This is a quick, concise, easy to understand summary of the role of the Sales Cycle in Industrial Distribution and how to use it to your advantage to improve your selling skills, professionalism, and close more accounts.

1. UNDERSTANDING THE SALES CYCLE
IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION
Peter Grimes

2. What is the Sales Cycle Anyway?
• A systematic approach involving a series of
steps that enables a sales force to close more
deals, increase margins and make more sales
through referrals.
– Prospecting
– Qualifying
– Proposal/presentation
– Handling Objections
– Closing
– Follow-up for repeat business - referrals

3. How long does the Sales Cycle take
from start to finish?
• DEPENDS. Your sales cycle has to have the elasticity
to match the buyer’s desire/ability/need to change.
– Questions you need to ask
• What is the lead time of what you are selling?
• Are they buying because of need, or because you are trying to
change what they buy?
• Is it an engineered product or a commodity?
• How does your customer buy?
• What kind of customer are you dealing with? MRO? OEM?
– “It’s just me and I need it NOW!”
– “I have/am a purchasing agent.”
– “I have a storeroom I replenish manually.”
– “My business system calculates and issues purchase
orders.”

4. Match your Sales Cycle to what you
sell and to how your customer buys
• Large OEM/MRO
– Have a replenishment system
– Don’t realize they have a need
– Difficulty finding “Yes”
– More than one mind to change
– Sales Cycle 8 weeks to 3
months
• Commodity/End User
– Need it now/Need it often
– Need to change their mind
quickly - between reorders
– Need you to solve a problem
– Usually one decision maker
– Sales Cycle 2-6 weeks
• Engineered Product/End User
– Need it now/Need it often
– Need to change their mind but
reliability/quality is a priority
– May be more than one decision
maker
– Sales Cycle 6-10 weeks
• Project-Driven for Future Needs
– Need to get in on the ground floor.
– Who is the engineering firm?
– Who decides what will be specified at
the development stage?
– Follow the trail from engineering to
completion
– Sales Cycle 3 months to a year or
more

5. Summary
• Map out the STEPS of your Sales Cycle for
each Prospect
• Determine each Sales Cycle TIMELINE
• Pinpoint which TYPE of User/Buyer each is
• Acknowledge each Buyer’s Perceived Need
• Identify HOW each Customer Buys
• Uncover ALL decision influencers
• MATCH your Sales Strategy to each Buyer