The One that Got Away

As sales professionals we have all dealt with losing a deal.  We have lost deals many different ways but I believe the worst way to lose a deal is by not staying in touch with the prospect.  It’s not because you just didn’t want to call them, it’s because you’re busy juggling a pipeline of potential business, making cold calls, working on proposals, doing product demos, etc. etc.  And that’s when one slips through the cracks.

 In most businesses the process (or lack of) keeping up with all you activities is up to the individual salesperson.  And each person will do it differently.  Some are organized and may use a planner or “things to do” pad.  Others may make notes in a file or on a calendar while some may still “wing it”. The bottom line is that to make sure deals don’t get away because you have not been in contact with the prospect. A process for follow up activity is needed that everyone can use. 

This is where a CRM solution like Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help.  Within the CRM you can set up a process for the sales team to follow and track the progression of each new lead from the point the lead in created in the system through the nurturing process and then into the pipeline until the deal is won.  All in one place where both sales people and sales management can see what’s happening.  Every phone call, email, and appointment is documented.  No lost notes, misplaced calendars, or forgotten details. Activities are set and each day the sales team can see at a glance who they need to call on today why they are calling.  And as a lead turns into a prospect and an opportunity you can keep control and not miss an important call or email insuring you a better chance of closing the deal.  The first step is creating the process, the next is using a tool like CRM to run the process and the third is to use it.

Let’s face it, you will still lose deals, but by using a sound process to manage sales activities built into a solid CRM solution like Microsoft Dynamics CRM you won’t have any get away because you didn’t properly stay in contact.