Example sales funnel service IT-company with a design structure of production

Thanks to the Landing Page spammers: now everyone knows the term “sales funnel” statistically. True, it is mainly used when you need to bring the client to contact. But you really need to bring something up to the deal .

However, the sales funnel is not a tool for moving the brain to the customer. As it turned out and more than once it turns out, the critical problem of almost any IT business is the transformation of salespeople from kicked organisms into self-propelled combat robots.

Still, I really want (business owners) that the processing of requests from potential customers does not turn into a quagmire, sucking in potential deals as soon as possible.

A sales funnel is something like a map of the way through such a swamp. From hummock to hummock. And at each point in time for each transaction, the sales person has only one task: to jump over to another bump with a potential client. Not one giant leap, but gradually, small and quite feasible.
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And then it all comes down to the feasibility of these small jumps.

In other words, to the division of the entire sale process into stages.

At each of which it is clear what to do and not to do. And it is clear what we want to achieve in order to go to the next level.

The trick is that the first available sales funnel (from books, from the ceiling or from the default settings of your CRM system) to your sellers is likely to drown. Too big jumps and unusual.

So, you have to break your sales process into stages. And this, of course, a little ambush.

Why? Because (hush, sir, just don't tell anyone) there are two worlds, two Shapiro.

1. Salespeople rarely - insanely rarely - have enough system thinking to fix the funnel themselves. They need to sell, and not to impose order.
2. System-minded employees are just as crazy and rarely know anything about the nuances of sales. And if they know, they underestimate the complexity of the process.

We probably don’t rush to save the world and tell everyone around How It Should be Correct. Just show what kind of sales funnel recorded at home.

Perhaps it is not perfect even for our service and design company . Even for sure there are bugs in it, you know. And here we are very intrigued by your feedback - what do you think, where should we undermine this wonderful scheme?

1. We collect introductory

We call up or meet with the customer, listen to, roughly formulate the scope of the proposal, agree in principle on the preparation of a commercial proposal (KP).
Why stage: in order to close a deal, it must be opened :) Focus on the task of selling something concrete that meets the needs of the client, fits into his budget and meets our professional standards. Otherwise, it is possible to talk with the client “in general” indefinitely, but we cannot do this.
At the exit: input data for the preparation of KP.

2. Cooking KP

We discuss introductory, we collect the plan-budget and presentation, we discuss inside ourselves, we correct, we brush and send to the client.
Why stage: an expensive resource participates in the preparation of a commercial enterprise - an expert who knows everything about production. The greatest value for this expert is the focus of his attention. And he wants to dispose of them at his discretion, and not to respond to the derg-derg from the side. Therefore, it is easier for an expert to ask the sales person the question “What exactly can I help with such a transaction?” - than to wait for the sales person to come to him. Well, sales managers also need to understand that at a certain point in time they very much have the right to attract experts. In general, both participants of the banquet need to know when they can and should interact tightly.
At the exit: the client who received our KP.

3. We are discussing KP

We receive from the customer a reaction to the manual, make adjustments, clarify details.
Why stage: there is usually a lot of work. And any work must be paid. For what at least it is considered. Often people think that it is possible to discuss KP until blue in the face, and it is free. So no, not for free. And you need to be able to identify and cut off clients who are inclined to talk for hours about a penny contract. And by the way, and the services attracting such customers, it is better not to provide.
At the exit: KP in the final form.

4. Decide

We are waiting for the customer to say "Yeah" on the compromise, if necessary, finish it.
Why stage: bets are made, there are no more bets, we are waiting for results. However, to wait passively - to lose the deal. It is necessary to remind, kick, clarify, influence, and this is work.
At the exit: the customer's willingness to sign the contract and make a prepayment.

5. Sign documents

We make an agreement and add. agreement, sign the NDA, issue the first invoice. We press the client before signing the contract.
Why stage: lawyers usually jump out of their pants to prove their usefulness to the company. So for their exhibitionist speeches need to prepare. It would be nice to manage them. In general, a fairly laborious march against these madmen is inevitable. And in any case, you will need a mountain of papers, and this is work and costs for couriers.
At the exit: signed papers.

6. We are waiting for prepayment

We press the client to pay the first bill.
Why stage: without prepayment, we do not start. Do not start without payment. Even if you really want to believe in the decency of the client. After all, the representative of the counterparty does not want to pay you - he wants you to work. Just try to start without money - and knocking them out will immediately become ten times harder. So it is better to solve this sensitive issue first and consciously.
At the exit: the start of the bosses at the start of production.

7. We start

We transfer the project to production. We are convinced that the production has truly understood the boundaries of the project and has established contact with the customer.
Why stage: the transaction does not in itself turn into a project; it is a rather complicated communication process. Salesman passed the post, the manager took the post. Until the manager is ready to continue serving the client, the salesman cannot exhale. Yes, and you can not start the active phase of production, without really figuring out what to do.
At the exit: the manager's story about how he understood the project and what he would do + move the bosses to production.

8. Production

We work on the project. We take into account the time. Sometimes invoice.
Why stage: from the administration need some movements: coordination, work with accounts, correction of actions of the manager, clarification of the project boundaries. Our managers are not engaged in organizational questions, they have something more to do.
At the exit: the client accepted, satisfied and ready to pay the last bill.

9. Close

We issue the last invoice. We collect and sign the final documents. We get the last money.
Why stage: if you let the project close to chance, you quickly get into a mess with documents and blur customer expectations. Point must be set explicitly for all participants.
At the exit: the last money and closed documents.

10. We are waiting for feedback

We request feedback. We put pressure. We make out the case. We get all the "Yeah" for all publications.
Why stage: with our specifics, projects should expand the portfolio, it works on the following sales and total capitalization. There is simply no sense in projects made purely for money without improving the quality and quantity of the portfolio. So for the company, the work does not end at the moment when the client leaves satisfied with the results under his arm.
At the exit: marketing exhaust for the transaction (quote, case, samples of project documents, etc.).

So it goes. It was just an example, no swing at universal truth.

It is clear that our option is not for everyone. For example, companies operating on tenders almost certainly live differently. Those who practice "cold" sales, will also add at the beginning three or four stages of warming up a client. Food and service companies will be great to differ from each other.

But it's not that. And that let us share the experience.

So if you write in the comments how and why your sales funnel is arranged, it will be nice and useful for everyone.