4 Effective Ways to Smooth Your Sales Process

Your sales might be slogging, but not because your product is lacking. Oftentimes, it's your sales process that needs a refresh. Humans encounter sales pitches tens, if not hundreds, of times a day. Whether it's a pop-up ad, commercial, or in-person experience, buyers are hit with sales approaches that refine their market expectations.

Sales Simplified: 4 Effective Ways to Smooth Your Process

No matter how savvy your buyer, your product, or your sales team are, there are ways to smooth your sales process. Learn ways you can update your technology, support your sales team, and earn lifelong customers and raving fans. By the end of this article, you'll have actionable takeaways that you can start exploring this quarter.

1. Modernize Your Deal-Closing Essentials

Move beyond paper pushing and into the digital age with your deal-closing process. Drum up contracts using software that delivers a seamless experience to your customers.

Work with your legal team to get the verbiage right and with an approval flow to ensure compliance. Build in fillable portions to customize contract terms you've pre-determined to be flexible. This upgrade cuts down on time-sucking back-and-forth and can improve your success rate.

Deliver contracts securely and with a delivery receipt that's tracked within your contract platform. Speed up approvals and track sign-offs by implementing a digital signature process. Digital signatures time-stamp approvals and maintain attribution, so there's never any confusion on where your contract stands.

Identify slowdowns by reviewing your approval flow and automating reminders for signatories. By digitizing and automating your contracts, you create a reliable record of contract terms and close deals faster.

2. Invest in a CRM System to Qualify Leads

Put the power of data analytics into your sales process with a customer relationship management system. Instead of managing prospects manually or across systems, a CRM centralizes your customer data.

Monitor their progress in your sales funnel by tracking engagement with email campaigns. Use engagement scoring to determine which prospects to give the most attention to. With data on your side, you can focus on the customers most likely to close.

Automate lead nurture campaigns based on historical engagement statistics. If you're selling items that need regular replacing, like hot tub filters, customers will appreciate a reminder.

Help clients keep their tubs in top shape with offers of maintenance packages. When it's time to upgrade, clients you've taken care of will be primed to hear your pitch.

3. Be Generous With Demos and Trials

Establish an imbalance in your relationship with your customer that works in your favor. Let customers experience your product first-hand and without restriction so they can see its value in action.

If you're selling personal financial management software, allow access to your full platform. When prospects enter their data and see how it can support their goals, the product sells itself.

Analyze your sales cycle to determine the appropriate trial length that can nudge customers along. Be generous enough to cement your platform's essential status in their life but not so long they think it's free.

Ask for payment information up front to ensure payment at the end of the trial. Be transparent about trial lengths and send reminders to give prospects a fair chance to decline. In doing so, you'll avoid any misinterpretation of your sales tactics or damage to your brand reputation.

4. Gather Social Proof

There's nothing like getting a glowing recommendation from a friend, and today, the average person's friend group is massive. However, you don't need an influencer army to spread the good word.

All you need is an arsenal of happy customers equipped with the tools to tell their story. After you close a sale, express gratitude to your new customer for the opportunity to serve them. Ensure their post-sale experience is stellar, offering support and tips to help them be successful.

After they've had time to settle in, use your CRM data to identify happy clients. Next, check in with them to see how they're doing and offer your expertise to help. Tee up a request to submit a public review and let them know their support is appreciated. Certain platforms like Google carry more weight with clients than others, so if one is preferred, point them there directly.

Give customers a referral code to share with their network too, giving them something in return for their promotion. Your clients need not be influencers to have this strategy work in your favor.

Affiliate referrals are commonplace and social media has facilitated the acceptance and support of this practice. People who learn of a great product from someone are often grateful for the intel and the link. Your investment is minimal and the boost in sales makes the affiliate arrangement rewarding for everyone.

Sell With a Spirit of Service

Keep service at the center of your sales philosophy, focusing on how what you do can improve your customer's life. For business clients, your email marketing software helps them communicate and engage their audience.

For individuals, your well-timed reorder reminders help them stay on top of life's demands. And when you deliver on your promises, your clients willingly share their experience with others. Center your strategy around how your process can support your clients' goals and you'll win every time.