Sales cycle is one of the most unpredictable things of the modern world. Cracking the code for the perfect sales cycle is like stumbling upon the greatest treasures of this earth.

There are just too many factors involved in a sales cycle, to make them fail-safe. But of course, there are a few ways to make it a little more predictable.

Let’s talk about a dozen ways to always keep the ball in your court, in a sales cycle.

Automate Recurring Tasks

Time is money. Hence, as sales guys you should always try to be more productive. If a few tasks (especially small and medium) tend to occur on your to-do list every day, it’s not a bad idea to automate those.

Rather you should spend the time, doing something more important. It’s all about priorities. Date entry is a good place to start looking at.

Set A Goal for Every Call

It’s a good start if you get a prospect to the phone. But it’s even better if you convey the goal of the call, and get it mutually agreed.

Read more on basics of cold calling for small & medium businesses

No one likes to be in the dark, as to where the conversation is heading. A proper mutually agreed path or goal helps both parties to be on track.

And yes, always try to schedule the next call at the end of a call. If you can set a goal for that, even better.

Listen To The Prospects, Or Dig About Them

Always take some time to dig deep into the details of a prospect. What industry he operates in, what’s his team size and stuffs like that.

If you get an objection, analyse those carefully. It’s very important to understand their root causes. This will most likely lead you straight to the pain points of a prospect. It’s like gold!

Be Clear About Pricing

When it comes to money, everybody likes clarity. From as early as possible, you should always convey what your prices are.

This will save both parties a lot of time and effort. Also a clear pricing without any hidden costs helps you gain trust in the eye of a prospect. It matters!

Online Contracts On The Go

More than anything, people now a days surely carry an electronic device (phone / tab) with them all the time.

Hence, as sales folks you should match-up with buyer behavior and always offer the option of signing online contracts to your prospects. It creates an instant impression.

Focus On The Top Channels

With limited resources and endless offerings, it’s never a wise idea to try to give equal attention to all your channels.

Give maximum attention to the winning channels & build your system accordingly. This will help you gain better results.

Also, it’s important to keep a tab on all the channels. A channel that’s working wonders today may not work tomorrow.

Be Acceptable

Positive vibes are under-rated, but matter a lot when it comes to sales. Always focus on creating a lasting relationship. It may take some time, but will always give you better results.

Gone are the days of pure sales approach. Everybody likes to have a personal touch now a days.

Let Prospects Schedule A Meeting In Seconds

Nothing is more embarrassing for you than finding out that a prospect wanted to talk to you, but couldn’t find a way. It’s a sales guy’s nightmare.

So, always make it dead easy to let everyone book a meeting in seconds… literally. May be use a 3rd party app which lets users view your availability & book a slot accordingly. It’s convenient for both parties.

Take-Away

It all comes down to how good your sales figures are. But the trick is to sell efficiently. It makes a BIG Difference!

Tell me if I’m missing something. I’m sure there might be loads of other things. I would love to hear about all of it.