Chapter 12Loosely Defined Sales Cycle

Each rep on Walt’s sales team has a distinct sales cycle. Julie talks about her “eight-step process” from prospecting to close, whereas Lauren tracks (by Walt’s last count) at least 18 different steps. Peter just “closes when it feels right.” He cannot really define a cycle.

When he was a salesperson, Walt enjoyed the creative aspect of the job. Every one of his peers took a slightly unique approach to working with customers and closing deals. As a manager, he likes working with different personalities.

Considering himself to be more democratic than autocratic, Walt has no interest in stifling his reps’ individual styles. At the same time, he believes the lack of a formalized sales process negatively affects ...

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