Following a sales process reduces guesswork and helps teams sell with consistency.
In this guide, you will learn 8 common sales-process stages, from planning to post-sale, with practical tips to apply daily and generate better results.
What you will see in today’s content
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Why following stages reduces improvisation and increases team predictability.
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Planning with collecting and organizing ideal-customer information and attention to LGPD.
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Prospecting and acquisition with defining profile, needs, and relationship history.
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Thorough data analysis and the role of Revenue Operations (RevOps) in aligning areas.
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Sales strategies and approach with alignment between sales and marketing and use of rapport.
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Proposals and values with personalization, clear language, and a relevant value proposal.
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Negotiation with empathy, patience, BATNA, and clear limits to avoid automatic discounts.
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Closing with condition review, support, and care not to rush or delay.
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Post-sale with a satisfaction survey, ongoing contact, feedback management, and continuous improvement.
Good reading!
Knowing the 8 stages of the sales process
1. Planning
The first step of a sales process is planning. It relies on collecting and organizing information about your ideal customer, with extra care to ensure any personal-data use follows Brazil’s LGPD.
Normally, this first stage of the sales process takes place simultaneously with prospecting and attracting customers. However, for your planning is as fruitful as possiblel, it is important that it is well based on information such as:
- What are the purchasing channels most used by your target audience?
- What is the state of your area of activity in the market currently?
- What are the purchasing habits of your target audience?
- What are your team's strengths and weaknesses?
These are just a few questions that your planning should answer, and be aware that there will be others that arise during the process, so keep an eye on possible trends that could affect your performance.
2. Prospecting and attracting customers
As previously mentioned, planning and customer prospecting will be done in parallel. To do so, you need to know who your ideal customer is and how you feel about your brand or product.
Without a well-defined profile of your customers, it will be much more difficult to convert them. Therefore, it is essential to look for the following answers:
- What is the profile of your ideal client?
- What are this customer’s needs and what can you do to meet them?
- What is this customer’s relationship history with your company or brand?
- In the case of B2B, who is this company and how long has it been operating in the market?
Armed with the answers to these questions, you will have greater assertiveness when prospecting your customers. This information will provide a clearer understanding of how plan your approach towards these customers.
3. Customer data analysis
To go even deeper into understanding your customers' profiles, it is very important that the analysis of the data collected is as thorough as possible, as now is the time when your sales teams will have their first contact with your potential customers.
It can also help to consider Revenue Operations (RevOps), which aligns marketing, sales, and customer success to improve processes, data, and decision-making across the revenue lifecycle. That gives sellers more context and a more consistent path forward.
4. Sales strategies and approach
This stage begins after the first contact with your potential customers. Here, sales teams now get to know their customers and their needs better, which allows them to offer more targeted solutions for each one.
However, this is not a step that should be seen simply as an operational process, quite the opposite. Building a sales strategy and an appropriate approach to each customer can generate much better results than anticipated.
Have your departments sales and marketing very well aligned, as this will make it easier for your salespeople to use Rapport techniques to create more empathy when approaching your customers.
This will make the shopping experience much more attractive and pleasant for your customers, as there will be a sense of trust and closeness between them and your brand, making the process much more fluid.
5. Proposals and values
After a successful approach, it's time to send proposals and prices to your new client.
Knowing his needs well, and taking into account the information you collected throughout the process, put together a value proposition that is relevant to what he is looking for and needs at that moment.
A proposal that is personalized especially for your new client, using clear and objective language, conveys credibility and reliability. This will add value to your company and to your customer's purchasing experience, who, in the future, will be more willing to pay a higher price for a quality service or product.
SEE TOO:
- What is Revenue Operations (RevOps) and how does it work
- Implementing Revenue Ops in your company
- RevOps, Sales Ops, CS Ops, DevOps: understand the differences
6. Negotiation
After receiving the proposal from the customer, it is normal for objections to arise, whether regarding price, service or other factors.
Empathy and patience are essential when addressing questions and objections. To avoid automatic discounting, enter the conversation knowing your BATNA, your best alternative if no deal is reached, and set clear limits before negotiating.
Ideally, when closing a deal, make sure this is a decision that will benefit both.
7. Closing
After successful negotiation, it's time to move on to the penultimate step of the entire sales process!
With closing getting closer, it is essential to review all the conditions that have been agreed with the customer so far, so that they are also aware of everything and that there are no longer any doubts regarding the product or service they are purchasing.
However, don't forget to emphasize that the customer can still count on your company's service channels in case any unforeseen circumstances arise. It is extremely important that your client is properly welcomed so that their experience is the best possible throughout the process.
So, without any further objections, it was time to close and hire that client. But be patient and don't rush or delay this step too much, as this could end up being detrimental to the process, leading your client to have more doubts and causing them to end up returning to the first steps.
Therefore, make sure that your sales team is well updated and prepared to close as accurately as possible. Respecting the needs of each client and adapting solutions to their demands.
8. After-sales
We have reached the end of the entire process, the long-awaited closing of your sale! However, the work is not over yet, quite the contrary, there is still a lot to be done in this last stage.
Here, it is important that your customer responds to a satisfaction survey and still stays in touch if they need help with your product or service. Therefore, being available to help your customer at this time, in addition to adding more value to the shopping experience, is also a form of self-preservation.
To keep post-sale from becoming “good support only”, define how you will collect, analyze, and act on feedback over time. Quality-management guidance reinforces monitoring customer perception and using that input for continuous improvement, such as the ISO committee guidance on customer feedback.
Therefore, always pay special attention to maintaining the relationship between your brand and your customers. Because, a better relationship between the parties will provide you with better results when it comes to customer loyalty and retention.
Summary:To know The 8 steps of the sales process are essential for better alignment of your sales and marketing teams. By knowing your customers well, your company will be able to create more assertive strategies to achieve closure and customer loyalty.
To illustrate the 8 steps, check out an infographic below with the entire sales process flow:
Frequently asked questions about the 8 sales process stages
What are the 8 most common stages of the sales process?
The 8 most common stages are planning, prospecting and customer acquisition, customer data analysis, sales strategies and approach, proposals and values, negotiation, closing, and post-sale.
What is included in the planning stage?
The planning stage relies on collecting and organizing information about the ideal customer and includes care to ensure the use of personal data is aligned with LGPD.
Why do planning and prospecting happen in parallel?
Planning and prospecting often occur simultaneously so the approach is well-grounded and more accurate, based on understanding the ideal customer and how to engage them with the brand or product.
What is the role of customer data analysis?
Data analysis deepens the understanding of the customer profile and supports the first contact with potential customers, aiming for the most thorough review possible of the collected information.
What does RevOps help improve in the process?
RevOps seeks to align marketing, sales, and customer success to improve processes, data, and decisions throughout the revenue cycle, helping approach leads with more context and move forward more consistently.
How can the approach be more effective in the sales strategy stage?
The approach can be more effective when sales and marketing are well aligned and when rapport techniques are used to build empathy, trust, and closeness, making the buying experience smoother.
What defines a strong value proposal?
A strong value proposal fits the customer’s needs, is personalized, and uses clear, objective language, conveying credibility and reliability.
How can negotiation be handled without automatic discounts?
Negotiation should be handled with empathy and patience to resolve doubts and, to avoid automatic discounts, it is important to enter the conversation knowing the BATNA and setting clear limits before negotiating.
What must not be missing in closing and post-sale?
In closing, it is essential to review all agreed conditions and ensure there are no doubts, keeping support channels available. In post-sale, it is important to run a satisfaction survey, maintain contact for help, and define how to collect, analyze, and act on feedback over time.
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