Every company's sales process needs to help sales reps stay personal and relevant. It’s about building relationships, understanding your client base, and being versatile enough to pitch your product or service just right in every circumstance. But that doesn't mean that a codified, structured sales process can't support effective selling.

A defined sales cycle gives your team a clear way to identify strengths and weaknesses, test new sales strategies, and improve sales efficiency.

What is a sales cycle?

A sales cycle defines the stages you go through to convert a prospective customer into a paying one. 

While you should tailor your sales cycle to your specific business and customer, implementing these seven core stages will set you up with a solid foundation. 

1. Prospecting

Start by creating your ideal customer profile (or ICP). This is a detailed description of your perfect customer. Get to know this profile well, from the problems they need solved to their financial limitations, purchasing behavior, and demographics.

Creating an ICP helps to focus your sales cycle. Now, you know who you're contacting and why. Once you've set your ICP, start looking for potential leads. Based on what you know, where do you find your ideal customer? Make a broad list.

Once you have a broad list of leads, it's time to do your initial round of qualification. Look at the obvious factors, such as need and budget. Then, consider things such as purchasing authority — if you're selling software to a company, for instance, make sure you're contacting someone with the ability to say yes or no.

2. Contacting

Now that you've identified and refined your potential customers based on your ICP, it's time to make contact. Based on what you've learned through prospecting, strategize around the best way to contact your potential lead. 

Some customers may respond well to cold calls or query emails, while others may automatically filter these communications out. Younger demographics may be especially available via social media, while older generations may be less open to a DM.

3. Qualifying

Once you've started a conversation, it's time for more serious qualifications. Your real potential client or customer's goals may differ slightly from your ICP. That's okay — but you'll need to work to understand your lead's specific needs and goals. 

If, at some point in the conversation, you realize your lead doesn't meet your criteria, end the conversation. It may feel harsh as a salesperson if you're focused on relationship building. But it's better not to waste your time on a lead if you already have a sense that they're not a good fit — and it's better not to waste their time, either.

4. Presenting

By this step, you should be communicating with a refined list of leads that meet all of your criteria. Now that you've chosen your strongest leads and started to build a relationship, it's time to show your potential clients what you can do for them.

Make your offer, and make it as personal as possible. Be sure that the offer you're presenting delivers a clear solution to a real concern or weak spot for your potential client or customer. The more urgent their need is, the more likely they are to move forward quickly. 

The more confident they are in you based on the relationship you've built, the less likely they'll be to look for alternatives.

5. Negotiating

In a perfect world, every lead accepts every offer without question. Of course, this isn't likely to happen even if you're the best sales rep in history. Negotiating is an inevitable, expected part of any deal. 

Don't lose sight of everything you've learned about your lead, and approach negotiations with a positive attitude. Things as small as your mood can affect negotiations. It's important to go in with a positive, confident attitude. Even if they don't notice it consciously, potential customers or clients can pick up on things like anxiety or insecurity, and it can impact their receptiveness.

If a potential client or customer feels like you're working with them to make a deal rather than working against them to up your rate, the process will be better for everyone involved.

6. Closing

It's time to close the deal. You've gotten to know them, you’ve made your offer, you’ve negotiated, and now, finally, you're on the same page. 

Make it easy for your potential client to say yes — and make sure your lead is happy with the deal. Someone who feels like they've been pressured or taken advantage of may sign a deal, but it'll be difficult to build loyalty and hard to render services to someone who sees you as an adversary.

Sometimes, despite all signs seeming positive, a customer will stop before closing a deal. If you think the lead still has potential in the future, move on to the next step. But if you can't see any way to bridge the gap, remove this lead from your list.

7. Following up

Following up is crucial. It's a simple way to build good will and to make a customer — present or potential — feel taken care of. After all, relationships are key in every area of business. This goes double for sales.

If you had a lead fall out of the sales cycle before closing a deal but think you'll be able to close with them later, keep them in step seven. Build up your relationship and develop a deeper understanding of their needs. Later, when you have a new angle or the timing is more appropriate, you can put them back into the sales cycle.

How you follow up should be specific to your individual client or customer. A simple sales follow-up email may be perfect for one customer, while a personal phone call may be better suited for others.

The bottom line

Defining and refining your sales cycle is key to success. It keeps your sales team on the same page and gives you a simple way to address issues and improve your processes. 

Superhuman is the email app that keeps deals moving. Designed to save your reps hours every week, with sales intelligence and deal collaboration built in. Get started with Superhuman today.