Okay, but how can I define sales stages that actually fit my business?

As part of your test, we'll walk you through how to specifically define and optimize your own sales stages.

1. To begin, start by thinking about the decision making and buying processes of your customers. How do they think, how do they approach a purchase and what drives these decisions?
2. Write down the matching sales stages associated with your customers' "buying stages". It really shouldn't take you longer than 10 minutes or so.
3. Discuss your sales stages with your entire sales team and get everyone's input.
4. Go through all of your typical sales scenarios and make sure that the sales stages you've defined match with each of them. If this is going to be a group activity, it's better in a smaller group.
5. Review the sales stages with your team. It's vital that they not only understand the stages, but why they're so important. Also, make sure everyone agrees on measuring activity at each stage or pipeline segment.
6. In a month or two, revise the stages once you've got more hard information to work with. If any of the stages are confusing, rename, remove or add new stages to accurately reflect what is really happening with your sales pipeline.

If you'd like to learn more about defining sales stages, check out this post.

Even now, this early in the course, you have the tools necessary to see huge increases in your closing rate and results. If you're not already excited, wait until you see what is to come!