{"id":16791,"date":"2020-04-01T13:17:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T13:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/?p=16791"},"modified":"2026-01-13T06:48:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T06:48:04","slug":"sales-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/sales-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beginners Guide to Sales Cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_wrap_right toc_transparent no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What-is-a-Sales-Cycle\"><strong class=\"What-is-a-Sales-Cycle\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> What is a Sales Cycle?<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Sales-Cycle-vs-Pipelines\"><strong class=\"Sales-Cycle-vs-Pipelines\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">1.1<\/span> Sales Cycle vs Pipelines<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Why-is-the-sales-cycle-process-important\"><strong class=\"Why-is-the-sales-cycle-process-important\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> Why is the sales cycle process important?<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-Helps-define-next-steps\"><strong class=\"1-Helps-define-next-steps\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">2.1<\/span> 1. Helps define next steps<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-Helps-measure-efficiency-productivity\"><strong class=\"2-Helps-measure-efficiency-productivity\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">2.2<\/span> 2. Helps measure efficiency &amp; productivity<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Increase-in-sales-growth\"><strong class=\"3-Increase-in-sales-growth\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">2.3<\/span> 3. Increase in sales growth<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#7-stages-of-a-sales-cycle\"><strong class=\"7-stages-of-a-sales-cycle\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> 7 stages of a sales cycle<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-Prospect\"><strong class=\"1-Prospect\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.1<\/span> 1. Prospect<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-Connect\"><strong class=\"2-Connect\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.2<\/span> 2. Connect<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Qualify\"><strong class=\"3-Qualify\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.3<\/span> 3. Qualify<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-Present\"><strong class=\"4-Present\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.4<\/span> 4. Present<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-Clear-Objections\"><strong class=\"5-Clear-Objections\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.5<\/span> 5. Clear Objections<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#6-Close\"><strong class=\"6-Close\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.6<\/span> 6. Close<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#7-Get-Referred\"><strong class=\"7-Get-Referred\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">3.7<\/span> 7. Get Referred<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Implementing-and-improving-on-your-sales-cycle\"><strong class=\"Implementing-and-improving-on-your-sales-cycle\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> Implementing and improving on your sales cycle<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Goals-to-set-for-your-Sales-Cycle\"><strong class=\"Goals-to-set-for-your-Sales-Cycle\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.1<\/span> Goals to set for your Sales Cycle<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Metrics-to-track-Sales-Cycle-efficiency\"><strong class=\"Metrics-to-track-Sales-Cycle-efficiency\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.2<\/span> Metrics to track Sales Cycle efficiency<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Tips-to-Improve-your-Sales-Cycle\"><strong class=\"Tips-to-Improve-your-Sales-Cycle\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.3<\/span> Tips to Improve your Sales Cycle<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Top-sales-cycle-management-software\"><strong class=\"Top-sales-cycle-management-software\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">5<\/span> Top sales cycle management software<\/strong><\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#1-Hubspot\"><strong class=\"1-Hubspot\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">5.1<\/span> 1. Hubspot<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-Pipedrive\"><strong class=\"2-Pipedrive\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">5.2<\/span> 2. Pipedrive<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-Zoho\"><strong class=\"3-Zoho\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">5.3<\/span> 3. Zoho<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-SuperOffice\"><strong class=\"4-SuperOffice\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">5.4<\/span> 4. SuperOffice<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-Keap\"><strong class=\"5-Keap\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">5.5<\/span> 5. Keap<\/strong><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#6-Leadsquared\"><strong class=\"6-Leadsquared\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">5.6<\/span> 6. Leadsquared<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Conclusion\"><strong class=\"Conclusion\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">6<\/span> Conclusion<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<p>There often comes a state in Sales, especially for new teams, when almost everything seems to be going haywire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You do not see the results you need, not sure why.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the very worst, you wouldn\u2019t know what to do about it and get stalled. Getting in this situation will have a profound effect on your organization\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the best performing Sales teams worldwide profoundly understand and master their Sales cycles. In the book <em>Cracking the Sales Management Code<\/em>, author Jason Jordan\u2019s research shows that companies with Sales processes bring in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/hub\/sales\/tips-for-sales-pipeline-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">18% more revenue<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s the reason why we decided to break down everything you need to know about Sales Cycles on this blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-sales-cycle\"><span id=\"What-is-a-Sales-Cycle\">What is a Sales Cycle?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sales Cycle is essentially the map of your prospect\u2019s journey through Sales process steps defined by your organization. The process begins from the discovery of a contact\/account either through outbound prospecting or an inbound inquiry. To close the account &#8211; the prospect will receive various forms of communication intended to help them buy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these stages of leading a prospect from discovery to close, over a while, eventually make up for the Sales Cycle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"Sales-Cycle-vs-Pipelines\">Sales Cycle vs Pipelines<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sales Cycles and Pipelines can often be confused with each other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It consists of the Sales process that define how and when your prospect is engaged. Whereas, Sales Pipeline gives you a view of all your active engagements with prospects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An essential function Pipelines serve, is to make sure you\u2019re engaging with enough prospects to meet your goals. A sales pipeline also has stages, similar to Sales cycles. Sales Pipeline can also be described as a collection of all the deals\/prospects in once place, separated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/build-sales-pipeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pipeline stages<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-is-sales-cycle-important\"><span id=\"Why-is-the-sales-cycle-process-important\">Why is the sales cycle process important?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Without an understanding of Sales cycles, Salespeople are likely to get lost. A lot of communication with prospects might get aimless or too needy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s explore more benefits of having a defined Sales Cycle that can help your team get better at closing deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-Helps-define-next-steps\">1. Helps define next steps<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on what you\u2019re selling, it\u2019s crucial to have a process written down so you can mitigate the consequences in times of uncertainty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever a prospect isn\u2019t moving forward, you should be able to assess the problem and take the required next steps. It\u2019s vital to know at what sales cycle stage the prospect\u2019s stuck, as it will shed light on underlying problems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sales cycle acts as a map for the Sales team to guide the prospects to the next steps in the relationship. It also makes up for a much better experience for the prospect\/customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"2-Helps-measure-efficiency-productivity\">2. Helps measure efficiency &amp; productivity<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Measuring productivity in a sales team is fundamentally only possible because of Sales cycles. Often, a lot of deals in the pipeline aren\u2019t closing and that doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s no progress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a prospect is tagged being at a particular stage, it makes it easier to track their progress within the sales cycle. Being able to measure progress then helps further improve and tweak processes, playbooks, and tools.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zs.com\/-\/media\/files\/publications\/private\/whitepapers\/valuebasedsellingaberdeen.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">a research<\/a>, Attaining Peak Sales effectiveness requires a complex blend of processes <em>(i.e., Sales Cycles here<\/em>) and Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-Increase-in-sales-growth\">3. Increase in sales growth<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The very purpose of the Sales function is to be able to grow revenues for the organization. Having a sales process ensures that you measure how your team is doing and help them improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With an optimized sales cycle in place, you can then scale your sales operations and grow your sales revenues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we&#8217;ve seen how essential Sales cycles are for an organization, let&#8217;s explore all the stages within a typical sales cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7-stages\"><span id=\"7-stages-of-a-sales-cycle\">7 stages of a sales cycle<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the stages in sales cycles supposed to guide your sales activities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"757\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/blog-post-1.jpg\" alt=\"Sales Cycle illustration\" class=\"wp-image-16796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/blog-post-1.jpg 757w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/blog-post-1-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 757px) 100vw, 757px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The following stages are involved in a moderately long Sales Cycle, Ideal for selling both medium and big-ticket products and services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-Prospect\">1. Prospect<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step in the sales journey is to identify your ideal point of contact at your target account. In case you&#8217;re selling to an individual, you probably know the person you&#8217;ll be reaching out to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Identifying the right person comes down to a few key things.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, you&#8217;d need to find the user of your product\/service, who&#8217;ll then help you reach the decision-maker. Before you go out looking for your user, you&#8217;ll have to write down the characteristics using which you&#8217;ll be able to find them. This list of attributes is called the buyer persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve identified your buyer persona, you&#8217;ll need their contact information to begin the engagement process. If you&#8217;re conducting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/outbound-sales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">outbound sales<\/a>, use existing SaaS products purposely built for this. The leads that you capture according to your user persona are called SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"2-Connect\">2. Connect<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve decided to reach out to a lead, your next step should be to analyze where they came from and at what stage of the Buyer\u2019s Journey the lead is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For someone who gave their email after reading a blog probably isn\u2019t the person to sell the product right away, since they never intended to buy. You should keep nurturing these leads with educational content in hopes that they approach you specifically with the intent to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your lead filled up an inquiry form, that indicates a strong intent. In cases like these, you should be quick to follow up with that engagement and carry the conversation to qualify them better. Reach out to them on phone\/email; however, a phone call will help you move forward faster.\u00a0You can also loop in your sales team through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextiva.com\/blog\/workplace-communication-tools.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">workplace communication tools<\/a> like Slack to ensure everyone&#8217;s aligned on the approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Also Read:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/sales-cadence-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Top 10 Sales Cadence Tools I Tried and Tested<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If your lead was captured externally on a web\/social platform, the only option left is to reach out cold. <strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>You can use existing software and <a href=\"https:\/\/clean.email\/blog\/productivity\/ai-email-assistant-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI email apps<\/a> to automate your cold outreach. Writing and converting from Cold email outreach is very tricky and requires you to compose your email stages strategically.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can refer to Saleshandy\u2019s guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/write-cold-email\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">writing better cold emails<\/a> that convert leads into customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/saleshandy.com\/signup\"> Try Cold email outreach with SalesHandy for free<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-Qualify\">3. Qualify<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve gotten a response and have successfully connected with your lead, it&#8217;s time to understand if they&#8217;re worth more of your time. You need to get now to become a prospect from a lead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A prospect is someone who the team has identified as a good fit for the product and have strong buying intent. It is necessary as it helps you prioritize your time across multiple accounts and better understanding your prospects&#8217; business. It will, in turn, help you focus on prospects that are much more likely to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s tricky to be able to analyze prospects for a fit early on, but this is where setting up a better process can help. To do this, try to collect as much data regarding the lead and their business as possible. It makes it easier for you to Qualify them as a prospect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to be able to ask the right questions. Like,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-subtle-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Can the lead buy your product or services?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is he the key decision-maker?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are the problems of the lead? Is your product solving this problem?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does the lead need your solution?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:32px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>These questions should be a way for you to analyze the fit of your product for your leads&#8217; use. If the above question says YES to all the questions, the point is qualified as a prospect. It is worth investing time and moving ahead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you connect with someone who doesn&#8217;t qualify to move further &#8211; try NOT to leave them dry. Give them the reason why you might not see a fit for the relationship. Meanwhile, add them to your marketing communications, so they&#8217;re in the loop for all the updates and releases. These prospects are quite likely to be your future customers\/referrals if you play your cards right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"4-Present\">4. Present<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Since you\u2019ve already qualified your prospect, it\u2019s now that you get to \u201csell\u201d to them. It is accomplished by presenting\/demoing the product specifically for your prospect\u2019s business. The best presentation gives them a taste of your product and helps you move the deal further.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also now need to involve the decision-maker in the account. With all the information you\u2019ve collected from the prospect and your assessments, you\u2019ll need to present a demo with their team formally..&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key here to convincing them is to make sure their interests are aligned. Your prospect needs to know what they stand to gain if the transaction goes through. It could be as insignificant as recognition within their organization internally. Whatever the pitch, remember these should be non-material, organizational goals. Anything else might count for bribery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key to making effective presentations is focusing on the prospect\u2019s business problem and how your product or service can benefit them, not much on your features\/functions. They need to be able to see the impact on their business right in front of them. For instance, if you&#8217;re selling to marketing teams, showing how your platform integrates with <a href=\"https:\/\/skale.so\/seo\/ai-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AI SEO tools<\/a> to improve content visibility and rankings can be a strong selling point. It will be easier for them to make a purchase decision since they\u2019ve seen the value your product brings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"5-Clear-Objections\">5. Clear Objections<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Presentations often might go through without hiccups, as your prospects might need time to evaluate your product thoroughly. Follow up interactions involving contractual negotiations and obligations might be faced with hard-hitting questions and objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These objections often come in the form of last-minute adjustments in prices, feature limitations, etc. Here are a few examples you might see coming<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-subtle-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They need more features for the same budget as new requirements have sprung up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tighter delivery timelines than originally negotiated due to internal problems &amp; affairs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Competitor offering a better price\/value<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Last-minute referral checks and other legal hurdles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The best strategy at this stage is to have quick, open lines of communication and offering the best possible value for all parties involved to move the deal forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your prospects often might start reaching out to your competitors one they\u2019ve received a quote from you. You can safeguard from such behavior either by having them sign clauses or seeking confirmation on not participating in such practices in written form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also highly recommended that you refer to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carew.com\/laer-bonding-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LAER: The Bonding Process<\/a> (Carew International), which provides a useful framework for handling objections of every kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"6-Close\">6. Close<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019re able to get across all the objections, it\u2019s now time to push for the close. It isn\u2019t as easy as it might seem &#8211; prospects might still have unresolved grievances they haven\u2019t disclosed. It might, in turn, extend this stage further than expected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, it\u2019s essential to carry this entire stage delicate and swift once you\u2019ve gotten the verbal nod from your prospect to close. You might want to have internal processes in place to take care of logistics, accounting, reports, etc. Prospect\u2019s organization might have its cycles and processes, so clearly communicate your priorities and procedures to complete the sale in the designated time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deals do drop out at this stage as well, for several reasons which might be beyond your team\u2019s control. It\u2019s crucial to realize the fact, move on while passing on the prospect (now a lead) to your Marketing team so that they can be engaged\/nurtured for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"7-Get-Referred\">7. Get Referred<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your Sales process doesn&#8217;t end at Closing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure better conversion rates on future prospects, get help from your existing customers. Even a moderately reasonable opinion from your customers spread through word of mouth can work wonders. To help this happen &#8211; have a customer success program in place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/industries\/technology-media-and-telecommunications\/our-insights\/introducing-customer-success-2-0-the-new-growth-engine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">said by McKinsey<\/a>, it&#8217;s the new growth engine. After a certain point, the top funnel can only grow so much. It is where your existing customers will passively help you expand your pipeline. They can help you close new deals across new departments within the same organization or others in the same industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from good old word of mouth, try and get your customers to contribute and build your social proof. It can be done by having their permits to use their brand logo on your website, partner on case studies, etc. Good content with Social proof can be of exponential value as it distributes itself over the internet. Also, obtain permission from your clients if they can get on reference check calls for new clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like mentioned earlier, this is possible with a customer success team in place. They will ensure your customers can bring in the best results by onboarding on the product appropriately. Your success team will also become a channel for constant product feedback and improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since now, you know about the premise of the Sales Cycle, let&#8217;s move forward to understand how to optimize and implement your Sales cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"implementing-improving\"><span id=\"Implementing-and-improving-on-your-sales-cycle\">Implementing and improving on your sales cycle<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"Goals-to-set-for-your-Sales-Cycle\">Goals to set for your Sales Cycle<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The goals you set for your Sales cycle have to reflect your organization\/team&#8217;s targets. The simplest way to do this is by working your way backward from your sales targets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> Let&#8217;s say you have a target for $10,000 in closed sales a quarter, with an average ticket size of $1000. It means you&#8217;ll have to close ten accounts. Assuming 1 out of 100 people you reach out to will convert, you&#8217;ll have to reach out to 1000 prospects, which makes your Bottom of the Funnel conversion 1%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re setting up the process for the first time, you might not meet your goals for the first few cycles. Measure what you achieved the first time and improve from there onwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from conversion, you can also set goals for increasing the average ticket size, increasing the quality of your pipeline data, improving NPS, etc.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you better track the goals you set for your Sales process, let&#8217;s now explore the metrics you could use to measure progress towards your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"Metrics-to-track-Sales-Cycle-efficiency\">Metrics to track Sales Cycle efficiency<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the metrics you can use to measure your Sales Cycle\u2019s efficiency:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-subtle-background-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Conversion rates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sales cycle times<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sales yield<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conversion rates<\/strong> between stages are the best way to track sales efficiency. Increasing conversion rates mean there\u2019s room for improvement, but the delta gets smaller every cycle\/quarter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you see your conversion rates stagnate, you can then work on improving your <strong>sales yield <\/strong>(revenue per salesperson) &#8211; better Sales Yield will mean scalable revenue with growth in team size and Top funnel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After conversion rates, <strong>Sales Cycle times<\/strong> are the second-best way to measure your sales cycle\u2019s efficiency. Shorter cycle times will mean more prospects churned through the cycle, hence a better volume of conversions in the same amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve started tracking growth on your Sales processes, you can follow the tips given below to improve your results further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Also Read:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/sales-metrics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4 Important Sales Metrics Every Team Must Track<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"Tips-to-Improve-your-Sales-Cycle\">Tips to Improve your Sales Cycle<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <strong>Tightening the feedback loops<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating feedback loops are the most effective way to iterate new improvements into your Sales cycle. Tightening these feedback loops over time will lead to peak efficiency in your sales process. It will also reduce dependency and make your sales process more predictable and less ambiguous. It will help you save time, run better sales forecasting, and manage customer expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <strong>Automating &amp; reducing human error<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Automating steps of your sales process will help you create an efficient sales cycle. Many businesses choose to outsource web development to streamline their technological infrastructure, which enables you to save time, energy, and anxiety, along with reducing dependency on human intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a consequence, possibilities of errors go down, and cycle times will also have an impact. You can easily automate various steps in sales processes like follow-ups, outreach, etc. using existing tools and services like SalesHandy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/signup\/\"> Sign Up with SalesHandy to Automate your outreach <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Having a quality pipeline<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Filling up your Sales pipeline with better-qualified leads will help you improve your conversions and revenue. Better qualified leads are more likely to respond better, and that alone will massively increase conversions. Webinars can help you generate qualified leads consistently. People who sign up for webinars have already raised their hand and shown interest. Set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getcontrast.io\/learn\/recurring-webinars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recurring webinar<\/a> regularly to build a steady pipeline of prospects who are more likely to convert. On the flip side, bad quality leads\/prospects will negatively impact your reputation, which puts your future deals at significant risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. <strong>Improving post-sales experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Improvements in Post Sales experience will significantly improve your chances of being able to upsell to your existing customers. You\u2019ll also be gaining referrals from them, which are much more likely to convert with much less effort. Post Sales\/Success will help you retain more customers as well, which, combined with an efficient sales cycle, will result in good growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sales-cycle-software\"><span id=\"Top-sales-cycle-management-software\">Top sales cycle management software<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to keep track of prospects in your sales cycle is by using an ideal Sales cycle management software that maintains all your prospect contact and engagement data in once place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of the top-rated Sales CRM software for small to large businesses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"1-Hubspot\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/products\/crm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>1. Hubspot<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hubspot is a free Sales CRM for Small Businesses with all the essential features. You can track your emails, manage contacts, deals, and pipelines. Hubspot is a great CRM for small and medium-sized sales teams getting started with their Sales cycles and processes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned, it\u2019ll be free forever to use; however, integrating SalesHub to send out your emails will need you to subscribe to paid plans after a certain point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pricing:<\/strong> Free<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot-1024x584.jpg\" alt=\"hubspot-home-screen\" class=\"wp-image-16797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot-1024x584.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot-1536x876.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot-1200x684.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/hubspot.jpg 1705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"2-Pipedrive\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pipedrive.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">2. Pipedrive<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pipedrive is a sales CRM built to help teams automate and track their sales processes. It can help you track and automate email &amp; phone communications, manage leads, and analyze your sales cycle to understand your operations better.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pipedrive has a mobile app to help you engage with your prospects and track them on the go. It also has native integrations with over 150 apps and services that help your existing tools and services work seamlessly with Pipedrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pricing: <\/strong>Starts from $12.5\/month\/user <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive-1024x584.jpg\" alt=\"pipedrive-home-screen\" class=\"wp-image-16798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive-1024x584.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive-1536x876.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive-1200x684.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pipedrive.jpg 1696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"3-Zoho\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zoho.com\/in\/crm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">3. Zoho<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Zoho\u2019s Sales CRM is a part of the Zoho family of Apps. If you\u2019re already using Zoho apps in your team, Zoho CRM will integrate well within your workflow. It has an inbuilt AI assistant that can fetch you details for anything that you might want to search with your account.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zoho CRM supports data import from other CRMs and spreadsheets to make migrating from other CRMs easier. They also have apps for iPhone and Android to help you access your CRM on your smartphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pricing: <\/strong>Starts from $12\/month\/user <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho-1024x571.jpg\" alt=\"zoho-home-screen\" class=\"wp-image-16799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho-1024x571.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho-768x428.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho-1536x856.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho-1200x669.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/zoho.jpg 1660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"4-SuperOffice\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.superoffice.com\/crm\/sales-features\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">4. SuperOffice<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SuperOffice is a Sales CRM and engagement solution that enables you to both track and engage with your prospects in one place. It has a website integration that will allow you to chat with your website visitors in real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also create tasks for running your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/sales-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sales engagement<\/a> workflow. SuperOffice has native integrations with Office 365, Outlook, and Gmail. For EU countries looking to host and run SuperOffice on-premise, they also have an option for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pricing: <\/strong>Starts from EUR 45\/month\/user<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie-1024x581.jpg\" alt=\"superoffice-home-screen\" class=\"wp-image-16800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie-1024x581.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie-1536x871.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie-1200x680.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/superoffie.jpg 1709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"5-Keap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/keap.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">5. Keap<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keap is a CRM software with automated outreach features built into it. It automatically greets your new leads with personalized messages. The automated outreach features allow keap to send automatic follow-ups and reminders to your prospects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keap also has a campaign automation tool used to build a highly nuanced engagement workflow across all communication channels. Keap has a massive library of natively integrated apps and services that include AdEspresso, BigCommerce, Leadpages, Intuit Quickbooks, WordPress, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pricing: <\/strong>Starts from $79\/user\/month<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap-1024x593.jpg\" alt=\"keap-home-screen\" class=\"wp-image-16802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap-1024x593.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap-1536x889.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap-1200x695.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/keap.jpg 1674w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"6-Leadsquared\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadsquared.com\/crm-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">6. Leadsquared<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Leadsquared is a CRM software for task management and automated lead segmenting\/qualifying. It sends follow-ups and notifications to the assigned SDRs about respective tasks assigned to avoid delays and slippage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from qualifying leads as per their engagement signals, Leadsquared also spots hot leads and upsell opportunities using the same signs. Leadsquared has its own public API that\u2019ll help it integrate with other supported applications in your workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pricing: <\/strong>Starts from $10\/month\/user<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"leadsquared-home-screen\" class=\"wp-image-16803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared-768x404.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared-1536x808.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared-1200x631.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.saleshandy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/leadsquared.jpg 1681w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\"><span id=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of your sales team\u2019s efforts and yield will be dependent on how you set up your Sales processes and what kind of goals you define for your team. Sales being one of the most important and crucial functions inside an organization, your early decisions regarding the Sales processes will have a significant impact on the organization.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you already have a sales process in place, what are the biggest addressable challenges you see within your team?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p><!-- This site is converting visitors into subscribers and customers with OptinMonster - https:\/\/optinmonster.com --><br \/>\n<script>(function(d,u,ac){var s=d.createElement('script');s.type='text\/javascript';s.src='https:\/\/a.omappapi.com\/app\/js\/api.min.js';s.async=true;s.dataset.user=u;s.dataset.campaign=ac;d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);})(document,153389,'irajtnglgqpozohfq5fq');<\/script><br \/>\n<!-- \/ https:\/\/optinmonster.com --><\/p>\n<p><!-- This site is converting visitors into subscribers and customers with OptinMonster - https:\/\/optinmonster.com :: Campaign Title: In place of subscribe popup --><br \/>\n<script>(function(d,u,ac){var s=d.createElement('script');s.type='text\/javascript';s.src='https:\/\/a.omappapi.com\/app\/js\/api.min.js';s.async=true;s.dataset.user=u;s.dataset.campaign=ac;d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);})(document,153389,'tajlg4xstpybztzp9xrw');<\/script><br \/>\n<!-- \/ https:\/\/optinmonster.com --><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There often comes a state in Sales, especially for new teams, when almost everything seems to be going haywire.&nbsp; You do not see the results you need, not sure why.&nbsp; At the very worst, you wouldn\u2019t know what to do about it and get stalled. Getting in this situation will have a profound effect on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":16794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","is_display_hero_banner_button1":"","is_display_hero_banner_button2":"","hero_banner_button1_text":"","hero_banner_button2_text":"","hero_banner_button1_url":"","hero_banner_button2_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[991],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sales-engagement-hub"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Complete Beginners Guide to Sales Cycle- SalesHandy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you know what is Sales Cycle? 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