Most company owners would prefer more structure in their business dealings. They crave it because they know it works, but salespeople often think that a structured sales process won’t work and may be negative about it to the point of the methods never getting implemented.
Many times, it’s because they’re afraid it will be a more rigid environment where they have to read scripts or follow prompts. They may worry that managers will become more interested in the steps rather than focusing on substance. Whatever their reason, they’re afraid of change, which can be problematic in business.
How It Leads To Success
When you look at other departments, such as IT or HR, you notice that they have structure. They’ve got rules in place and know what to do in almost any situation. This option has been proven to work for other areas of business, so it stands to reason that a structured sales process can also work.
For example, in sports, the athletes practice their drills and plays so during game time, they’re focused and successful. The same can be true of your salespeople if they’re willing to start.
What About Selling?
In spite of people saying that these processes would be too rigid or basic, a well-developed structured sales process can help managers and salespeople work more efficiently. Beginners need to know what to do first before they can understand how to develop relationships or get creative. Those who are farther along may need to reflect on what to do and how to navigate those steps with the knowledge they have.
Experienced salespeople can also benefit because when they start to falter, they can go back to the fundamentals, or rules, to figure out if they’re doing something differently or what is going wrong.
