Start by identifying the key stages of your sales pipelines, commonalities exist between many business pipelines but almost all differ depending on product, service, industry and location, it’s important to map this correctly. Once you’ve identified the main steps of your sales cycle, make sure to refine the approach for each of the declared stages. Not every step has the same ‘closing potential’, so modifying your message based on the prospect’s whereabouts within your pipeline is paramount.
Of course, the final draft may vary significantly based on your product, your particular niche and even your own business model.
Ask yourself – what do your prospective buyers expect in that particular stage? How will you tend to their needs? Which outreach format suits that step the best? If you’ve already taken the time to create your buyer personas, this process should be a walk in the park.
Removing friction and maintaining simplicity
It’s very important to ensure a seamless transition from one stage to another. While having a pipeline can be vital for automating your sales process, your leads should never feel like they’re being dragged through your internal sales funnel.
Create a clear-cut strategy for moving from stage X to stage Y. Once you’ve qualified a lead, how exactly do you approach scheduling a meeting? How does a proposal turn into a sale? Once you’ve mapped out your prospect’s entire sales journey, you’ll be able to identify any potential blind spots and create personalised calls-to-action to get the ball rolling.
While specific stages vary from business to business, try not to go overboard when creating the pipeline steps. Any more than seven stages in your pipeline is going to be counter-productive, according to some industry experts. The point is to create a lean system to streamline your outreach efforts – if you’re getting lost in the steps, it’s probably a good idea to trim down the fat.
