Challenges Businesses Face

Example 1
The Problem?
Disorganized and Disjointed Databases
Challenges Businesses Face
Example 2
The Problem?
Low Customer Retention Rates
Challenges Businesses Face
Example 3
The Problem?
Complicated Tracking & Reporting
Fortunately, there are solutions available to overcome
these challenges. Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) systems, such as Salesforce, provide a centralized
platform for tracking customer information, automating
tasks, and gaining valuable insights into customer
behavior. By implementing a robust CRM solution,
businesses can:
• Improve Data Quality: Ensure data accuracy and
consistency across all departments.
• Enhance Customer Relationships: Deliver
personalized experiences and build stronger customer
loyalty.
• Increase Sales and Revenue: Streamline sales
processes and improve conversion rates.
• Improve Customer Service: Resolve customer issues
more efficiently and effectively.
• Gain Valuable Business Insights: Track key metrics,
analyze customer trends, and make data-driven
decisions.
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
Who Uses SalesForce in the Workplace
What is Sales?
The term sales captures all activities involved in selling a product or service to a consumer or
business. Seems simple enough, but actually, a "sale" can capture a number of different kinds of
transactions, depending on the type of business or organization. It's important to understand the
different kinds of sales that exist because the way a CRM is used and configured will differ based on
what kind of sale is being made.

B2C (business-to-consumer) sales: The process of selling products or services directly to consumer. An
example of a B2C company is Walmart, a discount retail chain, because it sells products directly to
consumers.

B2B (business-to-business) sales: The process of selling products or services to other businesses. An
example of a B2B company is Hootsuite, a social media management system that helps companies keep
track of different social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Hootsuite sells to
other businesses.
Stage 1: Prospecting

A lead is an individual or organization with an expressed interest in what you are selling. A lead is simply another
way of referring to an interested or potentially interested customer.
Prospecting, sometimes referred to as lead generation, is the process of identifying potential customers.

Leads can be generated either by a marketing or sales department, or even both, depending on the company. There
are two types of leads: inbound and outbound.

• Inbound leads are leads that come directly to a business and express their interest. An inbound lead might
express interest in a company through behaviors like visiting the company’s website and downloading an eBook
from them, subscribing to their blog, or signing up for more information. All of these activities provide the
business with the lead's contact information.

• Outbound leads are leads that businesses seek out and reach out to in order to sell to them. This is often done
through cold calling. Businesses can also buy “lead lists” which are simply lists of leads and their contact
information that are sold by third parties.
Stage 1: Prospecting
Stage 2: Qualifying

Once the marketing team generates leads, they will evaluate whether those potential customers have a need for the
product or service and can afford it. This process is called qualifying. The marketing team does the first round of
qualifying, which is used to weed out leads that would be a waste of time to continue to pursue. Once a marketing team
has done a simple round of qualifying leads, these leads are considered to be marketing qualified leads (MQLs). These
leads are now ready to move into the next phase of the sales process.

Sales teams don’t want to waste time trying to sell to leads who are not able or likely to buy their products or services.
So, they go through another round of qualifying their leads to evaluate whether those potential customers have a need
for the product or service and can afford it. Typically, sales development representatives (SDRs) will vet both inbound and
outbound leads as much as possible, sometimes by reaching out to have a conversation with them.

When an SDR determines that a lead is qualified, the lead becomes a prospect. A prospect is a potential customer that is
qualified as fitting certain criteria. Think of the qualification process as a filter between leads and prospects.
Stage 2: Qualifying

In the sales and marketing world, it's important to distinguish between a marketing qualified lead (MQL) and a sales
qualified lead (SQL):

A lead that the marketing team has deemed qualified

and ready for a sales follow-up. Leads become MQLs
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
when they are ready to be handed over to the sales
development team.
A sales prospect that has been vetted by the sales
development team and determined to be qualified as
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) a worthwhile potential customer to pursue and move
forward in the sales process. This is often done by
initiating contact with the lead.
Stage 2: Qualifying
Stage 3: Presenting

Once an SDR has determined that a lead is a qualified prospect (in other words, an SQL) they will then set up a meeting or
follow up conversation. Once the lead is qualified as a prospect and a meeting is set, the process of moving a sales deal
from start to close begins. Note that before, the lead was being vetted and qualified as a potential customer, but now that
they've been qualified, the sales team will want to officially start the sell.
Once qualified, the prospect is typically handed off to an account executive (AE) who handles the sales process from
here.
During the presenting stage, the AE presents what the company has to offer to the prospect. This is one of the most
crucial stages of the sales process: AEs need to present the product or service in a way that solves an issue that the
customer is facing. In this stage (it may happen across multiple meetings), AEs will schedule presentations and demos,
conduct additional research on stakeholders to prepare, and will develop specific recommendations for how the product
or service can be used.
In this stage, AEs will also handle objections or hesitations that prospects have about the deal. Prospects might be
hesitant to commit for a number of reasons, even if they’re interested in a product or service — for example, price,
timing, and general fear of change. It’s the AE’s job to address all of the prospect’s concerns by demonstrating the value of
the product or service, as well as what the risk or cost might be if the prospect chooses not to buy.
Stage 3: Presenting
Stage 4: Closing

The closing stage captures everything that needs to be done in the end stages of a sale to get a prospect to sign a
contract and become a customer. In this stage, the AE will get the decisions from the client on whether they will be
moving forward with the sale or not.

During this stage, an AE might deliver a formal proposal based on verbally agreed-upon terms, make final negotiations
on the price, and otherwise continue to clear roadblocks with the prospect until the prospect is ready to sign and
become a customer.
Stage 4: Closing
Stage 5: Customer Success

The relationship between a business and a customer doesn’t end when the customer signs a contract. In fact, what comes
after they sign — the actual business relationship — is what ideally lasts the longest! In the customer success stage of the
sales process, businesses must provide post-sale support so that customers continue to want to buy from the
business and so that they are encouraged to refer the business to other potential customers.

Often, once a contract is signed and the prospect has turned into a customer, the AE will hand off the customer to a
customer success manager (or CSM) to co-manage the rest of the relationship. The CSM will support onboarding the new
customer to the product or service, will continually check in on the customer’s needs to help configure the product or
service to best meet those needs, and will proactively nurture the relationship and follow up with the customer as
needed.
Stage 5: Customer Success
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