More Than One Process

A common misconception is that companies have a single sales process. In fact, most organizations have multiple offerings, serve different vertical industries, and engage in several different types of sales. Some examples include

• Add-on business with an existing client

• Sale of professional services

• Renewal of a maintenance agreement

• Sale to a prospect

• Sale involving a partner

• Sale through a reseller

• Major account

• National account

Given this diversity of transactions, many companies find that one size (or process) does not and cannot fit all of their selling situations. We suggest defining customer-focused steps and deliverables for your most complex sale, and then determining subsets of steps and deliverables for smaller transactions.