What are the 8 steps of the sales process? Find out and start following them!

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Selling and buying is something so natural in our lives that vk database sometimes we are not able to see the elements that are essential for this relationship to happen.

To create a truly effective sales process, we need to perceive and analyze these factors closely so we can use them strategically.

If we take into account that the days when the purchase decision was the center of marketing strategies are long gone, we can understand that today, sales success begins long before the purchase .

To do this, it is essential to know your audience in depth, segment your actions, build a relationship and, only after this, gain their trust and be able to close the offer. And believe me, it doesn't end there, there is still a lot of work to do after that.

But don't worry, as you will see below, all of this is very easy to understand and apply, and to make it even easier, we have prepared a guide with the 8 steps of the sales process .

Everything is explained briefly so that you can put it into practice as soon as possible and they are the following:



1. Planning
It's obvious, but it never hurts to remember: you need to plan! This is what separates an amateur sales strategy from a professional one.

The important thing to recognize is that a well-done plan is one in which we focus most of the time on research. We need data to have realistic goals!

Even if you have a good view of the market you are trading in, you should consider:

Conduct market research: Market research can be done in many ways, from large-scale analysis to a quick sample of your social media audience.
Create a buyer persona: buyer personas are semi-fictional characters that represent an ideal client and serve as a parameter for your marketing and sales actions;
Benchmarking: Benchmarking is about discovering, comparing and evaluating best practices in the market to inspire you to create your own.
2. Prospecting
The information collected in your planning will also be necessary to create the famous Sales Funnel .

Although its application is most popular in Digital Marketing , it fits into practically all contexts.

Your goal is to segment your audience, that is, to separate those who are really interested in what you sell (and can become customers) from the rest.

This is where prospecting comes in, which is nothing more than adopting means to attract people to your funnel . On the Internet, planning tools are essential for this.

You will also need to define the channels through which you want to attract people, such as email, ads, telephone, WhatsApp, web content, in-person visits, among others.

The rule here is to show where your audience is.

3. Rating
In Digital Marketing, when we get the contact information of a potential client in the prospecting stage, we call it a lead . Initially, they are general, so we have to qualify them through careful segmentation.

Scoring, therefore, consists of separating groups within your contact base that show a greater willingness to buy.

You won't be abandoning others, you'll just be adopting a different communication strategy for each group. This is where things start to get interesting.

4. Lead nurturing
In practice, lead nurturing consists of sending content or periodically contacting your leads with the aim of educating them and moving them along the Sales Funnel . While it is often done through Email Marketing, it is possible to do it using other channels.

These contents or contacts must be personalized , in order to create a relationship and help people in the different stages of the sales cycle.

It's not yet time to talk openly about your company or product, but it can help your buyer persona better understand your industry and why they need the solution you offer.

Want to know more about this topic? Check out some of our content:

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5. Offer
The system adopted to carry out lead nurturing must be able to identify “opportunities” . These opportunities are people who have shown a clear interest in purchasing and can now be forwarded to the sales team.

Finally, you will be able to make your offer, explain your product or service in detail, as well as the differentials that make your company the best option.

However, be careful not to get too attached to your business. Remember that the customer is looking for a solution to a problem or a transformation of a situation, and they are focused on that.

6. Objections
During the negotiation, you will surely face the famous sales objections . These are nothing more than doubts or insecurities about your product that make your almost-customer hesitate to buy.

Common excuses like “it’s expensive” or “I need to talk to someone else first” are typical in these types of situations.

The seller must be ready to clarify all these objections , not only with solid answers, but also with examples from other people who made the purchase decision under the same circumstances. Social proof is an excellent argument to work on at this point.

7. Closing
Great! Your lead has confirmed that they want to continue with the purchase. At this point, it is common for the customer to still try to negotiate , asking for a discount or benefit depending on the delivery and payment method.

The price of your product and all the conditions involved must take this into account , so that final agreements are possible. The modern consumer likes to feel in control of the situation. Thus, by leaving the final word to him, the chances of closing are much greater.

8. Loyalty
Finally, we have loyalty, or after-sales , to close our 8 steps of the sales process .

The worst thing you can do at the end of a purchasing process is to simply abandon your customer as if the only thing that matters is the payment. They will feel cheated and the chances of them buying again will drop significantly.

Therefore, in addition to offering all the necessary support so that they can fully enjoy your product or service, maintain communication .

Your customers are a powerful source of feedback and are therefore essential for you to perfect your procedures and constantly improve your results.