How To Improve Your Sales Process & Book More Projects
By Jeremy Huffman
When was the last time you had someone take a look at your sales process?
If the answer is “never,” then I guarantee that you are missing out on some easy sales.
Let’s dive into how we would help you evaluate your sales process if you are anywhere between 0-$10 million per year in revenue.
When a lead comes in, call them within 15 minutes.
Every minute that passes by is another minute lost to find out if this customer is a good fit for the services that you offer. The sooner you call them back, the more likely you are to make a sale.
When a phone call comes in, answer it.
Having a dedicated person answer the phone who has permission to drop everything they are doing and focus on the customer will increase your sales. This is the same person that should be calling all of the incoming leads. Have this person use a phone script to collect all of the information that you need to prepare for a consultation.
I find that paper is a little easier to record customer information from the script. Another option would be using a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) like Active Campaign to store the information.
Bottom Line: Call every lead, answer the phone, and use a script every time.
Using a script will allow you to identify poor-fit customers on the first call. Refer poor fit customers to your competitors or someone that they are better fit for.
The script can also help you identify customers that are ready to move forward on their project. These customers can be put in contact with the next person they need to talk to.
I would recommend that you start with our script and edit it to fit the needs that you have as you use it. Have your script do just enough to get you to the consultation phase and nothing more.
If you are a football player, you watch ‘game film’
If you are golfer, you have your swing analyzed.
Sales can benefit from the same tools. Recording all incoming and outgoing calls will give you the ‘game tape’ to improve your script, your technique, and coach up your players
Set aside some time to listen to the calls with the caller and focus on what they did well during the call. Ask them what they would like to improve and ask them how they plan to improve.
Adjust the script as much as you need, but edit out questions that do not help you prepare for a consultation. Use as many questions as you need, but as few as you can get away with.
Another place where sales are lost is in the follow-up process.
In your sales process, you need a place where you can track where each lead is in the sales process and move them to the next stage. If you have not spoken with the lead, following up with them will keep you in the running for getting the project.
How often should I follow-up?
The key is to be consistent after the initial call. Call Back 3 times within the week from the time they called. Then once a week for 4 weeks and then once a month for 3 months.
Focus on making the calls and not on the misses. This is about being consistent with your sales process not about how many of those calls result in a sale.