13. Sales

A sale is a critical part of any business and is often widely misunderstood. In the UK in particular, sales as a career is often considered to be unprofessional and there is a degree of mistrust surrounding ‘sales people’ and the processes they use. As with any profession, some sales practices and people fall far short of delivering the promises they make. This is however not true of the whole industry. In simple terms, a sales process is 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.

The establishment and implementation of a sales process with definable steps in a company could result in: Predictable Outcomes - desired and predictable outcomes through a series of actions that could lead to more sales and higher margins. Repeatable Activities - activities that should be repeated to obtain the desired outcomes again and again by any salesperson within the organization. Tangible Results - the outcomes that can be measured and compared. Relevancy for Others - A good sales process may be cloned to suit other organizations and they may emulate a successful sales process model. A group of companies may apply a particularly productive sales process to all or some of its divisions.

A sale is in fact a science and follows strict rules and processes. Sales is the method of presenting a product in the most positive light, maintaining control over the 'sales process' and ultimately achieving the highest level of profit together with delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction. Although this certainly does not mean that sales as an industry necessarily has your ‘best interests’ at heart, and it is for this reason that it is so important to gain a basic knowledge of what sales is and how it operates.

Simply having a sales process in place doesn't guarantee anything, just like simply buying and installing exercising equipment doesn't lead to a chiseled body. Proper use makes the difference. Actively using and a desire to become willing to implement a sales process could lead to more sales.