The document outlines an effective sales process, emphasizing the importance of managing various stages from initial contact to closing a sale. It suggests breaking down interactions into specific goals, such as pre-qualifying prospects, preparing for meetings, and executing successful conversations. Key takeaways include focusing on immediate goals and adapting the sales approach to each unique prospect and situation.

1. How to Effectively Manage
Your Sales Process
Sales Training
Michael Halper

2. What is a Sales Process
• A set of steps and stages to take prospect through that will
lead to a closed sale
• Not fixed and can vary from:
– One business to another
– One product to another
– One prospect to another

3. Why this is Important
• ABC – Always Be Closing
• Not enough time to completely sell during
early prospecting stages
• Helps to break down the entire process
into separate steps with different goals
• Helps you to be more focused and in more
control
• Improve your ability to deflect objections
• Can greatly improve effectiveness

4. Early Sales Process Stages
• Ultimate goal: close the sale
• Immediate goal: get commitment to
advance to next stage in sales
process
• Always stay focused on the
immediate goal
• Figuring out early stage steps is
what is most important
Initial Contact
(First time to speak)
Cold Call
Inbound Call
Email
Event
2 to 5 minutes
80% on prospect
20% on you
First Conversation
(Appointment/Meeting)
Phone Call
Face-to-Face
Discovery
20 to 30 minutes
50% on prospect
50% on you
First Meeting
(Presentation)
Discovery
Presentation
Demonstration
1 to 2 hours
20% on prospect
80% on you

5. Early Sales Process Stages
Stage GoalsInitial Contact
(First time to speak)
Cold Call
Inbound Call
Email
Event
2 to 5 minutes
80% on prospect
20% on you
First Conversation
(Appointment/Meeting)
Phone Call
Face-to-Face
Discovery
20 to 30 minutes
50% on prospect
50% on you
First Meeting
(Presentation)
Discovery
Presentation
Demonstration
1 to 2 hours
20% on prospect
80% on you
Pre-qualify
Gather high-level information
Build interest in having conversation
Schedule a First Conversation
Hard Qualify
Gather detailed Information
Build interest in meeting
Schedule a First Meeting
Sell Product
Map out Next Steps
Close (Sale or agreement to move
forward)

6. Early Sales Process Stages
Alternative Path – Instant CallInitial Contact
(First time to speak)
Cold Call
Inbound Call
Email
Event
2 to 5 minutes
80% on prospect
20% on you
First Conversation
(Appointment/Meeting)
Phone Call
Face-to-Face
Discovery
20 to 30 minutes
50% on prospect
50% on you
First Meeting
(Presentation)
Discovery
Presentation
Demonstration
1 to 2 hours
20% on prospect
80% on you
Pre-qualify
Gather high-level information
Build interest in having conversation
Schedule a First Conversation
Hard Qualify
Gather detailed Information
Build interest in meeting
Schedule a First Meeting
Sell Product
Map out Next Steps
Close (Sale or agreement to move
forward)

7. Splitting Initial Contact and First Conversation
• It can be common for your first contact to flow into a first conversation
• There are benefits from preventing that and having two separate
conversations:
– First call at the time of first contact will be rushed
– Scheduling on another day allows you to put time on the prospects calendar
– The break and scheduling of the meeting will allow you and the prospect to be
more prepared for the first call
– You will have more time and attention to work with
• How to prevent:
– “You are asking very good questions. I actually would like to talk with you about
this in more detail and I have called you out of the blue. Do you have another 20
minutes to go through all of this now or should we put some time on the
calendar to get together?”

8. Early Sales Process Stages
Alternate Path – Instant MeetingInitial Contact
(First time to speak)
Cold Call
Inbound Call
Email
Event
2 to 5 minutes
80% on prospect
20% on you
First Conversation
(Appointment/Meeting)
Phone Call
Face-to-Face
Discovery
20 to 30 minutes
50% on prospect
50% on you
First Meeting
(Presentation)
Discovery
Presentation
Demonstration
1 to 2 hours
20% on prospect
80% on you
Pre-qualify
Gather high-level information
Build interest in having conversation
Schedule a First Conversation
Hard Qualify
Gather detailed Information
Build interest in meeting
Schedule a First Meeting
Sell Product
Map out Next Steps
Close (Sale or agreement to move
forward)

9. First Conversation Types
• In-person appointments
• Phone call
• Virtual on web-sharing
• Coffee
• Lunch

10. First Conversation Preparation
Research
• Company website
• Yahoo Finance
• Awareness of what the company does
• Awareness of recent news, events, industry
trends
• Research prospect on social media
Prepare Questions
• Qualifying questions
• Discovery questions

11. First Conversation Execution
First 50% of meeting focused on prospect
• First 50% of meeting focus on prospect
• Find out what is working/not working
• Current goals/challenges/initiatives
• Gather organizational details
• Hard qualify the prospect
Second 50% focused on you
• Explain what you do
• Connect the value you offer with prospect pain
• Share how you differ
• Tell a client story
• Share ROI details
• Close for the next step in your process

12. Performing Discovery
Current Environment
• What are you using for…?
• How long have you been using that?
• What is working well? What could be working better?
• Is there a current agreement in place?
• What are some of the challenges you are focused on decreasing?
• If you could wave a wand and change one thing, what would that
be?
• Pre-qualifying questions

13. Performing Discovery
Goals and Objectives
• What are the key goals that your organization is focused on for this
year?
• What are the key objectives that your success is measured by?
• What are the key critical business issues that your are impacted by?

14. Performing Discovery
Organizational Details
• What is your role in the organization?
• What does your organization look like?
• What other organizations are impacted by this area?
• Who else should I try to connect with regarding this?

15. Performing Discovery
Decision Making Process
• What is the decision making process?
• What are the key factors that a decision will be based on?
• Who is the ultimate decision maker?
• Is there a committee that this type of purchase has to go through?
• Hard qualifying questions

16. Sales Lead Follow-up
1. Identify the follow-up time
2. Clarify the timing
3. Reconcile time with compelling event
4. Schedule reminders
5. Add to appropriate drip campaign
6. Follow-up at agreed timing

17. First Meeting Types
• Presentation
• Demonstration
• Deep discovery
• Proposal review

18. First Meeting Execution
Conventional Approach
• Company info
• Portfolio of products
• Standard Product demonstration
• Pricing
• Next steps?

19. First Meeting Execution
Alternative Approach
• Our Findings
– Your Challenges/Goals
• How we can help
– Tailored product demonstration
– Outline of projected improvements
– Estimation of ROI
• How we have helped others
– Client story / case study
• Company Facts
• Investment Summary
– Pricing if appropriate
• Next Steps / Evaluation Plan

20. Evaluation Plan
Activity Date Owner Status
Meeting with Shawn Williams 6/25/2013 Halper Complete
Meeting with Executive team 7/23/2013 Halper Complete
Send info and call Shawn Williams first week
of August
Halper Open
Whiteboard session 8/13/2013 Halper/Williams Open
Process Recommendations/Proof of Capabilities 8/27/2013 Halper/Jones Open
Build Business Case 9/3/2013 Halper/Williams Open
Presentation of Draft Proposal and Contract Language 9/10/2013 SalesScripter / XYZ Corp Open
Communication of change requests to documents 9/17/2013 XYZ Corp Open
Delivery of Final Executable Documents 9/24/2013 Halper Open
Partnership Agreement signed 9/30/2013 SalesScripter / XYZ Corp Open
Implementation TBD SalesScripter / XYZ Corp
L
Open
Go live with partnership 1/2013 SalesScripter / XYZ Corp Open

21. Evaluation Plan
• Create a word version
• Include with your proposal
and update through out the
sales process

22. Key Takeaways
• Your ultimate goal is to sell your product. Your immediate goal is to get the
prospect to move to the next step in your sales process.
• You will improve your results by staying focused on the immediate goal
• You will need to map out your ideal process to know what your immediate
goals are
• Identify what your initial contact, first call and first meetings look like for your
business

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