How to Build an AWESOME Sales Process Flowchart

A sales process flowchart shows the ideal journey your prospect should take from stranger to satisfied customer. It breaks down your sales cycle into clear stages with specific actions, decision points, and outcomes.

This visual tool standardizes your approach so everyone follows the same playbook. New team members can quickly understand the entire process, simplifying the training process.

Plus, you can spot bottlenecks and fix them before they cost you sales. It perfectly syncs your sales, marketing, and customer service teams.

Sales Process Flowchart vs. Sales Pipeline

Don't mix these up. They're different tools with different jobs.

Sales Process Flowchart:

• A map of ideal customer interactions
• Your "this is how we sell" reference guide
• Shows the path a prospect should take
• Displays what "should" happen in perfect conditions

Sales Pipeline:

• A live tracking system for your actual deals
• Your sales forecasting dashboard
• Shows the real-time status of opportunities
• Displays what "is" happening right now

Understanding the importance of building a successful sales pipeline can greatly enhance your sales tracking and forecasting.

Smart sales teams use both tools together as part of their overall sales development process. This combination leads to smoother processes, better forecasting, and more wins.

Advantages of Using Sales Process Flowcharts

Sales process flowcharts can improve sales performance in several key ways. Implementing a structured sales approach ensures consistency and efficiency.

Enhancing Operational Efficiency with Sales Process Flowcharts

When you map out your sales process visually with a sales process flowchart, everyone follows the same proven path. Flowcharts simplify onboarding and reduce miscommunication, helping new team members quickly understand the sales process.

Studies have found that companies with standardized processes and effective sales strategies see improvement in productivity. Connect your flowchart with your tech stack to create an even smoother workflow and further improve sales efficiency.

Improving Customer Engagement through Sales Process Flowcharts

When your team follows a clear roadmap, your customers get a better experience. No prospect is overlooked, and team handoffs occur smoothly.

By mapping every stage of your customer's path with a sales process flowchart and incorporating customer engagement strategies, you can pinpoint exactly where to add value. Personalized communication is key to customer satisfaction. Harvard Business Review reports that companies delivering consistent service quality across all channels see higher customer satisfaction scores. 

Identifying Bottlenecks and Opportunities with Sales Process Flowcharts

One of the biggest wins? Sales process flowcharts highlight where deals slow down. These insights can help boost conversion rates.

Common trouble spots include fuzzy lead qualification, slow approval processes, inconsistent follow-up systems, and typical B2B sales challenges. Once you see these problem areas clearly, you can fix them directly.

Designing Your Sales Process Flowchart

Start with real data, not assumptions. Dig into your CRM data and talk to your sales team to build something that is validated through results.

Initial Research and Data Gathering for Your Sales Process Flowchart

Before you draw a single box or arrow, collect the hard data:

1. CRM Data Analysis: Look closely at where prospects convert (or don't), how long deals typically take, and win/loss patterns. Analyzing customer behavior helps you identify areas to improve.
2. Sales Team Feedback: Ask the people on the front lines through one-on-one conversations about what happens. Your sales reps know things your CRM can't tell you.
3. Performance Analytics: Use your CRM's reporting to find which sales approaches work best and what influences deal size.

Mapping the Sales Cycle in Your Sales Process Flowchart

Now that you have real data, map out your sales cycle in your sales process flowchart.

Identify key stages like Lead Generation (utilizing lead generation tools), Qualification, Needs Assessment, Proposal, Negotiation, Closing, and Post-Sale Follow-up. Mark the decision points where prospects either move forward or exit.

Show exactly where leads move between teams or team members. These transitions are often where leads disappear.  Consider how your process changes for different customer segments or products. Your flowchart might need parallel paths to show these differences.

Customizing Your Sales Process Flowchart for Your Business Needs

Tailor your sales process flowchart to fit your specific business. For finance, healthcare, or other regulated fields, build in necessary compliance steps and documentation requirements.

Include stages for technical validation or proof-of-concept demos for complex products. Add unique steps that your industry requires, like property viewings for real estate.

Steps to Create an Effective Sales Process Flowchart

Start by building your flowchart based on real-world data, not assumptions, to ensure it works in practice.

Step 1: Define Objectives and Scope of Your Sales Process Flowchart

Begin by clearly understanding the purpose of creating this sales process flowchart. Are you trying to cut down your sales cycle? Train new hires faster?

Make your goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Then decide exactly what your flowchart will cover. Will it map the entire journey or focus on a specific part, like qualification?

Step 2: Develop a Draft of Your Sales Process Flowchart

Sketch out each step from start to finish using standard flowchart symbols. Rectangles for action steps, diamonds for decision points, ovals for start/end points, and arrows showing direction.

Use tools like Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, or Draw.io which offer templates and drag-and-drop simplicity. Alternatively, you can explore the best flowchart software for small businesses to find the perfect fit.

These make updates easy when you need to tweak your process.

Step 3: Optimize and Collaborate on Your Sales Process Flowchart

Get your sales team involved in reviewing your draft sales process flowchart. Their daily experience sells more than any theory.

Look for tasks you can automate, especially repetitive ones like data entry and follow-up emails. For example, add automated lead scoring to help reps focus on the hottest prospects first.

Step 4: Validate and Implement Your Sales Process Flowchart

Test your sales process flowchart against real customer journeys before rolling it out to everyone. Run through scenarios of both won and lost deals to make sure your flowchart covers what actually happens.

Create a clear plan to train your team on the new process. Set up specific metrics to track how well your flowchart is working, like conversion rates at each stage and overall sales cycle length.

Schedule regular reviews to refine your sales process flowchart based on performance data. Your sales process should adapt as your business grows and evolves.

Examples of Sales Process Flowcharts

Here are three sales process flowcharts tailored to different business scenarios.

Example 1: Simple Sales Process Flowchart

For businesses with shorter sales cycles or straightforward products, a basic B2C sales process flowchart works perfectly. This streamlined approach typically includes Lead Generation, Qualification, Initial Contact, Needs Assessment, Proposal, Handling Objections, Closing, and Follow-up.

This works beautifully for businesses where decisions happen quickly with one or two decision-makers. Think retail stores or small service businesses.

One benefit is that this simple flowchart allows your team can see the entire customer journey at a glance.ven basic sales processes can boost conversion rates by up to when teams actually follow them.

Example 2: Advanced B2B Sales Process Flowchart

For complex B2B sales with longer cycles and multiple decision-makers, you need a more detailed roadmap. This includes stages like Stakeholder Mapping, Technical Validation, Legal Reviews, and Implementation Planning.

This more detailed sales process flowchart fits industries like enterprise software, consulting services, or manufacturing equipment. The advantages include a complete map of your complex sales terrain and clear ownership of each stage across teams.

When selling enterprise software, you might need to convince the IT team on technical merits, the finance team on ROI, and the end users on usability. Your flowchart needs to account for all these parallel conversations.

Example 3: Industry-Specific Sales Process Flowchart Adaptation (Legal Services)

Here's how to customize a general flowchart for a particular industry, such as legal services:

It starts with Lead Capture and Initial Consultation, then moves through unique steps like Conflict Check, Fee Agreement, Case Strategy Development, and eventually to Case Resolution and Follow-up.

This specialized sales process flowchart addresses unique elements like conflict checks and retainer agreements. The benefits include compliance steps your industry requires and alignment with client expectations in your field.

Additional Resources

Want to go deeper with sales process optimization? Here are some excellent resources to help:

Flowcharting Software Tools

Free Options:

• Draw.io: A flexible online diagramming tool that's surprisingly easy to use
• Lucidchart: Offers a free starter plan with basic flowchart features

Paid Options:

• Microsoft Visio: The professional standard for detailed process mapping
• SmartDraw: Comes with sales-specific templates ready to customize

Books on Sales Process Design

• The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge
• Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler
• Sales Process Excellence by Michael J. Webb

Online Courses

• Salesforce Trailhead: Free courses on sales process management and CRM optimization
• Coursera's "Sales Strategy" specialization by Northwestern University

Smith.ai Resources

For improving your customer communication processes:

• Smith.ai Blog: Fresh articles on sales optimization and customer service best practices
• Smith.ai Webinars: Live and recorded sessions on business communication and sales process improvement

From screening inquiries to routing qualified leads, the AI Receptionist from Smith.ai helps support key touchpoints in your sales process, especially in early stages like lead qualification and follow-up.

Book a free consultation to explore how it fits into your current workflow.