Why a Repeatable Sales Process is the Missing Link to Success

You’ll hear time and time again that a repeatable sales process is the backbone of any successful sales strategy. We agree with that! When everyone on your team follows a streamlined, structured sales approach that can be replicated, measured, and optimized, success often leads that way.

We also agree that it may sound awesome on paper…but data suggests it isn’t so simple for many sales teams. Why? They often spend too little time selling and too much time on admin tasks that shouldn’t be part of the sales process at all. We’re talking about endless data entry, chasing down leads, updating CRMs, scheduling meetings, and crafting follow-up emails.

Read on if the above sounds like roughly 90% of your to-do list. A repeatable sales process could be your missing puzzle piece.

A Standardized Process Is the Standard for Top Sales Teams

A 2015 study by Harvard Business Review showed that businesses with a standardized sales process see up to a 28% bump in revenue compared to those that don’t.

Businesses that don’t standardize their processes are probably too caught up in admin tasks to realize their importance. According to a 2018 survey published on Forbes, admin tasks dominate sales reps’ time. The survey published on Forbes shows that on average, sales reps spend 64.8% of their time (nearly two-thirds!) in non-revenue-generating activities.

Furthermore, 61.3% reported having “some kind of time management system in place,” but only 23% said they “actually followed it.”

Well, that’s a challenge. Not following a structured system means you’re essentially winging it.

Note that a Repeatable Sales Process Is the Opposite of a Numbers Game

To borrow from Technology Entrepreneur Ken Krogue, “most sales reps just ‘try to hit their number.’ Hope is not a plan.” For example, doubling down on poorly targeted outreach will simply mean you’re doing more of the wrong things. That won’t get you anywhere.

While you’ll have to reach quotas one way or another, the process should focus on consistency, predictability, and scalability. Here’s why those three things are crucial for a repeatable sales process:

When every salesperson follows the same steps, forecasting outcomes and setting realistic targets becomes easier. This predictability helps in resource planning and goal-setting.
As your business grows, a clear, consistent process can help new sales reps be onboarded faster and reach peak productivity quicker.
With clearer directions, training new hires becomes more straightforward. Sales reps can receive training on the same methodology, resulting in more uniform approaches.
A standardized process lets you easily track clean performance metrics at each stage. This allows you to identify bottlenecks, measure success, and continuously refine the process without worrying about skewed data.

Why So Many Companies Struggle with a Repeatable Sales Process, Even If It’s Exactly What They Need

Resistance to Change

Sales teams can resist adopting a new process, mainly if they are accustomed to a more flexible approach — even if it isn’t the best one. Change is uncomfortable, no matter how great the outcome. After all, people need to “see it” to believe it. Overcoming this resistance requires effective communication and change management.

Customization vs. Standardization

Striking a balance between a standardized process and the need for customization to meet unique client needs can be tough. Setting too rigid a process can stifle creativity, while too much flexibility can lead to inconsistency. There needs to be a sweet spot.

Data Collection and Management

Collecting and analyzing data at each stage of the sales process is inarguable. Without proper tools and systems in place, managing this data can be overwhelming and, depending on the tools you use, expensive.

Investing in quality data analysis software like Tableau often means higher costs than basic tools like Google Analytics. Although they certainly justify the cost, introducing new tools can circle back to change resistance.

Alignment with Marketing

Sales and marketing alignment rallies everyone to the common agenda of higher sales and growth. With everyone paddling in the same direction, friction and wastage go down, and everyone can maximize their time and resources.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? However, a few challenges lie ahead. Leadership misalignment, mindset differences, integrating different tools can all present barriers to a smooth arrangement.

Continuous Improvement

It’s not a good idea to plant seeds and walk away. However, some businesses are unable to conduct ongoing evaluation and refinement, along with implementing time-consuming and resource-intensive changes. For a repeatable sales process to work, there’s no way around tweaking, fine-tuning, and sometimes overhauling. Otherwise, you’ll be repeating an inefficient process across the board.

Steps to Creating a Repeatable Sales Process

Before Anything, Go Back to Basics

This will probably sound like Sales 101 for some of you, but we could all use a refresher every now and again.

Your sales process should align with your overall go-to-market strategy, whether Sales-led or Marketing-led.
You need a solid grip on your current target market, ICPs, value proposition, and competitive landscape. Emphasis on current.
Zero in on your target verticals–the specific industries or segments where your product is going to make a difference. The better you know who you’re talking to, the better your messaging is likely to resonate with them.

Map Out the Buyer’s Journey from Top to Bottom

Matching your sales stages to buyer journey phases ensures you meet prospects where they are and when they need you. And for that, you need a plan. This alignment is key to providing the right information and support at the right time, increasing the likelihood of moving prospects smoothly through the sales funnel.

Develop Sales Playbooks

Playbooks are pre-made templates for common use cases. They’re adaptable, close-at-hand, and extremely useful when paired with expertise. Create detailed playbooks that include scripts, email templates, objection-handling techniques, and best practices for each stage of the sales process. This ensures consistency and provides a reference for sales reps.

Focus on More than the Usual Suspects

It’s not uncommon for businesses, especially startups, to juggle 20+ tools just to keep things running. CRMs, email marketing software, and sales engagement tools are all expected to be in the sales rep’s toolkit.

Still, some tools can be particularly useful if a team is struggling with lead generation. Tools like RevBoss offer specialized lead generation services, helping to identify and nurture high-quality leads. They offer exceptional value when there are limited internal resources or when a team needs to rapidly expand lead generation efforts. So that a consistent inflow of leads is constantly available, and excessive prospecting time is non-existent.

Train and Onboard Your Team

Comprehensive training and ongoing support keep everyone sharp. Always update training materials to reflect any changes or improvements. As mentioned above, new tools and processes could appear and require quick thinking, so your collateral needs to be up-to-date.

Monitor, Iterate, Improve. Rinse and Repeat.

To borrow from CommenceCRM, “Tracking every single part of your sales process – from lead generation to conversion – helps businesses focus on the most effective techniques and recalibrate those that don’t perform well.

Keep tabs on metrics such as conversion rates, sales cycle length, and win rates (along with other important metrics) to identify leaks and areas for improvement. As long as your data is clean and consistent, you’ll use it to capitalize on win after win.

Because hope isn’t a sales strategy, but neither is guesswork nor gut feelings.

The Role of Lead Generation in a Repeatable Sales Process

There’s no selling without lead generation. Unless you’re willing to sit around hoping for a miracle or endlessly cold-reach uninterested prospects, your sales pipeline will dry up quickly.

That said, prospecting is a crucial part of outbound lead generation. And time spent prospecting the wrong way can eat up a chunk of the time you could be spending on closing.

Because buried prospecting takes plenty of time, including…

Hours spent scouring LinkedIn,
Keeping track of leads, updating systems, and ensuring all information is accurate
Consistently following up with leads to keep the conversation going
Handling unresponsive prospects through multiple channels…

….It’s an endless list – and a portion of your days are not well-spent.

Your days will be well spent on a steady flow of qualified leads – whether it’s through inbound, outbound, referral programs, or a smart combination of those. A healthy inflow is what keeps your pipeline plump, and reps filled with opportunities to convert prospects into customers.

Is It Possible for Sales Processes to Still Be Unique, Even If They’re Repeatable?

Yes, most definitely. Having a repeatable process in place, even a step-by-step one, doesn’t mean each salesperson can’t inject their unique flair into the process. All you have is a “templatized” strategy, if you will, for ease of management and measuring. However, it still leaves plenty of room for personality and creativity. Here’s how:

Personalized Communication

Even within the tightest framework, a salesperson can still personalize the email by referencing a recent achievement of the prospect’s company or mentioning a mutual connection, for instance. This makes the email feel unique and relevant while adhering to the core structure.

Unique Pitches

Here, salespeople can adapt their presentations based on the prospect’s pain points and motivators in their preferred formats. For instance, if the prospect is particularly concerned about integration capabilities, the salesperson can spend more time demonstrating those features than others. The overall process remains consistent, but the content itself is customized.

Personal Stories

Part of the sales process might involve sharing case studies or success stories. A salesperson can make this part of the process more personal by including their own experiences or anecdotes. For example, instead of just stating that a certain feature helped a client, they might say, “I recently worked with a client who faced a similar challenge to yours. They found that our solution addressed their issue and improved their overall workflow efficiency by 30%.” That’s first-party social proof right there.

Using Preferred Communication Channels

The steps of your sales process might dictate reaching out via email, phone, and LinkedIn. Salespeople can adapt this by determining which channel the prospect prefers based on their responses. If a prospect seems more responsive to LinkedIn messages, the salesperson might prioritize that channel while still following the overall outreach strategy.

Over to You

The beauty of a repeatable sales process lies in its ability to create a solid structure that isn’t set in stone. It can be customized to fit the context of each interaction.

A repeatable sales process has never been about stifling creativity or forcing salespeople into a rigid mold. Instead, it creates a reliable path to success, reducing guesswork and making sure everyone has access to the same tools and strategies.

Finally, the less time your team spends on time-sucking activities, the easier it is for them to adapt to a repeatable sales process. A lead generation partner can help them focus on what truly drives revenue.

RevBoss specializes in building sales pipelines for companies with a desire for steady growth. Schedule a call with us to find out how we can help you win more clients.