What is the sales process?

The sales process is a series of steps designed to guide customers from the awareness stage to the purchase decision and ultimately to becoming loyal customers. It includes activities such as lead generation, outreach, persuasion, closing the sale, and post-sales service. An effective process must:

• Systematic: Easy to apply and repeat by all employees.
• Measurable: Helps track performance at each stage (e.g., conversion rate, time to closing a deal).
• Focus on the customer: Address real needs, not just "sell" products.

For example, an online fashion store might build a process that includes running Instagram ads (to find leads), reaching out to customers through messaging consultations, shipping products, and sending thank-you emails after they've made a purchase.

Why is it necessary to build a standardized sales process?

Without a process, sales teams can easily fall into the following traps:

• Working based on intuition: Each employee applies their own method, leading to inconsistent results.
• Missing out on potential customers: Failing to track leads results in missed opportunities to close deals.
• Difficult to train: New employees don't know where to start.
• Not measurable: It is unclear which stage is underperforming.

Conversely, a standardized process offers the following benefits:

• Increased efficiency: Employees work in unison, reducing errors.
• Scalable: Easy to train new staff and replicate the sales model.
• Improve the customer experience: Customers receive consistent, professional service.
• Data-driven optimization: Easy to analyze and improve step by step.

7-Step Sales Process Flowchart with GTG CRM

Step 1: Preparation and goal setting

Objective: To understand customers and the market in order to develop appropriate strategies.

How to do it:

• Market research: Use tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, or customer surveys to identify trends and needs.
• Customer Persona: Identifying their age, income, behavior, and problems. For example, a cosmetics store might target women aged 25-35 who are interested in organic products.
• Choose your reach channel: Social media advertising, SEO, or webinars.
• Set KPIs: For example, collect 100 leads per month or achieve a 20% conversion rate.

Businesses need to conduct market and customer research to develop sales processes.

You can use CRM platforms to simplify this step. GTG CRM is one tool that can help consolidate customer data from various sources and manage customer data effectively on a single platform. If you don't use CRM, you can use Google Sheets to record the information.

Step 2: Identify potential customers

Objective: To build a list of potential customers with a high likelihood of making a purchase.

How to do it:

• Lead generation: Using registration forms on websites/landing pages, paid advertising, or offline events.
• Lead screening: Categorizing based on needs, affordability, and level of interest.
• Use Lead Scoring: Evaluate leads based on behavior (e.g., ebook download = 10 points, consultation call = 50 points).

Identify who the real customers are who have a need for your product.

GTG CRM automatically gathers leads from various sources such as landing pages, registration forms, and social media, displaying flexible information fields to help you better understand your customers and categorize them into suitable groups. This saves the sales team time and allows them to prioritize the right, valuable customer segments.

In addition, GTG CRM also provides landing page templates with integrated information forms and live chat, making lead generation easier than ever. Check out the demo now .

Step 3: Approach and build relationships

Objective: To make a good impression and understand customer needs.

How to do it:

• Personalize your approach: Send emails or messages based on the lead's information. For example: "Hi Nam, I see you're interested in marketing courses. What problem are you trying to solve?"
• Ask open-ended questions: Ask about the customer's difficulties instead of just introducing the product.
• Continuous monitoring: Record all interactions to avoid repeating information.

GTG CRM supports sending emails and messages directly within the system, while also consolidating all messages from various channels into a single inbox. It allows for labeling, categorization by status (e.g., Processing, Paid, Partner, etc.), and supports bulk messaging. This saves you 10-15 hours per week without missing any conversations.

Step 4: Introduce the product/service

Objective: To present a solution that meets customer needs.

How to do it:

• Focus on value: Instead of listing features, emphasize benefits. For example, instead of “This product has SPF 50,” say “It protects skin from 98% of UV rays.”
• Personalize the solution: Provide specific examples. For example: "With a budget of 10 million VND, we recommend this website design package to increase traffic by 30%."
• Use visual content: Send a demo video, infographic, or landing page.

GTG offers landing page templates, helping brands introduce products in a professional, consistent, and easy way. In addition, GTG CRM also includes email templates to help you nurture customer relationships easily and quickly. Try it for FREE now!

GTG CRM's treasure trove of Landing Page templates

Step 5: Provide a quote and persuade the customer.

  Objective: To persuade customers with a suitable and clear proposal.

How to do it:

• Transparent pricing: Send a detailed price list, including any promotions (if available). For example: "Basic package 5 million VND/month, 10% discount if paying for 6 months in advance."
• Addressing concerns: Prepare answers to common questions (price, quality, after-sales service).
• Create a sense of scarcity: For example, "This offer is only valid until the end of the month."

GTG CRM allows communication with customers on a single platform, saving every conversation, making it easy for the team to track, coordinate, and deliver compelling messages.

Step 6: Answer questions and finalize the order.

Objective: To remove barriers and encourage customers to make decisions.

How to do it:

• Quick response: Answering questions within 24 hours.
• Summary of benefits: Reiterate the core value of the product/service.
• Clear call-to-action: For example, "Would you like me to send you the contract today?"

GTG CRM 's Live Chat helps you answer customers 24/7. The Live Chat button can be fully customized to your brand. If you already have a website, simply copy and paste this script into your website to create a complete Live Chat feature.

GTG CRM's Live Chat interface

Step 7: Post-sales care - Upsell & Retention

Objective: To build long-term relationships and increase customer value (LTV).

How to do it:

• Send a thank-you note: Email or text message after the purchase.
• Ask for feedback: Send a short survey (5 questions) to get your feedback.
• Upsell/Cross-sell: Suggesting additional products. For example, when a customer buys cosmetics, you could suggest a face mask as well.
• Customer appreciation program: Offer vouchers or invite to join our loyalty program.

At this stage, GTG CRM can fully assist you with its Automation Workflow feature, automatically sending emails to help you maintain relationships, increase return rates, and turn customers into natural brand referrers.

How to build an automated customer care workflow with GTG CRM

Conclude

Building a structured sales process not only increases conversion rates but also lays the foundation for sustainable growth. With the 7 steps above, you can get started even without a CRM tool. But a smart CRM tool like GTG CRM will help automate and track performance effectively, saving you hours of time. Experience GTG CRM for FREE now at GTG CRM.