Key Stages in a Repeatable Sales Process

As a Sales Leader, structuring a repeatable top-of-funnel process is crucial for sustainable growth. Here’s a 9-step checklist you can use to build a durable sales funnel that not only fills the pipeline but ensures its longevity and effectiveness. 👇 1. Identifying and Understanding Your Ideal Customer Start with a clear picture of who you’re targeting. Analyze market data and customer feedback to define your ideal customer profile (ICP). This understanding directs all other sales efforts, ensuring they’re focused and effective. 2. Crafting and Communicating Your Value Proposition Your value proposition should resonate deeply with your ICP. It’s about clarity and relevance—make sure it addresses the specific needs and pain points of your target audience. 3. Developing a Targeted Outbound Strategy Tailor your outreach to the preferences and behaviors of your ICP. A targeted strategy ensures that your efforts are concentrated on the most promising leads. 4. Writing Sales Copy That Generates Pipeline Effective sales copy is clear, compelling, and directly speaks to your ICP’s needs.  Ensure your messaging consistently aligns with your value proposition and appeals to your audience. 5. Optimizing and Managing Outreach Channels Choose your channels based on where your ICP is most active. Regularly review and optimize these channels to maintain engagement and improve response rates. 6. Building and Maintaining Effective Sales Sequences Develop sequences that nurture leads at every step of the funnel. Automated workflows can help maintain timely follow-ups and consistent engagement. 7. Mastering Objections with Curiosity and Confidence Equip your team to handle objections by fostering a mindset of curiosity and confidence. This approach not only addresses concerns but also opens up opportunities for deeper engagement. 8. Conducting Discovery Meetings and Building Relationships Discovery meetings are crucial for understanding the prospect’s needs in-depth. Focus on building relationships rather than just selling, fostering trust and collaboration. 9. Creating Repeatable Processes to Ensure Durable Growth Systematize successful strategies to create a scalable and repeatable sales process. Continuous training, regular audits, and adaptability to market changes are key to sustaining success. ✨ Leadership Takeaway - Implementing these steps requires more than just strategic planning; it demands a commitment to continuous improvement and adaptation. Focus on these fundamentals to build a robust sales funnel that drives sustainable growth. Need a helping hand? Shoot me a DM and we can chat 1:1. #GTMAdvisor #SalesConsultant #SalesTraining #SalesProcess

FMCG Sales Process: In Short In the FMCG industry, sales success depends not just on pushing products, but on following a structured process. This short overview outlines the key steps from identifying high potential outlets & building relationships to ensuring strong in store visibility, driving sell through promotions & providing after sales support. 1. Market Mapping & Prospecting Objective: Identify retail outlets, wholesalers, & distributors that fit the target profile. Activities: - Segment outlets by type (Eg. General trade, modern trade, HoReCa etc). - Use route planning to group stores geographically (Route to Market) - Gather outlet data (size, category, foot traffic, potential volume) 2. Lead Qualification Objective: Determine the prospect potential to contribute a meaningfull sales. Criteria: - Outlet capacity (shelf space, refrigeration, display potential) - Financial capacity & order consistency - Willingness to stock, promote & push your product - FMCG Angle: Avoid low turnover outlets; focus on golden stores 3. Initial Contact & Relationship Building Objective: Establish a personal, trust based relationship with trader. Approach: - Start with a friendly greeting, understand their needs - Explain your brand portfolio, success stories & support systems - Don’t rush to sell ; relationship is key in FMCG sales 4. Product Pitch & Value Proposition - Objective: Demonstrate how your product meets their needs & will help them grow Tactics: - Focus on turnover speed, consumer demand & brand pull. - Provide visuals (POSM), sample products & price lists - Tip: Emphasize strong SKUs with high turnover to gain entry 5. Handling Retailer/Distributor Objections Common Objections in FMCG: “I don’t have shelf space.” “Customers don’t know your brand.” Response: - Offer demo displays or replace slow moving items - Provide promotional support or sampling 6. Order Taking & Closing - Objective: Secure the first order & establish product presence. Actions: - Finalize the SKU list, pack sizes, pricing & quantity. - Record the order. - Set delivery expectations. 7. Delivery & Merchandising Execution Objective: Ensure product delivery & ideal in store visibility. Key Elements: - Ensure correct stock delivery - Place products at eye level, near complementary items or near the counter. - Set up POS materials 8. Monitoring & Replenishment - Objective: Track sell out rate & refill stock before it runs out. How: - Regular store visits to check stock levels & expiration dates. - KPI: Days of inventory, ut of stock rate, Fill rate. 9. Promotion Execution,: Drive volume through trade/consumer offers. - Trade: Buy X get Y, display bonuses - Consumer: Discounts, sampling, etc 10. After,Sales Support & Relationship Management: Retain and grow loyal outlets. - Handle complaints quickly - Offer loyalty programs or volume-based rewards. - FMCG Principle: A loyal outlet is more valuable than 10 one-time buyers.

5 core processes GTM processes marketing & sales MUST run together to drive revenue. 1. CLUSTER BRAND AWARENESS AND DEMAND GENERATION. Cluster - groups of companies with a similar challenge/use case despite their tier or vertical. Your program should include: - Ongoing customer research to understand better buyers challenges, jobs to be done, and the necessary change management - Messaging and content aligned with the insights from the customer research - Thought leadership in the social channels and communities buyers use for education or gathering industry information - Partnerships and collaborations with the industry thought leaders and vendors your buyers trust - Retargeting of highly engaged accounts - Connections, commenting and social engagement - Mix of events: business breakfasts, webinars, peers discussions. KPIs: - Inbound sales opportunities - Engaged accounts (sourced to ABM team) - Revenue 2. ACCOUNT PRIORITIZATION AND PLANNING. Segment all accounts into three groups. - Declared intent → Immediate booking with the right AE to work on opportunity development - Active Focus (accounts that can become sales opportunities this quarter) → 1:1 Account development - Future pipeline (accounts with vendor awareness and relationship but with unknown challenge) → 1:Few Account nurturing Use 4 criteria to segment accounts properly: - Revenue potential - Product need / challenge evidence + buying signals - Relationship - Vendor awareness 3. ACCOUNT NURTURING (1:FEW). Goals: - Run account research and map out the buying committee - Connect and engage with multiple buying committee members - Validate / figure out challenge (progressive profiling) KPIs: - Profiled accounts - Account penetration (with how many buyers you connected) 4. ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT (1:1). Goals: - Match value proposition with account and buyer challenges - Create an engaged Champion - a person who'll introduce yout to their team - Create a business case for your Champion - what exact challenges your product will help to solve - Create a buyer enablement content to address all potential questions from the buying committee and add a social proof KPIs: - Sales opportunities - Account-to-pipeline ratio 5. OPPORTUNITY DEVELOPMENT. Goal: - Generate sales opportunity - Win it 😁 KPIs: - Revenue - Average Contract Value - Sales cycle length - Win rate - Sales pipeline velocity

Your deals are stalling because you're tracking the wrong things. I just watched another rep lose a "sure thing" deal. Had budget, authority, need, timeline... all the BANT boxes checked. Still lost. Here's the problem: BANT tells you if someone CAN buy. It doesn't tell you if they WILL buy. Same with MEDDIC. Better than BANT, but it's still focused on what WE need to qualify them, not how THEY actually make buying decisions. So I created something different. The ADVANCED method that was inspired by Nate Nasralla. A - Acknowledged Problem  D - Documented Issue V - Validated by Team  A - Authorized by Executive  N - Narrowed to External  C - Chosen as Vendor  E - Established Timeline  D - Deal Terms Finalized This isn't another qualification framework. This is how complex B2B buyers actually progress through their decision making process. I break down all 8 stages in the carousel below, but here's why this works: Each stage has predictable win rates. Stage 0-1 deals close at 10-20%. Stage 6-7 deals close at 80-90%. Unlike other frameworks, ADVANCED tracks buyer behavior, not seller activities. It shows you exactly how deep you are in THEIR process. I even updated my entire pipeline to match this framework. Now I know the real probability of every deal closing... not just my gut feeling. Most importantly? It tells you what needs to happen next. No more guessing. If you're tired of "sure thing" deals that never close, maybe it's time to track what actually matters. Stop measuring what's convenient for you. Start measuring how your buyers actually buy. BTW. Can you honestly say where each of your deals stands using these 8 stages? If not, you're flying blind. The best reps know exactly where they stand. Now you can too. — Want to progress through these stages faster? Master multithreading with this free 100-min masterclass: https://lnkd.in/gYbk_Y2v

Path to purchase is a concept most founders are still not familiar with They're confusing it with the customer journey. Because that's what the textbooks taught them. (sadly) The path to purchase is focused on the steps leading up to a transaction. Think of it as the roadmap guiding a prospect from “I have a need” to “I’m buying this now.” The customer journey encompasses the entire relationship, including post-purchase experiences, loyalty, and long-term engagement. The customer journey is much broader. It covers every interaction and experience a person has with your brand—not just before the sale, but after as well Founders who obsess over “funnels” often forget that every step is a chance to build trust or lose it. It’s not just about being present; it’s about being relevant, human, and memorable at each moment. There are 5 key stages in a PTP: Identification: The customer becomes aware of a gap between their current situation and their desired state—a need or problem that demands a solution. Information Search: They actively seek out options, gathering information about brands, products, and experiences that might fill that gap. Appraisal of Alternatives: Customers evaluate their choices carefully, comparing features, benefits, and reputations to find the best fit. Purchase Decision: After weighing options, they commit to a specific brand, product, timing, and payment method. Post-Purchase Behavior: The experience after buying shapes future loyalty. Satisfaction leads to repeat business and recommendations; disappointment can close the door forever. Why this matters: It’s not enough to simply be present at the point of sale. You need to support customers throughout. - provide information to buy confidence - understand their social and psychological factors - Understand what's driving their choices—not just the features or price. Great brands don’t just sell products they guide customers through their decision-making journey with clarity, consistency, and care. Maybe it’s time to stop thinking like marketers and start thinking like guides. #VanshiChats 🧿💜

The Product-Led Sales Process That Doubled Our Conversion Rate Most companies try to sell harder when growth slows. We took the opposite approach at Zoho and saw remarkable results. Here's our exact process broken down: 1) Problem Identification   • Listen to customer pain points first   • Document specific operational challenges   • Categorize by impact level and urgency 2) Solution Demonstration   • Create targeted mini-demos for each problem type   • Show real workflows, not feature lists   • Focus on the "aha moment" where value becomes clear 3) Case Study Integration   • One manufacturing client reduced order processing time by 68%   • Their breakthrough? Using Zoho Creator to automate a 14-step process   • The critical insight came in step 3 where they discovered hidden bottlenecks 4) KPI Transformation   • Help clients redefine what success looks like   • The metrics you choose matter more than the dashboard displaying them   • Example: One client switched from tracking "total leads" to "problem-aware leads"—sales cycle shortened by 40% 5) Education-First Follow-Up   • Share industry insights relevant to their challenges   • Provide templates and frameworks they can use immediately   • Create value before asking for commitment This approach takes patience but builds significantly stronger relationships. The result? Customers who sell your product for you. What process does your team follow when introducing solutions to prospects? I'd love to hear what's working for you. 👉 Follow me for more such posts. 🔄 REPOST to help others.

Sales are predictable, only if you have the right people and playbook. Here's part of my playbook after helping guide 12 companies to unicorn status: Most startups struggle with sales not because their product isn’t great. But because they’re winging it instead of following a proven process. Here’s the process I’ve used to scale 1 in every 5 companies I've worked with to unicorn status or 9-figure exits. Step 1: Be clear about your ICP Most startups think their audience is "everyone." Wrong. - Who has the biggest pain that your product solves? - Who has the budget and urgency to buy now? - Who will refer you to others after buying? - Who is easiest to get ahold of? Pro tip: If your sales team is chasing everyone, they’re closing no one. Step 2: Fix your sales messaging If your pitch sounds like everyone else’s, your prospects zone out. Don’t say “We’re an innovative AI-powered solution…” Instead, lead with outcomes. ❌ “We help companies streamline operations.” ✅ “We helped Scott cut CAC by 37% in 60 days. Any reason you couldn't get similar results?" Buyers don’t care about your product. They care about how it fixes their problem. Step 3: Build a repeatable sales process. If you don’t have a process, you have a guessing game. Here’s what I set up: - Outbound Sequence – Cold outreach that feels warmed up - Inbound Strategy – Attract buyers to you through content - Go To Network Strategy - Get intros to the interested - Sales Stages – Steps from discovery to close - Follow-Up – “No” is better than nothing Sales should feel like a well-rehearsed dance, not an improv session. Step 4: Data-driven sales execution Gut feelings don’t scale. Data does. We track: - Conversion rates at every stage - Sales cycle length - Top-performing reps (What are they doing differently?) The fastest-growing startups aren’t guessing. They’re iterating based on numbers. Step 5: Optimize & scale A great sales strategy isn’t set in stone, it evolves, so revisit every 6 months. - Are deals stalling? We learn why. - Are leads ghosting? We refine messaging. - Is the close rate dropping? We help fix it, quickly. Sales isn’t magic. It’s a system. Build the system, and the revenue follows. If your startup’s sales feel random instead of codified, it’s time to get serious. DM me, let’s build a sales engine that actually works.

Want to sell £30k packages without burning out? Here’s how. High-ticket sales don’t come from one perfect email (although everyone loves that narrative 🙄) They come from a clear nurturing journey that respects how premium buyers actually make decisions. Think of it in three stages: STAGE 1 — Familiarity: “Who are you and why should I care?” Goal: Turn a cold subscriber into someone who actually looks for your name in their inbox. Your emails here should: ✅ Use their words to speak to their problems. ✅ Show you understand their world/ constraints ✅ Give useful insights they can apply quickly ✅ You’re building relevance not rushing a pitch. STAGE 2 — Depth: “Do you think like someone I’d trust at this level?” Goal: Shift from “this is interesting” to “this person gets how I operate.” Your emails here should: ✅ Share how you think and make decisions. ✅ Walk through recognisable real scenarios. ✅ Name the trade-offs, risks and realities of high-ticket investment. STAGE 3 — Decision: “Is this the right move, right now, with you?” Goal: Make the yes/no feel clean, not pressured. Your emails here should: ✅ Clearly position who the offer is and isn’t for. ✅ Show what working together looks like. ✅ Help them weigh this against other options they already have. You’re building confidence in their decision, not trying to “overcome” them. When your email strategy walks someone through: 1️⃣ Familiarity 2️⃣ Depth, and 3️⃣ Decision Selling 30K offers stops feeling impossible and starts feeling like the logical next step. What resonates most about what I’ve said? (cannot wait til my hair’s this long again 🤩)

Startup go-to-market goes through 3 major phases. Failure to recognize which phase you’re in will cause pain, frustration — and often, failure. 🔴 Phase 1 — Market Experimentation This phase is all about learning. But it’s not “research.” The fastest way to find a viable market is by selling. The keys to this phase are speed and volume — you’re trying to get in front of as many potential customers as you can. You’ll start with your network, but should also be creating content, cold DMing prospects, attending meetups, etc. The goal isn’t to hit $1M ARR. It’s to figure out who cares most about the problem you’re solving. Once you know that, you can focus your efforts. 💢 A word of caution: This phase is messy. You’ll face rejection. A lot. But keep going and remember, this is temporary. You’ll know you’re ready for the next phase when you have a gut feeling that you could sell a lot of your product to a specific market. 🔵 Phase 2 — Beachhead Growth This phase is about building systems. The name of the game here is “repeatability.” 👉 To create effective systems, you MUST narrow your focus. You need to solve one use case for one specific group of people. This focus is your competitive advantage for breaking into the market. Without it, you’ll feel like you’re boiling the ocean, and your GTM efforts won’t be effective. Tactically, this phase is about setting up the “plumbing” for how prospects find, evaluate, buy, and use your product. This often involves: • Building marketing and sales assets (homepages, sales decks, email campaigns, etc.) • Developing top-of-funnel content (blogs, social posts, webinars) • Setting up tools to track leads and prospects (CRM) • Creating onboarding materials The goal? Dominate this segment. This should get you to at least $1M ARR. 🟢 Phase 3 — Expansion Growth By this point, you should have a repeatable GTM program that’s generating revenue and earning you some name recognition as a rising player. Now, it’s time to reinvest that revenue and grow. You have 2 main options to consider: • Enter adjacent markets with the same use case (horizontal) • Solve new use cases for your current market (vertical) Which route you take depends on the type of business you want to build, who you want to serve, and your market’s appetite. 💢 But don’t make the classic mistake of going after multiple markets all at once. Expansion is like restarting phase 2—new segments require new systems. The smartest move? Take it one segment at a time. (Sequencing) ——— Remember: Building GTM programs is just like building a product. Mindset is key. There’s a time for learning. There’s a time for building something small (but viable). And there’s a time to scale. Know what phase you’re in, and you’ll have a much smoother time growing your startup. #startups #gotomarketstrategy #growth

Many salespeople get this dead wrong. They start with cold outreach - sequences, DMs, emails, cold calls… But if you haven't nailed the other 3 layers below that, you’re not doing sales... you’re playing the lottery. Here’s the real order of operations if you want predictable pipeline: 🎯 01 Focus Who are we selling to? ✔ ICP definition ✔ Key roles in the buying process ✔ Buying triggers & decision criteria ✔ Industry-specific motion If you're not crystal clear on this, everything above it falls apart. 🧭 02 Positioning Why would they choose us? ✔ Pain points that matter ✔ Clear ROI metrics & value props ✔ Proof you’ve solved this before ✔ Impact of doing nothing This is where most deals are won or lost - before a single call even happens. 📂 03 Pitch What do we say to earn trust? ✔ Talk tracks that resonate ✔ Smart discovery ✔ Objection handling baked in ✔ Stories & customer proof It’s not about your product. It’s about showing you understand their world. 📬 04 Outreach How do we reach them? ✔ Warm intros ✔ Exec alignment ✔ Multithreading ✔ Cold outbound (done right) Don’t start here. Start at the bottom. Build a system that works in any market, not just when leads are hot. If you liked this, you’ll love SalesDaily, where I curate what’s actually working for top reps, managers, and teams. ✔ Battle-tested tactics ✔ Cold email & call frameworks ✔ Daily insights from real sellers Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gDwCegjS