Sales Process
A Sales Process is the repeatable series of steps a sales team follows to move a prospect from initial contact to closed deal. It standardizes how opportunities are qualified, developed, and won — making sales predictable and scalable.
A sales process is either a competitive advantage or a suggestion nobody follows. The difference is whether it's built from what actually works or what someone read in a methodology book.
The best sales processes are reverse-engineered from your won deals. What questions did reps ask in discovery? What stakeholders got involved? What content moved deals forward? What timeline did buyers follow? That's your process — documented from reality, not theory.
The RevOps angle: a sales process only matters if it's enforced in your CRM. Stage definitions with required fields. Validation rules that prevent skipping steps. Reports that show where deals stall. Otherwise it's just a training slide that gets ignored by week two.
Define ItOther Definitions
“A sales process is a set of repeatable steps a sales team takes to move a prospect from an early-stage lead to a closed customer. It gives your team a consistent framework for selling, making outcomes more predictable.”
“A sales process is a series of steps that moves a salesperson from product and market research through the sales close — and beyond. It's a roadmap for successfully closing deals.”
“A sales process defines the series of stages and activities sellers follow to identify, qualify, and win business. It aligns selling activities with buyer stages and provides a framework for coaching and forecasting.”
A sales process standardizes the steps from lead to close to make selling repeatable and predictable. Salesforce emphasizes the consistency and predictability. HubSpot frames it as a roadmap through research to close. Gartner adds the alignment with buyer stages and its role in coaching.
Common sales process stages include: (1) Prospecting — identifying potential customers; (2) Qualification — confirming fit and interest; (3) Discovery — understanding needs and pain points; (4) Solution Presentation — demonstrating value; (5) Proposal — presenting pricing and terms; (6) Negotiation — handling objections and finalizing terms; (7) Close — getting commitment; (8) Handoff — transitioning to customer success.
Sales methodologies (MEDDIC, SPIN, Challenger, Sandler) provide frameworks for how to execute within each stage.
MistakesCommon Mistakes
Building process from theory instead of analyzing actual won deals
Too many stages making the process complex and ignored
No required fields or exit criteria to enforce stage progression
Seller-centric stages that don't map to buyer decision process
One process for all deals ignoring different segments and deal sizes
Is your sales process enforced or just suggested?
We analyze your won deals, define stage criteria, and implement the CRM structure that makes your process actually stick.
Experience across
