Sales Process Step by Step: The Real Framework That Works

Most sales process articles give you theory. I'm giving you the exact framework I've used across 5+ SaaS exits and thousands of client implementations. This isn't textbook stuff-it's what actually works when you need to hit revenue targets.

A sales process is the repeatable sequence of actions that moves a prospect from initial contact to closed deal. The difference between companies that scale and companies that struggle? The ones that scale have documented, repeatable processes. The ones that struggles rely on individual heroics.

What Is a Sales Process and Why It Matters

A sales process is your blueprint for turning cold prospects into paying customers. It's the documented series of steps your team follows to move deals from first touch to signed contract. Without it, you're hoping individual reps figure it out on their own. With it, you're running a predictable revenue machine.

The sales process differs from a sales methodology. The process is what you do-the specific steps from prospecting to close. The methodology is how you execute those steps-whether you use SPIN selling, Challenger, consultative approaches, or something else. You need both, but the process comes first.

Companies with defined sales processes see 18% more revenue growth than those without, according to research from the Sales Management Association. Your process gives you consistency, measurability, and the ability to scale beyond yourself. When you hire rep number five, they should be able to follow your documented process and start producing within weeks, not months.

Why Most Sales Processes Fail

Before we get into the steps, understand why most sales processes don't work. They're either too complicated (requiring 15 fields in your CRM that nobody fills out), too vague (generic advice like "build rapport"), or built by consultants who've never carried a quota themselves.

A working sales process has three characteristics: it's specific enough that a new rep can follow it, flexible enough to handle different prospect scenarios, and measurable so you know what's actually working. If your process doesn't meet all three, you don't have a process-you have a wish list.

The other reason processes fail is they're not enforced. You document the process, share it once in a team meeting, then never reference it again. Your process needs to live in your CRM, your onboarding docs, your coaching sessions, and your pipeline reviews. It should be impossible for a rep to ignore because it's embedded in every tool and conversation.

The 7 Core Stages of a Sales Process

Different experts will give you anywhere from 5 to 10 steps. I'm giving you 7 core stages that cover everything from initial research to post-sale expansion. These stages work whether you're selling $500/month SaaS or $500K enterprise deals-you just adjust the intensity and timeline for each stage.

Here's the overview before we dive deep into each stage: Prospecting and Research, Initial Outreach, Qualification, Discovery and Needs Analysis, Presentation and Proposal, Objection Handling and Negotiation, Closing and Onboarding. Each stage has specific actions, expected outcomes, and metrics to track. Miss a stage or rush through it, and your close rates suffer.

Stage 1: Prospecting and Research

Everything starts with knowing exactly who you're going after. Not "mid-market SaaS companies" but specific criteria: company size, tech stack, geographic location, growth indicators, job titles you need to reach.

I build target lists with specific filters. If I'm selling to agencies, I might filter for companies with 10-50 employees, located in major metro areas, using WordPress or HubSpot, with titles like "Agency Owner," "Managing Director," or "Head of Growth." The more specific your criteria, the better your conversion rates.

For B2B prospecting, I use ScraperCity's B2B database to filter by all those criteria at once. You can also use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, industry directories, or conference attendee lists. The tool matters less than having clear criteria.

Your ideal customer profile should include firmographics (company size, revenue, location, industry), technographics (what tools they currently use), and behavioral signals (recent funding, hiring sprees, competitor switches). The more data points you have, the better you can prioritize your outreach.

Research each target account before you reach out. I spend 3-5 minutes per account looking at their website, recent news, LinkedIn activity, and any mutual connections. This research fuels your personalization in stage 2. You're looking for triggers-things that happened recently that make your solution relevant right now.

Your output from this step: a list of 100-500 companies that match your ideal customer profile. Not 10,000 random contacts. Quality over quantity always wins. Each account should have the decision-maker's name, role, and at least one personalization angle you can use in outreach.

Finding and Verifying Contact Information

You've got your target companies. Now you need the right person's actual contact information. Decision-maker name, verified email, ideally a direct phone number.

Most reps skip verification and wonder why their emails bounce. I verify every email before it goes into a sequence. A 5% bounce rate will tank your domain reputation fast. Use an email validation tool or services like Findymail to clean your lists.

For finding emails in the first place, I layer multiple data sources. Start with LinkedIn to identify the right person, then use email finder tools to pull their contact info. Cross-reference with company websites, especially for smaller companies where emails often follow predictable patterns.

For phone numbers, direct dial lookup tools help you find mobile numbers instead of going through gatekeepers. Cold calling still works when you've got the right number and a solid script-grab my Cold Calling Blueprint if you're adding calls to your mix.

Don't put garbage data into your CRM. If you can't verify an email or find a direct number, note that in your records. Better to have 200 verified contacts than 2,000 bad ones. Your deliverability depends on it.

Stage 2: Initial Outreach

This is where most sales processes say "send a cold email" and leave you hanging. Here's what actually works: personalized, multi-channel outreach with a clear value proposition.

Your first touch should demonstrate you've done research. Not "I saw you're in the marketing industry" but "I noticed your agency works with SaaS clients in healthcare-we helped a similar agency add $40K MRR in Q3." Specific, relevant, credible.

I run email sequences through tools like Smartlead or Instantly for deliverability and automation. Typical sequence: email day 1, follow-up day 4, breakup email day 7. Keep it tight. If they don't respond in three touches, they're not interested right now.

For the actual email copy, I've shared my highest-converting templates in my Top 5 Cold Email Scripts. These aren't theory-they're scripts that have generated millions in pipeline.

Multi-channel means you're not just hitting email. If it's a high-value prospect, I'll add them on LinkedIn, engage with their content, send a connection request with a note, and maybe even mail a physical package. The more touchpoints, the more familiar you become. Just don't spam them across every channel simultaneously-space it out over 2-3 weeks.

Your subject line determines if they open. Your first sentence determines if they read. Your call-to-action determines if they respond. Most reps optimize the middle of the email and ignore these three critical elements. Keep subject lines under 50 characters, make your first sentence about them (not you), and ask for something small-a 15-minute call, not a full demo.

The Multi-Touch Outreach Strategy

One email doesn't cut it anymore. The average prospect needs 8-12 touches before they respond, but most reps give up after 2-3. Your outreach strategy needs persistence without being annoying.

Here's my standard sequence: Day 1 personalized email, Day 3 LinkedIn connection request, Day 5 follow-up email referencing something new (recent post, company news), Day 7 phone call, Day 10 video message via Loom or Screen Studio, Day 14 breakup email. If they don't respond after that, they go into a long-term nurture sequence with monthly value-add touches.

Each touch should add new information or value. Don't just say "following up on my last email." Share a relevant case study, an article they'd find useful, a specific insight about their business. You're demonstrating expertise and persistence-both signals that you're worth talking to.

Track your response rates by channel and touch. You'll find that certain prospects respond better to LinkedIn while others prefer email or phone. The data tells you where to invest your time. If your Day 7 phone calls never convert but your Day 5 follow-ups do, skip the calls and add another email touch.

Stage 3: Qualification

Someone responds. Don't jump straight to pitching. Qualify first. You're trying to determine if this prospect has the problem you solve, the budget to fix it, and the authority to make a decision.

I use a simple framework: Problem, Budget, Authority, Timeline. In the first conversation, I'm asking questions like "What's your current process for X?" and "What happens if you don't solve this in the next 90 days?" Not "Would you like a demo?"

Disqualify fast. If they don't have budget until next fiscal year, note it and follow up then. If they're not the decision-maker, ask who is and try to loop them in. Chasing unqualified leads is how reps waste entire quarters.

Track your qualification metrics. If you're booking 20 calls but only 2 are qualified, your targeting in step 1 is off. If 18 are qualified but none are closing, your offer or pricing needs work. The data tells you where to fix things.

I qualify on the first response, before I book a full call. When someone replies to my cold email, I respond with 2-3 qualifying questions: "Just to make sure we're a fit, are you currently using [competitor/solution]?" and "What's driving you to look at alternatives right now?" Their answers tell me if it's worth 30 minutes on a discovery call.

BANT and Modern Qualification Frameworks

BANT-Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline-has been around forever, and it still works. But modern sales adds a few more elements. I also qualify on Fit (do we have case studies in their industry?), Urgency (is this a priority or nice-to-have?), and Consequences (what happens if they don't solve this?).

Budget qualification doesn't mean asking "what's your budget?" in the first call. That's amateur hour. Instead, you anchor with ranges: "Most clients in your situation invest between $X and $Y depending on scope. Is that in the ballpark of what you were thinking?" You're giving them permission to tell you if they're thinking $500 or $50,000.

Authority is tricky in committee-based buying. The person you're talking to might not be the final decision-maker, but they're your champion. Ask "Who else typically weighs in on decisions like this?" and "What's your process for evaluating new vendors?" You're mapping the buying committee so you know who else needs to be sold.

Timeline qualification prevents deals from sitting in your pipeline for six months. "When do you need this implemented by?" and "What happens if you don't have this in place by [date]?" If there's no urgency, create it by connecting their problem to upcoming deadlines, busy seasons, or competitive threats.

Stage 4: Discovery and Needs Analysis

The qualified prospect agrees to a call. This isn't a presentation-it's a diagnosis. You're a doctor, not a vendor. Ask questions, listen more than you talk, uncover the real problem.

My discovery call structure: 5 minutes building rapport, 15 minutes asking questions about their current situation and pain points, 5 minutes sharing a relevant case study or insight, 5 minutes on next steps. Total call time: 30 minutes max.

Questions I always ask: "What have you tried before?" (shows me what didn't work), "What happens if you don't solve this?" (creates urgency), "Who else needs to be involved in this decision?" (flushes out additional stakeholders). Simple questions, but most reps skip them.

Take notes. I use Close CRM to log call notes immediately after hanging up. Document their exact words when they describe their problem-you'll use that language in your proposal.

The best discovery calls follow the 70/30 rule-the prospect talks 70% of the time, you talk 30%. If you're doing most of the talking, you're presenting, not discovering. Use open-ended questions that start with "what," "how," or "tell me about" to keep them talking.

Listen for pain points, goals, and constraints. Pain points are the problems they're experiencing now. Goals are the outcomes they want to achieve. Constraints are the limitations (budget, timeline, resources, buy-in) that might prevent them from moving forward. You need to understand all three to position your solution effectively.

Advanced Discovery Techniques

Go deeper than surface-level problems. If they say "we need more leads," ask "why?" Maybe they're not hitting revenue targets. Ask "why?" again. Maybe their close rate dropped because their product positioning changed. That's the real problem-not lead volume, but messaging alignment.

This is called the "Five Whys" technique. Keep asking why until you get to the root cause. Most reps solve the surface problem and wonder why the client isn't excited. The prospects who see you solve their root cause become your best customers and case studies.

Use mirroring and labeling-techniques from Chris Voss's "Never Split the Difference." When they mention something important, repeat the last few words as a question: "Three failed implementations?" They'll elaborate. When you sense emotion, label it: "It sounds like you're frustrated with your current vendor." They'll confirm and open up more.

Take note of their language and terminology. If they call it "customer acquisition cost" instead of "cost per lead," use their terms. If they measure success by "time to revenue" instead of "sales cycle length," mirror that. Speaking their language builds rapport and shows you understand their business.

Stage 5: Presentation and Proposal

Based on your discovery, you send a tailored proposal or demo. Emphasis on tailored. If you're sending the same deck to everyone, you're losing deals.

Your proposal should reference specific pain points they mentioned, show exactly how you solve those problems, include relevant case studies or proof, and have clear pricing with a single call-to-action. No 40-slide decks. No vague "let's hop on another call to discuss."

For demo calls, I show the exact feature that solves their exact problem first. If they said their team wastes 10 hours a week on manual data entry, I show how you eliminate that in the first 3 minutes of the demo. Everything else is secondary.

Price anchoring matters. If you have three tiers, present the middle or top tier first. Let them anchor high, then they can "negotiate down" to the tier you wanted them on anyway. Psychology works.

I structure proposals in this order: Executive summary (one paragraph on their problem and your solution), their current situation (pain points from discovery in their words), proposed solution (how you solve each pain point specifically), proof (case studies and results from similar clients), investment (pricing and what's included), next steps (specific timeline and actions). Keep it to 3-5 pages maximum.

Use visuals. A proposal that's all text is a proposal that doesn't get read. Include diagrams showing your process, charts demonstrating ROI, screenshots of your product solving their specific use case. Tools like Canva make it easy to create professional-looking proposals even if you're not a designer.

Demo Best Practices That Actually Convert

Most demos are feature tours. The rep shows every button and capability, hoping something resonates. That's backwards. Your demo should be a guided tour of how you solve their specific problem, with features as supporting evidence.

Start with the end result. "By the end of this demo, you'll see exactly how we can cut your lead research time from 10 hours to 30 minutes per week." Now they know what to pay attention to. Then show them the outcome first-"here's what your dashboard looks like after implementation"-before showing them how to get there.

Keep demos to 20-30 minutes maximum. The longer your demo, the lower your close rate. If you can't demonstrate clear value in 20 minutes, your product is too complicated or you don't understand their problem well enough.

Handle objections during the demo, not after. When you show a feature, pause and ask "Does this make sense for your workflow?" or "How would your team use this?" If they have concerns, address them immediately. Don't wait for the objection handling stage-that's too late.

End with clear next steps, not "what do you think?" Tell them: "Based on what we've covered, the next step is I'll send over a proposal by Thursday, we'll review it Friday, and if everything looks good, we can have you onboarded by the end of next week. Sound good?" Assume the sale and lay out the path.

Stage 6: Objection Handling and Negotiation

They're interested but not ready to sign. Common objections: "I need to think about it," "It's not in the budget," "I need to talk to my team," or "Can you do X feature?"

These aren't real objections-they're stalls. Your job is to uncover the real concern. When someone says "I need to think about it," I respond with "Totally understand-what specifically do you need to think through?" Then shut up and listen.

Budget objections usually mean they don't see enough value. Go back to the pain points. "You mentioned you're losing $15K a month in churn-our solution cuts that by 20%. You're net positive $1K in month one. What am I missing?"

If they need to involve other stakeholders, offer to present to the full team. Don't let your champion try to sell it internally-they'll screw it up. Get in front of everyone who has a vote.

The most common objection is price. When someone says "that's too expensive," they're really saying one of three things: they don't have the budget (qualification failure on your part), they don't see enough value (discovery failure), or they're negotiating (normal sales behavior). Figure out which one it is before you respond.

For feature requests-"Can you do X?"-don't immediately say yes or no. Ask why they need it: "Tell me more about how you'd use that." Often there's a workaround using existing features, or it's not actually a deal-breaker. If it's genuinely important, assess whether it's on your roadmap and give them a realistic timeline. Don't promise features that don't exist.

The Objection Handling Framework

Here's my four-step framework for handling any objection: Listen, Validate, Isolate, Solve.

Listen means actually hearing the concern without interrupting or getting defensive. Let them finish completely. Most reps start formulating their response halfway through the objection and miss critical context.

Validate means acknowledging their concern is legitimate. "I appreciate you bringing that up" or "That's a fair question" disarms defensiveness. You're not agreeing with the objection, you're validating that it's worth discussing.

Isolate means confirming this is the only thing standing between them and a decision. "If we can solve the pricing concern, is there anything else preventing you from moving forward?" Flush out all objections before you start solving them. Otherwise you solve price and then they hit you with "I need to talk to my team."

Solve means addressing the objection with proof, not promises. For pricing objections, show ROI calculations. For feature concerns, demonstrate workarounds or share your roadmap. For risk concerns, offer case studies, trials, or guarantees. Evidence beats arguments every time.

Negotiation Without Discounting

The prospect asks for a discount. Your instinct might be to offer 10% off to close the deal. Resist. Discounting sets a terrible precedent-it tells them your price wasn't real, and they'll expect discounts at every renewal.

Instead, negotiate on value, not price. "I can't move on price, but I can include X, Y, and Z that would normally cost $[amount] if we move forward this week." You're giving them more value instead of taking less money. They feel like they won the negotiation, and your revenue stays intact.

If you must discount, make them earn it. "I can offer [discount] if you commit to a full year upfront instead of monthly" or "I can do [discount] if you provide a case study and referral." Every concession should come with a reciprocal ask.

Time-based incentives work better than price discounts. "Our implementation team has availability next week, but if we wait until next month, there's a 3-week queue." Creates urgency without devaluing your product.

Stage 7: Closing the Deal

The actual close is simple if you've done steps 1-6 correctly. You've identified the right prospect, qualified them properly, demonstrated clear value, and handled objections. Now you're just asking for the business.

I use assumptive closes: "I'll send over the agreement today-do you prefer DocuSign or a PDF?" or "Let's get you onboarded next week-does Tuesday or Thursday work better for kickoff?" You're assuming the sale and just working out logistics.

If they still hesitate, use a trial close: "On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that this solves your problem?" If they say 7 or below, you've got more discovery to do. If they say 8-9, ask what would make it a 10. If they say 10, ask for the business right then.

Create urgency without being sleazy. Limited spots, upcoming price increase, seasonal factors-whatever is true for your business. "We're locking rates for new clients this quarter" works better than "this deal expires in 24 hours."

Don't leave the close open-ended. Set a specific follow-up time: "I'll send the agreement over in the next hour. Can we hop on a quick call at 3pm tomorrow to answer any final questions and get this signed?" The more specific your next step, the less likely deals stall.

Closing Techniques That Convert

Beyond assumptive closes, here are other techniques I use depending on the prospect and situation:

The Puppy Dog Close: Offer a trial or pilot. "Let's run this for 30 days with your team. If it doesn't deliver what we've discussed, we'll refund you completely." Hard to say no to a risk-free test, and once they're using your product, they rarely leave.

The Alternative Close: Give them two options, both of which result in a sale. "Do you want to start with the Pro plan or Enterprise?" not "Do you want to buy?" You're controlling the frame-the decision isn't whether to buy, it's which option to choose.

The Summary Close: Recap everything they've agreed to throughout the sales process. "So we've established that X is costing you $Y per month, our solution eliminates that problem, and you've confirmed it fits your budget and timeline. The only thing left is getting the paperwork signed-I'll send that over now."

The Takeaway Close: For prospects who are dragging their feet, remove the option. "I totally understand if the timing isn't right. Should I close out this opportunity and we can revisit in six months?" Often the fear of losing the option creates the urgency to move forward now.

Post-Close: Onboarding and Implementation

The sale doesn't end at signature. How you onboard new clients determines whether they stay, refer others, and become case studies or whether they churn in 90 days.

I have a standard onboarding sequence: welcome email with expectations and timeline, kickoff call within 48 hours of signing, quick win delivered in first week, full implementation by week 3, check-in at day 30. Predictable, repeatable, scalable.

Set expectations low and overdeliver. If something takes 2 weeks, tell them 3 and deliver in 10 days. They'll love you for it. Underpromise, overdeliver isn't cliché-it's client retention strategy.

The first 30 days determine if a client churns or renews. Get them to their "aha moment" as fast as possible-the point where they experience the core value of your product. For a CRM, that might be when they close their first deal tracked in the system. For a lead gen tool, it's when they book their first meeting from leads you provided. Identify your aha moment and optimize your onboarding to get them there fast.

Assign a dedicated onboarding specialist if you can. Handoffs between sales and customer success are where deals fall apart. The rep who sold them should introduce the implementation team, join the first onboarding call, and check in at day 30. Maintain continuity.

Creating Onboarding Documentation

Your onboarding process should be documented as thoroughly as your sales process. New clients shouldn't be figuring it out as you go-they should be following a proven playbook.

I create an onboarding portal with video walkthroughs, written guides, and a checklist of steps. Clients can work through it at their own pace, and your team can reference it to ensure nothing gets missed. Tools like Trainual or LearnWorlds work well for this.

Include common troubleshooting and FAQs in your documentation. The questions you answer in week 1 with every client should be documented so they can self-serve. It reduces support load and makes clients feel more confident using your product.

Stage 8: Follow-Up and Account Expansion

Your best source of new revenue is existing clients. Upsells, cross-sells, referrals, case studies-all easier than cold prospecting.

I touch base with clients monthly. Not "just checking in" but "I saw you launched X-here's an idea to amplify that with our tool." Provide value, stay top-of-mind, look for expansion opportunities.

Ask for referrals when you've delivered a win. "Hey, we just helped you hit your Q3 goal-who else do you know dealing with the same problem?" Timing matters. Ask when they're happiest with your service.

Track expansion revenue separately from new business. If you're closing $50K in new deals but churning $40K, you're not growing-you're treading water. Expansion revenue should be 20-30% of your total revenue at scale.

Monitor usage and engagement metrics. If a client's activity drops, that's an early warning sign of churn. Reach out proactively: "I noticed your team hasn't logged in this week-everything okay?" Address problems before they become cancellations.

Building a Referral System

Referrals close at 3-5x the rate of cold prospects because they come with built-in trust. But most companies treat referrals as random luck instead of a systematic process.

I ask every client for referrals at three specific moments: after their first win (when they're excited), at renewal (when they're reconfirming value), and after they give positive feedback (when they're most likely to help). Don't just ask "know anyone?"-give them a specific profile. "Do you know any other agency owners in the SaaS space dealing with lead gen challenges?"

Make referring easy. Send them a pre-written message they can forward, give them a referral link, or offer to make the introduction yourself. The less friction, the more referrals you get.

Some companies offer referral incentives-a month free, a cash bonus, or additional features. Test what works for your market. Just make sure the incentive doesn't create perverse incentives where clients refer unqualified prospects just to get the reward.

Tracking Your Sales Process Metrics

You can't improve what you don't measure. Every step in your process needs a metric. I track: target accounts identified, contacts discovered, emails sent, open rate, reply rate, calls booked, qualified opportunities, proposals sent, close rate, average deal size, sales cycle length.

Download my Sales KPIs Tracker to see exactly which metrics matter and how to calculate them. Most reps track vanity metrics like "emails sent." Winners track revenue metrics like "cost per closed deal."

Your conversion rates between steps show you where the process breaks. If you're booking 50 calls but only qualifying 5, your targeting is off. If you're sending 30 proposals but only closing 3, your discovery or pricing needs work. Fix the biggest leak first.

Track metrics by rep, by product, and by market segment. You'll discover that certain reps excel at closing enterprise deals while others crush SMB. Certain products have longer sales cycles but higher deal values. Certain industries have better close rates. Use that data to optimize territory assignments and targeting.

Sales Velocity: The Meta-Metric

Sales velocity combines four metrics into one: number of opportunities, average deal value, win rate, and sales cycle length. The formula: (Opportunities x Deal Value x Win Rate) / Sales Cycle = Sales Velocity.

This tells you how fast you're generating revenue. If you have 50 opportunities worth $10K each, a 20% win rate, and a 90-day sales cycle, your velocity is (50 x 10,000 x 0.20) / 90 = $1,111 per day in revenue. Increase any of those four variables and your velocity increases.

This is more useful than tracking individual metrics because it shows you where to focus. Should you generate more opportunities, increase deal sizes, improve win rate, or shorten sales cycles? Test initiatives that impact velocity and double down on what works.

Building Your Sales Tech Stack

Your process needs tools to execute and measure it. Here's the minimum viable tech stack: a CRM to track pipeline and activity, email automation for outreach sequences, calling software for phone prospecting, meeting scheduler to eliminate back-and-forth, and contract management for closing deals.

I use Close CRM because it's built for outbound sales and has calling built in. For email sequences, Smartlead or Instantly handle deliverability better than most tools. For contracts, DocuSign or PandaDoc work fine.

Don't over-complicate your stack, especially early on. I've seen companies with 15 different sales tools that don't talk to each other. Start with 3-5 core tools and add more only when you've maxed out what you have.

For lead data and prospecting, lead scraping platforms give you access to millions of contacts with filtering by title, industry, company size, and location. Layer that with verification tools and you've got clean, targeted lists ready for outreach.

CRM Configuration for Your Sales Process

Your CRM should mirror your sales process exactly. If you have 7 stages in your process, your CRM pipeline should have 7 stages with the same names. When a rep moves a deal from Discovery to Proposal in the CRM, they should be actually sending a proposal.

Set up required fields for each stage. Can't move to Qualification without logging the prospect's budget and timeline. Can't move to Proposal without attaching the discovery call notes. These gates ensure reps follow the process and capture the data you need for forecasting.

Automate what you can. When a deal moves to Closed Won, trigger the onboarding sequence automatically. When a deal sits in Proposal stage for more than 7 days, send the rep an alert. The CRM should do the remembering and prompting so reps can focus on selling.

Use custom fields to track the data that matters for your business. If asking price is a common objection, create a field for it. If certain industries close faster, track industry. If certain lead sources convert better, track source. Your CRM should answer the question "why are we winning and losing deals?"

Sales Process for Different Deal Sizes

The 7-stage framework works across deal sizes, but the execution varies. A $500/month SaaS sale might go from prospecting to close in 7 days with 3 touches. A $500K enterprise deal might take 180 days with 30 touches and multiple stakeholders.

For SMB and mid-market deals ($500-$10K annual contract value), compress the process. Combine qualification and discovery into one call. Send proposals same-day after demos. Use one-call close techniques. The margin doesn't support long sales cycles, so you need volume and speed.

For enterprise deals ($50K+ ACV), expand each stage. Prospecting includes account mapping to identify all stakeholders. Discovery might be 3-4 calls with different departments. Proposals include custom proof-of-concepts. Legal and procurement add weeks to the close. You need executive sponsors and multi-threading-relationships with multiple people in the account.

I have separate playbooks for each segment. The core process is the same, but the tactics and timelines differ. Don't try to sell a $100K deal the same way you sell a $1K deal-it won't work. For enterprise specifically, check out my Enterprise Outreach System for the full playbook.

Adapting Your Process for Industry Verticals

Different industries buy differently. Selling to real estate agents looks nothing like selling to healthcare companies. Adapt your process based on industry dynamics.

For real estate prospecting, local is everything. Use tools that scrape agent contacts from public listings and filter by production volume. Top producers have different needs than new agents-segment your messaging accordingly.

For local businesses-restaurants, contractors, service companies-Google Maps is your database. Maps scraping tools pull business names, phone numbers, addresses, and reviews at scale. Prospecting conversations focus on getting found online and managing reviews, not complex SaaS features.

For ecommerce, technographic data matters. Knowing what platform they're on (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce) tells you what integrations you need and what pain points they have. BuiltWith scrapers identify tech stacks so you can personalize outreach around the tools they already use.

Common Sales Process Mistakes to Avoid

I've seen thousands of reps run sales processes, and the same mistakes appear repeatedly. Avoid these and you'll outperform 80% of your competition.

Mistake 1: Skipping qualification. Reps get excited about replies and book everyone for demos. You end up spending hours with prospects who can't buy, won't buy, or aren't the decision-maker. Qualify hard, disqualify fast.

Mistake 2: Pitching before discovery. The prospect says they're interested and the rep immediately launches into feature explanations. You don't know what they care about yet. Ask questions first, present second.

Mistake 3: Single-threading. You build a relationship with one person at the company and assume they'll close the deal. Then they leave, or they can't get budget approval, or someone else kills the deal. Always multi-thread-build relationships with multiple stakeholders.

Mistake 4: Weak follow-up. Most deals are lost to "no decision" not to competitors. The prospect ghosts after the demo, and the rep sends one "just checking in" email then moves on. Follow up persistently with value until they explicitly say no or buy.

Mistake 5: Not asking for the sale. Reps do great discovery, great demos, handle objections well, then end the call with "think it over and let me know." That's not a close. Ask directly: "Does this make sense to move forward?" and walk them through signing.

Sales Process Documentation and Training

A sales process is only valuable if someone else can run it. Document everything: targeting criteria, email templates, qualification questions, demo scripts, pricing guidelines, objection responses.

When I hire a new sales rep, they should be able to read the documentation and start executing within a week. If it takes a month to train someone, your process isn't documented well enough.

Create a sales playbook that lives in your company wiki or knowledge base. Include: ideal customer profile, buyer personas, outreach templates, discovery call framework, demo script, proposal template, objection handling guide, closing techniques, and onboarding process. Everything a rep needs in one place.

Record your best reps on calls and use those as training examples. "Here's how Sarah handles price objections" is more useful than a bullet-point list. Video training scales better than shadowing because new reps can watch it repeatedly.

Update your documentation quarterly. As your product changes, your market shifts, and you learn what works, your process should evolve. Assign someone to own the playbook and keep it current. Stale documentation is worse than no documentation because it trains reps on tactics that no longer work.

Coaching Reps Through Your Sales Process

Documentation gets reps started, but coaching makes them great. I run pipeline reviews weekly with each rep, focusing on deals in flight and what's needed to advance them.

In pipeline reviews, ask questions that reinforce the process: "What have you learned about their pain points?" (discovery), "Who else needs to be involved?" (multi-threading), "What objections do you expect?" (preparation), "When will they decide?" (timeline). You're coaching them to think through each stage deliberately.

Listen to call recordings and give specific feedback. Not "good job" but "at minute 4:30, you let them deflect the budget question-next time use the anchoring technique we discussed." Specific feedback tied to process steps improves performance faster than general praise or criticism.

Celebrate wins and analyze losses. When someone closes a deal, break down what they did right in each stage of the process. When someone loses a deal, identify where the process broke down. Both are learning opportunities for the entire team.

When to Iterate Your Sales Process

Your initial process won't be perfect. You'll discover steps that don't work, metrics that don't matter, and tactics that fail. That's normal. The key is knowing when to iterate versus when to stick with the process.

Iterate when: conversion rates at a specific stage are consistently below benchmark (if 50% of demos should convert to proposals but you're at 20%, something's wrong), reps are consistently skipping a step (if no one fills out the qualification checklist, it's too complicated), or market conditions change (your main competitor drops prices, a new channel opens up, regulations shift).

Don't iterate when: one deal goes sideways (outliers happen, don't rebuild your process around one bad experience), a new rep struggles (maybe they need more training, not a new process), or someone has a "better idea" without data (test new ideas as experiments, don't overhaul the system based on hunches).

I review my sales process quarterly. Look at the data from the last 90 days, interview reps about what's working and what's not, and make 1-3 changes maximum. Too many changes at once and you can't tell what's working. Iterate incrementally.

Scaling Your Sales Team With Process

The whole point of a documented sales process is to scale beyond yourself. Here's how I've hired and scaled sales teams across multiple companies:

Hire for coachability over experience. A rep with 10 years of experience doing it the wrong way is harder to train than a hungry newcomer who follows your process. Look for people who take feedback well and execute consistently.

Ramp new reps gradually. Week 1: training and shadowing. Week 2-3: practice calls and emails with supervision. Week 4-6: smaller account lists with quota relief. Week 7+: full quota. Don't throw new reps into the deep end and hope they figure it out.

Set clear expectations and metrics for each ramp stage. By end of week 3, they should have sent 100 outreach emails and booked 5 calls. By end of week 6, they should have 10 qualified opportunities. By end of week 12, they should close their first deal. Knowing what "good" looks like at each stage helps reps self-correct.

Create a culture of documentation. When a rep figures out a new objection response that works, they add it to the playbook. When someone closes a tricky deal, they present it in the team meeting. The playbook becomes a living document that the team builds together.

The Real Work: Execution

You now have the complete step-by-step sales process. Seven stages from prospecting to expansion, with tactics and metrics for each. This is the same framework I've used to build and exit multiple companies and help thousands of clients generate revenue.

But frameworks don't close deals-execution does. The reps who win are the ones who treat sales like a system, not an art. You're not hoping for deals-you're running a predictable machine that turns outreach into revenue.

Start by documenting your current process, even if it's messy. Then identify the biggest gap-is it prospecting, qualification, closing?-and fix that first. Measure everything. Iterate quarterly. Train your team. The companies that do this consistently are the ones that scale to 7 and 8 figures while their competitors struggle to hit quota.

If you want live coaching on implementing this process in your specific business-whether you're selling B2B SaaS, agency services, coaching, or something else-I walk through real examples and answer questions inside my coaching program. Otherwise, take this framework and start executing today. The process works when you work the process.