Why is it we spend so much time figuring out how to process an order but we spend so little time figuring out how to get that order? Contrary to popular belief, sales do not just happen. A sale is the result of a systematic organized process. There’s a good chance that you have the ability right now to define your current sales process (good or bad) and then add best practices you learn over time.

If you employ salespeople this is even more important. Without a clearly defined sales process, your salespeople will continue to look busy when they are really just exchanging “activity” for real sales results.

It’s not entirely their fault…as owners and managers we typically only ask for the end result (a closed sale) and leave it up to them to figure out how to get that result.

At the 2009 IRgA Convention & Trade Show, Jim Ryerson from Sales Octane shared a simple process on how to develop a SalesMap for your existing sales process. The SalesMap is a visual way of identifying and sharing all the steps that lead to a successful closed sale. It even addresses the steps after the sale that lead to referrals…the secret sauce of sales professionals.

The SalesMap can be done in a do-it-yourself format so it becomes a custom developed process map of your sales process. The final result is a very visual tool that becomes the starting point for implementing “best practices” from your personal experience, techniques from books you read and sales seminars you attend.

Over time, you can use the SalesMap to implement key measurements and expectations for your salesteam as well as identify areas where improvement is needed. You can request your complimentary Do It Yourself SalesMap by e-mailing jane@salesoctane.com. Just put “please send me the B2B (Business To Business) DIY SalesMap” in the subject line and you’ll receive the SalesMap template and the PDF of the DIY instructions.

During Ryerson’s presentation, he provided several best practices from his book The First 100 Days of Selling. Given the difficulty in getting appointments, Ryerson shared several best practices on how to get appointments, what to do on the first appointment, how to overcome objections and how to get referrals from the book. The common denominator in each step is the absolute necessity to influence your prospects and customers to like you and want to do business with you.

Using the Psychology of Selling, Ryerson shared the strengths and weaknesses of each type of salesperson and also the ways to approach each type of prospect. Gone are the days of going in with your “shtick” and treating every prospect the same. The assessment for your salespeople will identify their strengths and weaknesses, help you manage and motivate them towards sales excellence and give them the ways to identify the style of their prospect/customer and the specific changes they need to make to their “shtick.”

With a clearly defined SalesMap, a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses as a salesperson and how to influence your prospects to become customers you are ready to dominate in 2009 and beyond.