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Improving your sales process: losing fewer deals between the first call and the signature
The first conversation went well, the proposal went out, and then it went quiet. If you recognise that, the problem usually isn't too few leads. It's between the first conversation and the signature.
Where deals are usually lost
Nobody knows how the customer decides
Your contact is enthusiastic, but a board, a legal department or head office has a say too.
The proposal is sent, not discussed
A price without explanation gets compared with the cheapest supplier.
A discount has to save the deal
If you can't show the value in numbers, you lower the price.
Dead deals stay open
Time goes to prospects who are never going to sign.
Understand how the customer decides
Many deals get stuck because the salesperson doesn't know the customer's decision process. You think your contact can sign, and after weeks it turns out that head office, the legal department or procurement still has to approve. So ask early in the process, and be specific:
- Who ultimately decides, and who signs the contract?
- How does a decision like this work for you: which steps, and in what order?
- Does the legal department or procurement still need to review the contract?
- Do you decide this here, or does head office or the group need to approve?
- By when does the decision need to be made, and why then?
The better you know the process, the fewer surprises, and the more reliable your forecast.
Never send a proposal without a follow-up meeting
A proposal you send and then wait on often sits for weeks. So when you send it, immediately schedule a moment, within one or two weeks, to settle the last points together with the customer and answer their final questions. Put it in the calendar together, during the conversation in which you announce the proposal.
If the customer then says "we'll look at it internally and get back to you", that's a sign something was missing in your qualification. Usually you don't know who decides, how they decide, or how urgent it is. Don't just go along with it after all the time you've put into the deal. Ask what exactly they still need to look at internally, with whom, and immediately schedule a moment to wrap it up together.
Use the pain from your first conversation
If the customer is difficult about the price or the timing, go back to what you heard during qualification: the problem, and what it costs them. If the customer told you a manual process costs them thousands of euros every month, you repeat that. You're not saying anything new, you're putting their own words back on the table. That way the discussion is about the value of the solution, and you need to give less discount. How to bring that information to the surface in the first conversation is explained in our article on qualifying leads.
What a sales process that works looks like
A good sales process consists of a few clear stages, each with a condition for moving on. An example for an IT or software company:
StageReady to move on when
- 1. Introduction
The prospect fits your ideal customer and there's a concrete problem.
- 2. Problem and impact
You know what the problem costs the customer, who decides and how the decision works.
- 3. Demo and proposal
The demo has been given to the decision-makers, a ballpark amount has been discussed, and the proposal has gone out with a follow-up meeting in the calendar.
- 4. Decision
The proposal has been gone through together, the final questions have been answered, and the decision date and who signs are fixed.
- 5. Signed
The contract has been signed and the handover to delivery is scheduled.
What matters most isn't how many stages you have, but that everyone uses them the same way.
How to find out where it's leaking for you
For the last six months, count how many deals ended up in each stage. An example: 40 first conversations, 15 proposals, 4 signed deals. Then eleven deals are lost between proposal and signature, and that's where you'll gain the most. Without those numbers you're working on the wrong problem.
40First conversations
15Proposals
4Signed deals
How we help
Step 1
Sales Analysis
In the Sales Analysis we sit in on real conversations, review proposals and calculate per stage where you lose deals.
Step 2
90-Day Sales Sprint
In the 90-Day Sales Sprint we build the stages, the conditions and the structure of the conversation together, and we coach the team during real deals until it runs without us.
Where are you losing deals? Take the free sales scan
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Meet the founder
Frequently asked questions
What do you do when a customer says they need to look at it internally?
Ask what exactly they still need to look at, with whom, and by when. Immediately schedule a moment to wrap it up together. If you hear this often, something is usually missing in your qualification: you don't really know who decides or how the decision works.
How many stages does a good sales process have?
For most IT and software companies five or six are enough. More stages don't make the process better, just harder to use consistently.
What's a good conversion rate from proposal to signed deal?
That varies widely per market and type of customer. First compare yourself with your own numbers from last year. If that conversion is dropping, that's usually where the problem is.
Does our whole team need to be on board with a new sales process?
Yes. A sales process only works when everyone uses the same stages and conditions. That's why we build it together with the team, not for them.
Book a 45-minute call
Free and with no obligation. Pick a time that suits you, or leave a message and we'll get back to you within one working day.
Your call is with Yassine AkhayadFounder of Techsellr, 8+ years in B2B tech sales
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