10 Mar How to improve your sales best practices and get the most out of your sales processes
Posted at 16:02h
in Microsoft Dynamics 365
Improving sales best practice and getting the most out of your sales processes
With a few small changes to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, it can be configured to give you a real insight into the sales team’s pipeline and sales effectiveness.
A typical pipeline chart looks like a funnel: 'prospecting activity' feeds new leads into the top of the funnel, 'sales' then qualify the leads and a percentage of these leads come out of the funnel as a won order. This simple chart is a visual guide to a company’s sales process.
The process bar in the sales opportunity form of Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be configured to match your sales process, the real insight comes when you connect the pipeline chart to the process bar.
The image below is an example of a simple sales process in Dynamics 365, it includes the process stages of QUALIFY > DEVELOP > PROPOSE > CLOSE. The system reinforces sales best practice, as input is required at each stage of the process. This input acts as a quality gate; the user cannot progress to the next stage until they input relevant information about the sale. In the example below, we have some basic qualification questions in the QUALIFY stage.
The sales process equates to the pipeline chart on its side. With opportunities at the QUALIFY stage of the sales process at the top of the Pipeline and opportunities at CLOSE at the far end. The benefits of linking the process bar to the sales stages are that it helps reinforce sales best practice. The pipeline charts (funnels) are a visual indicator of pipeline health, sales managers can review this chart with their sales team alongside the answers to the questions within the process stages. This framework acts as a catalyst for mentoring and coaching.
Linking the sales process bar and sales pipelines charts have the following benefits:
- Sales best practice is distilled – The sales process bar forces sales leaders to have a clear vision of the sales process and a clear path to sales success is mapped out.
- CRM reinforce best practice – Once the sales process is defined, sales must complete certain inputs before they move to the next stage. This is a daily reminder of the best practice.
- Promotes sales coaching - Linking the pipeline charts to the sales process bar identifies sales weaknesses and this should promote discussion and input with the sales manager.
- Generates urgency and activity – Because the CRM system introduces control in the sales process, sales management have more a more accurate view of the real state of the pipeline and can take corrective action.
