Sales is an occupation that typically offers a great deal of independence. This sense of freedom is part of its appeal. The unstructured nature of a sales career extends to how salespeople interact with prospects, with 68 percent choosing to skip a formal sales process. (1)
While this may not sound like a big deal, the fact is that organizations that implement a defined sales process benefit significantly:
- Seventy percent of companies that follow a standardized sales process are high performers. (2)
- Organizations that institute a formal sales process enjoy a revenue increase of up to 28 percent. (3)
- Half of the companies that perform well in sales use a “closely monitored, strictly enforced, or automated” sales process. (4)
So, what benefits does a defined sales process offer? These are the five reasons why every business needs a standardized process for pursuing and closing sales.
1 – Better Qualified Leads
When a sales process is thoughtfully laid out, it provides salespeople with the tools they need to identify high-quality leads and quickly eliminate unqualified ones. A structured process achieves this by providing salespeople with an organized framework for every phase and virtually any situation they may encounter.
2 – Positive Buyer Experience
When it comes to B2B sales, closing a sale will take time. Buyers need to feel confident that they are making the right decision regarding investing or spending money with a business.
A defined sales process ensures that buyers will get the time and pace they prefer. Executing the process in a randomized way often leads to buyers feeling rushed or pressured. Why? A well-planned sales process considers the stages of the buyer’s journey and how prospects progress through them.
3 – Clearly Marked Milestones
People in every occupation can benefit from a sense of organization when performing their job. Having a roadmap to follow, with clearly marked milestones, gives salespeople a competitive advantage over those who lack one. In fact, being presented with an effective path to follow can even reduce stress and save time!
4 – Improved Sales Forecasting Accuracy
When the sales team consistently wins deals, which a standardized sales process enables them to do, companies can achieve a higher win rate. And with a solid win rate, businesses can accurately forecast the number of sales the team will close from a given number of leads. Sales managers can use this information to set realistic sales quotas, and, perhaps more importantly, leadership can leverage it to project future revenue.
5 – Perfected Sales Methods
Access to measurable data is one of the primary ways sales teams can improve the methods they use. A defined sales process not only provides management with the structure they need to collect data, but it also clearly demonstrates which methods yield the desired results and which methods fall short.
These valuable insights enable sales teams to consistently refine their sales methods, thereby increasing their ability to convert more leads. It is repeatable, measurable, and because of this, it demonstrates its value over and over again.
Standardizing the sales process provides salespeople with helpful tools that enhance their performance, make buyers feel more at ease with their decision, and ultimately result in more sales. Businesses that invest time and effort in creating a structured sales process will reap these rewards.
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SOURCES:
- https://www.objectivemanagement.com/
- https://www.superoffice.com/blog/sales-process/
- https://hbr.org/2015/01/companies-with-a-formal-sales-process-generate-more-revenue
- https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-top-sales-teams-have-in-common-in-5-charts
This article was last updated on June 10, 2025
