articles on “what is a sales process” will have the sales process steps starting at Prospecting.  However, we see prospecting within the “sales section”, which is the 3rd section of a sales process, with Knowledge and Research being the 1st and 2nd sections respectively. So, our sales process steps have 3 sections, each section has a series of steps that build to the complete sales process. They are 1. Knowledge Management, 2. Research and 3. Sales.   Knowledge Management Knowledgeable management in the sales process steps is about ensuring all salespeople have a thorough understanding of what they are selling and to whom. It includes the sales team being prepared to give in-depth answers to any customer questions, knowledge about their business and industry, sales trends, competition analysis, market trends, how the company’s products solve problems, and where to find resources, information or assets they will use during the sales process.   The knowledge management section in the sales process should also track which questions the sales teams ask the most, what assets and content do they access the most often, and which types of sales touch points or activities that produce the best results.   The inclusion of different customer engagement scenarios, real case studies on how buyers pain points were solved, sales cycle obstacles, how deals were won and how new revenue was generated is also a valuable part of knowledge management.   Research Market and sales research, that is having salespeople trained on the target market, ideal customer profiles, target customers, the industry, and the business’s value proposition to the market can never be overstated. Developing a deep understanding of customer profiles., their buying journey and knowing how to acquire sales intelligence is now a key aspect of a sales process. It also includes research on competitors, the core issues buyers usually experience as it relates to the product, and then combine these with market knowledge to understand the key points to address these issues. Creating a list of “research points” that salespeople must have prior to engaging a prospect or upselling an existing customer should be given strong consideration in the sales process steps.   Sales   58% of companies don’t have a tailored approach to the different moments in the buyer’s journey.   Now we come to the 3rd section of the sales process. This is the act and activity of engaging with prospects or customers to sell. The challenge for every business is to equip every salesperson with the ability to consistently and systematically have valuable conversations either online or offline with the right set of customers at each stage of the buyer’s journey to optimize the results of the sales process steps.   The guiding principle in any sales process has to be concerned with maximizing selling time, customer acquisition and relationship building.   It needs to be stated that aligning the sales effort with sales process takes work. Sales leaders sometime have to overcome the fear that disrupting the current process will impact revenue. All stakeholders from sales, marketing, support and finance will need to work together to prioritize the expected steps in the sales process.  This is about visioning the future, seeing the bigger picture, and focusing on the best sales process steps to boost the time spent selling regardless of past practices.   While the “Sales Section” is the implantation aspect of the sales process, the inclusion of Knowledge Management and Research ensure a more holistic approach to customer engagement. Next, we can take a look at the sales process steps within the sales section.   TYPICAL SALES PROCESS STEPS Sales Prospecting This step involves finding and engaging a new set of potential customers using market knowledge and research. Using this information, the salespeople will use a multi-channel approach including social selling, cold calling, cold emails and social networking to engage the prospect. The days of sales Prospecting being a smash and grab event are long gone, it may take weeks or months to build up enough influence with a buyer before a sales conversation can happen. The sales process steps should outline in detail the methodical approach the company wants to undertake for the sales prospecting step in the process.   Nurturing and Collaboration. This step involves the salesperson nurturing and collaborating with a set of prospects (or existing customers) to understand their business, uncovering needs, gathering information, identifying the buying committee and vitally to ascertain if a need really exists. If aSales Process Steps