Many businesses struggle to develop a productive sales process, which can be caused by a lack of understanding of what the typical sales process should look like. This is when a sales process flowchart comes in handy.
Creating a sales process flowchart ensures that no steps are overlooked during the process and allows sales managers to track the progress of their team and identify areas for improvement.
In this article, I will define what a sales process is and show you how to make a sales process flowchart to bolster your sales strategy. You’ll also gain access to some tips and sales process flowchart templates that’ll help sales teams who are making flowcharts for the first time.
Click to jump ahead:
- What is a sales process?
- What is a sales process flowchart?
- Why is a sales process flowchart important?
- 5 steps to create a sales process flow chart
- 4 Common mistakes when creating a sales cycle flowchart
- Improve your sales process chart with Venngage
- FAQs about sales process flowcharts
What is a sales process?
A sales process is a series of stages or actions used by a sales team to find and qualify new clients, create relationships with them, and close deals.
Depending on the type of business, the items or services being sold, and the target market, the particular steps in the sales process will vary.
Most sales processes, however, will involve a mix of prospecting, qualifying, pitching, objection handling, and closing approaches.
Here’s a sales pipeline flowchart that breaks down the various sales process steps.
A sales rep will be more efficient and successful if they follow a well-defined sales process. The process can also assist companies in tracking development and performance over time, optimizing marketing efforts, and increasing profits.
What is a sales process flowchart?
A sales process flow chart depicts the key steps involved in the business process, from generating leads to finding qualified leads.
It can assist you in identifying and isolating problems in your process, as well as improving efficiency and reducing waste, as you can see in this sales process flowchart example.
It also allows you to determine when it’s time to refocus on areas of your business or product that have grown less important over time.
Organizing and optimizing your sales activities begins with the creation of a sales process flowchart. You can ensure that every member of your team understands their position and duties by describing the particular processes involved in each stage of the sale.
This way, you can work more efficiently together to close more deals.
Read: 7 Types of Flowcharts and How to Choose the Right One
Why is a sales process flowchart important?
Using a sales process flowchart to boost your sales operations is a terrific idea.
You can immediately discover areas for improvement and make adjustments that will increase your bottom line by visually depicting the processes in your sales process, like in this example.
A sales process flowchart can be a very useful tool for sales teams. Not only does it increase the overall efficiency of your sales process, but it can also help to guarantee that every member of your team understands their position in it.
Flow charts can also aid communication between sales reps and management by outlining the particular procedures required to execute a sale.
A sales process flowchart, like the template below, will be a very useful tool for enhancing sales efficiency and effectiveness if it is built appropriately.
Creating a sales chart has numerous advantages, such as:
- including improving sales rep performance and productivity;
- identifying opportunities for growth or expansion;
- understanding where time was spent during specific sales cycles;
- determining ideal job roles within the company;
- planning training initiatives for various sales reps; and
- identifying sales opportunities that might have been missed otherwise.
The flowchart is also an excellent tool for training new sales reps and staff, as well as explaining the value of various stages of the sales process, as you can see below.
Read: 21+ Flowchart Examples to Organize Projects and Improve Processes
5 steps to create a sales process flow chart
Step 1: Define your sales stages
First off, think about the main stages of your sales process. Start with reaching out to potential customers and then move through prospecting, qualifying leads, presenting, negotiating and closing deals. This sets the foundation for your flow chart.
Step 2: List key actions for each stage
Next, jot down specific actions or tasks for each stage. For example, in the prospecting stage, include activities like lead generation, cold calling, or networking events. Each stage should have a clear set of steps to follow.
Step 3: Arrange the steps in order
Put these tasks in a logical order that makes sense for your sales process. This helps show how one step leads to the next. Make sure each task naturally follows from the previous one.
Step 4: Consider decision points
Identify critical decision points within your sales process. These are moments where you need to make choices based on customer responses or feedback. For instance, after a presentation, decide whether to move forward with negotiations or revisit your proposal based on client input.
You can use the action plan flowchart template below to help with your decision points:
Step 5: Create your flowchart
Use a flow chart tool like Venngage to make your visual diagram. Start with a clear beginning (e.g., “Finding Leads”) and connect each step with arrows to show the flow. Use shapes like boxes for tasks and diamonds for decisions.
Listed below are some tips for creating an efficient process flow chart:
- Reduce the number of steps in the process as much as possible. Concentrate on the key steps that will help you reach your sales objectives.
- Creating multiple flow charts for different products or services is not a good idea. Although sales processes vary by industry, they should be fairly consistent within each vertical.
- Determine the line between individual sales activities and customer relationships. Consider including checklists that outline how sales teams can follow up with customers after the deal is made.
- Use sales metrics to track the success of your sales process over time and to pinpoint the most effective sales steps. You can focus on streamlining those areas after you know where sales staff spend the most time.
- Include a section for sales managers and other stakeholders who may require more information about certain sales procedures. When it comes to concluding agreements swiftly and effectively, this will ensure that everyone is operating off of the same information.
Once you’re able to identify opportunities for growth and increase sales efficiency, diagrams will become a useful asset to your company.
Read more about: Flowchart Symbols and Meaning: A Complete Guide
4 Common mistakes when creating a sales cycle flowchart
The following are some frequent pitfalls to avoid while creating sales process flowcharts:
- Putting an emphasis on tools rather than sales targets. If you don’t know why you’re sketching out the sales process in the first place, it’ll be useless.
- Creating unnecessarily complex sales processes that are difficult to comprehend and follow. Focus on actionable steps in the sales cycle that help in selling products. Don’t make things too complicated by including processes that don’t help you close more deals.
- Using overly complicated imagery. Know your audience. Make sure you’re employing design components that salespeople can easily understand.
- Using a flow chart for sales targets outside of sales development. No diagram will help your sales team reach its objectives if the process isn’t focused on the final goal—taking potential customers to the next stage. Don’t fill your flowchart with steps that have little to do with sales.
The tips in the below flowchart on writing sales copy can be applied when creating a sales process diagram, as well.
Improve your sales process chart with Venngage
Venngage is a simple-to-use platform that lets you create sophisticated diagrams without any design experience, including a sales flowchart.
Venngage’s Flowchart Maker makes it easy for everyone in your company—from marketers and sales reps to designers and executives—to create stylish flowcharts that will help you connect with customers on a deeper level.
With drag-and-drop features, customizable templates, access to over 40,000 icons, and 4 million high-quality stock photos, in only a few minutes, you’ll be able to create your flowchart. Follow these simple steps to begin:
- Sign up for a free account.
- On the Templates page, scroll down to Diagrams and choose Flowchart.
- Select and click Create on the template and you can immediately start editing it for your sales process.
- If you have a Premium or Business membership, you can export your work to your device. With a paid plan, you can click Download from the menu pane. Choose to download as PNG, PNG HD, PDF, or PPT. You can also share the flowchart as HTML email campaigns.
Upgrade to a Venngage business account to access My Brand Kit, which lets you add your company’s logo, color palette, and fonts to all your designs with a single click.
A business account also includes the real-time collaboration feature, so you can invite members of your team to work simultaneously on a project.
FAQs about sales process flowcharts
What are the 7 steps of the sales process?
There has been a method for how sales are handled for as long as sales have been a profession and it’s critical to understand these seven processes and how they might influence your contacts with potential clients if you want to be successful in sales.
- Prospecting is the first step in the sales process and it involves locating your first customer and determining whether or not they have a need for your product or service.
- Preparation entails creating the first contact with your customers by gathering all important information about the product or service being sold.
- The only chance you have to engage with an original or prospective consumer is to approach them through personal contact (e.g. face-to-face meetings, emails, or phone calls through your call center software). Many sales teams leverage sales prospecting tools to identify and connect with potential customers during this outreach phase.
- Presentation shows distinct elements of the product to your target clients and how they can fit their needs and expectations.
- The most essential aspect is to address objectives and viewpoints after marketing your product. Those concerns could be about anything: the brand name, the price, the improvement of the product, and so on.
- Closing a deal begins with the product proposition, then discussing its various features before revealing the pricing. After you’ve finalized the proposal, you can talk about the product’s price.
- Lastly, it’s also crucial to follow up with customers and collect their feedback on how their experience went.
What is customer relationship management (CRM)?
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a commercial technique for managing and tracking customer interactions and data. Customer service and support, marketing activities, and sales operations can all benefit from this data. CRM, in a nutshell, aids businesses in bettering their client interactions. For example, if you are a real estate agency, you can use the right real estate CRM to increase your sales by automating calls, manage leads, send personalized emails and improve daily productivity.
Create effective and compelling flowcharts with Venngage
With these systems in place, you’ll be able to see how each stage of the customer experience corresponds to what’s going on within your team, ensuring that there are no surprises and only happy consumers willing to buy from you again.
Sign up for Venngage today to build an easy-to-understand diagram of all the processes required in generating a sale so you can identify what’s working and what’s not.