Analysis of the Sales Cycle, Strategies, and Customer Needs

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the sales cycle, a crucial process for selling products or services. It begins with an overview of the sales cycle, its stages, and the importance of understanding customer needs. The report breaks down the key elements of the sales cycle, including prospecting, initial contact, identification of needs, presentation of the offer, management of objections, closing sales, and repeat sales/referrals. It emphasizes the need for a systematic approach and appropriate tools for sales force development and organic growth. The report also defines sales strategies as documented plans to position and sell products or services, highlighting the importance of clear objectives, KPIs, and customer segmentation. It stresses the significance of aligning sales processes with customer needs to ensure effective communication and successful deal closures, advocating for the continuous development of sales force skills to address the varying needs of customers throughout their journey.

UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE NUEVO LEON
FACULTAD DE CONTADURÍA PÚBLICA Y
ADMINISTRACIÓN
LICENCIATURA EN NEGOCIOS INTERNACIONALES
SALES
Evidence 1
GRUPO: 6Ai
MATRÍCULA
Mauricio Guzmán Saavedra
1734529

Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, a 21 de Marzo de
2020

The sales cycle is a process made up of a series of stages necessary
to sell a product or service, which begins with the first contact with the
customer and ends with the post-sale.
It is when we return to the initial action prospecting new leads,
therefore, the sequence is defined as a cycle.
If you find that someone is very concerned about shortening the sales
cycle, it is because they may be working with "complex sales", in most
cases the sales cycle is more or less. Longer periods will draw more
attention and attention to their reduction, but shorter periods can be a
"catch" because their importance is not so obvious. Have you thought
several times about the ideal time to contact customers? For example,
I would like to know if you have enough time to consider our proposal
and if I should ask for your response. Knowing the procedure of each
stage increases productivity and customer satisfaction with the
purchase.
Each sales cycle has its own specificity, but most of them have the
following common elements:
Prospecting. Searching for new potential clients to build a client
portfolio is the vital first step. To begin with, it is sensible enough to
formulate a definition of a good potential customer for your company
and think about how to approach it.
Initial contact: For different sectors of industries, different approaches
are needed. Often the first contact is a phone call, an email, or even a
traditional letter. Help, support, and information provision are more
likely to be successful than obsessive advertising.
Identification of necessities: You can only understand if your product
is suitable for the potential customer if you really understand their
needs. Prepare for yourself and your sales agents the questions and
resources necessary to obtain the appropriate information.
Presentation of the offer: This stage of the sales cycle is crucial. You
must present your proposal as the best product capable of meeting the
needs of your potential customer. Please correct your proposal based

on the information you have gathered in the earlier stages of the sales
cycle.
Management of objections: By understanding potential objections
(about pricing and terms, for example) and teaching sales reps how to
answer them correctly, you can increase the percentage of deals
closed and speed up the sales process.
Closing sales: At this stage, you must bring the deal to completion
after obtaining the client's signature on the dotted line. Developing
various methods of closing deals requires training and experience.
Repeat sales and referrals: Monitor your customers' satisfaction. This
will provide you with repeat sales and referrals for potential new
customers, who you will lead through the sales cycle.
For any organization that wants to develop and grow organically based
on the efforts of its sales force, it is necessary to have a systematic
approach to the sales process, as well as to have the right tools for the
job. These two supports guarantee that:
 The objectives will be clear, both in regard to customers and their
segments, and in relation to the company in general.
 There are no limitations caused by lack of sufficient means or
ignorance of how to use the tools available to sales agents.
 Even when in-house reps would not be considered the best in the
sales arena, they will actively engage in interactions with
potential customers, engaging in dialogue, followed by submitting
an offer for and closing the sale.
A sales strategy is defined as a documented plan to position and sell a
product or service to qualified buyers in a way that differentiates the
company's value proposition from that of its main competitors.
Sales strategies are intended to provide clear objectives and guidance
to the sales organization. They typically include key information such
as: growth targets, KPIs, buyer persona profiles, sales processes,
team structure, competitive analysis, product positioning, and specific
sales methodologies.

Most of these guidelines are helpful for communicating goals and
keeping sales reps on the same page. However, where most sales
strategies fall short is that they are too focused on the inner workings
of the organization.
The goal of any sales strategy is to ensure that sales agents reach
their quota. So the key is the message: what salespeople say, do and
write to create perceived value for the customer is what leads them to
close the deal or lose the sale.
In the strategy that guides the sales processes, key customers are
recognized, and different categories are formed from the customer
group, called customer segments, for which the sales processes can
be developed and implemented.
By categorizing the customer base into different segments, their
differing needs can be addressed throughout the entire sales process.
This is important because one approach may not fit different categories
of customer.
In general, an organization can adjust its overall strategy and
processes to meet different customer needs if it is strategically
beneficial or necessary, but these sales processes must be well
defined and understood by salespeople before implementation.
Otherwise, both the strategy and the sales processes would be far
from achieving the expected results.
Finally, we must not forget the importance of developing the skills of
the sales force to accommodate differences in customer needs at
different stages of the customer journey.