The Sales Pipeline

Matrix Key:  Financial Viability - Marketing and Sales - Sales Pipeline

"It's not your customer's job to remember you.  It's your job to make sure the customer doesn't forget you." - Patricia Fripp

It's rare that anyone sells something at the very first client meeting.  Sales is a process, and your sales pipeline consists of customers at different stages of the sales cycle. The WholeLife Matrix gives you the tools to develop a discipline for your sales pipeline activities. A good sales person can effectively manage customers at all points of the sales process, and manage a constantly flowing pipeline without dropping anything out.

Here are four necessary actions for building and managing your sales pipeline:

1. Qualifying Potential Clients
2. Consistently Adding Names to the Client Database
3. Keeping the Client Database Current
4. Staying in Touch with Clients

We will address specific sales actions in other blogs, but it's crucial to first create a structure for tracking clients, prospects, and deals as they make their way through the sales cycle.  Your client database is the foundation of your sales pipeline, and the framework for a winning sales plan.

Are you ready to win?

Relationship Management - Keeping Track of All the Players

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Darrell Royal, Former Head Football Coach, University of Texas

Every business should have a relationship management system. This system records everything you need to remember about your clients and prospects, vendors, service providers, anyone you need to contact in order to run your business.

In the old days, the Rolodex was the tried and true device that contained contact information. A business card was usually all the information you had. Maybe you would jot down a note on a card such as “Enjoys baseball.” But other than the business card getting glued into its spot, the Rolodex didn’t offer much in the way of tracking, and enhancing your relationship with your contacts.

I would be lost without ACT, which is my preference for client database software. In ACT, you can enter not only the client’s name address and phone, but you can keep notes on every conversation. “Bill thinks he will want our product in November.” “Sara will be on vacation next week, returning on Monday the 4th.” I update my prospect notes each time I have a sales call, because that way I transfer important information to the database while it is fresh in my mind.

You can also group each contact with others who share a common distinction. Create a group such as “Prospects for Special Product” or “Accounting Clients”. Contacts can be members of any number of groups. You can send e-mails to individuals, groups, or the entire database at once. The possibilities are endless.

Your relationship database is indispensible as a sales tool. It is impossible to remember every conversation, every order and every preference of all your clients and prospects. Your clients will be impressed when you can tell the date and time of when you last spoke, and you can keep the sales process moving forward with confidence. When you have all the information you need right at your fingertips, you are ready to win the game of sales.

Are you ready to win?