What’s the most important part of the sales process?

We’ve all gone on a sales call that didn’t result in a sale. Sometimes the reason is apparent, and other times it can be more elusive. More often than not though, the weak point in the sales process is related to qualifying your prospect. This is because once a prospect shows signs of interest, most people immediately start trying to close the sale without ensuring that they truly have all of the information that they need to do so successfully.

The next time you’re out there on your sales calls, take the time to really find out what your prospects decisions are based on. What problems are they attempting to solve with your product or service? What would solving these problems mean for them? What have they tried before and how did it work for them? The idea is to collect the information you’ll need to close the sale while getting them thinking about the effect that not having a suitable solution is having on them, and then benefits they will enjoy when they do achieve a solution. In doing so, your sales process can often seem almost effortless. In fact, your prospects may even feel that they guided it and you were merely a bystander.