Handbook
/
Sales
Building Your Sales Process
A repeatable sales process is how you scale beyond founder-led sales. Here's how to build one.
Eventually, you need to move beyond “I just know how to sell this” to a repeatable process others can follow. Building that process is what allows sales to scale.
Here’s how to create a sales process that works.
What Is a Sales Process?
Definition
A sales process is the repeatable set of steps you follow to take a prospect from initial contact to closed deal.
Good process:
•
Clear stages with defined criteria
•
Known actions at each stage
•
Measurable movement through pipeline
•
Teachable to new team members
Why Process Matters
Without process:
•
Every deal is improvised
•
No visibility into pipeline
•
Can’t diagnose problems
•
Can’t train new salespeople
With process:
•
Consistent execution
•
Predictable pipeline
•
Clear improvement areas
•
Faster onboarding
Defining Your Sales Stages
Common Stage Structure
1. Lead/Prospect
•
Someone who might be a customer
•
Haven’t engaged meaningfully yet
2. Discovery/Qualification
•
Initial conversation completed
•
Confirmed basic fit (BANT or similar)
3. Demo/Evaluation
•
Showed solution
•
Active interest confirmed
4. Proposal/Negotiation
•
Sent proposal or quote
•
Discussing terms
5. Closed Won / Closed Lost
•
Deal completed or lost
Stage Criteria
Each stage needs clear entry criteria:
Discovery stage criteria:
•
Had meaningful conversation
•
Confirmed they have the problem we solve
•
Identified key decision-maker
•
Established timeline
Demo stage criteria:
•
Completed discovery
•
Scheduled demo with right stakeholders
•
Demo completed
Proposal stage criteria:
•
Confirmed interest post-demo
•
Budget discussed
•
Sent formal proposal
Without criteria, stages become subjective.
Exit Criteria
Know when to move out of each stage:
Move forward when:
•
Stage criteria are met
•
Next step is scheduled
Move to Closed Lost when:
•
Explicitly said no
•
Gone dark for [X weeks]
•
Disqualified (no budget, no fit)
Don’t let dead deals linger in pipeline.
Activities at Each Stage
Lead Stage
Activities:
•
Initial outreach (email, call, social)
•
Quick qualification (fit check)
•
Schedule discovery call
Success metric: Discovery call scheduled
Discovery Stage
Activities:
•
Run discovery call
•
Understand situation, problem, impact
•
Confirm decision process
•
Qualify or disqualify
Success metric: Qualified and demo scheduled
Demo Stage
Activities:
•
Run tailored demo
•
Address questions and concerns
•
Confirm interest and next steps
•
Identify additional stakeholders
Success metric: Agreement to proceed, proposal requested
Proposal Stage
Activities:
•
Send proposal
•
Answer questions
•
Handle objections
•
Negotiate terms
•
Get verbal commitment
Success metric: Signed contract
Closed Stage
Activities:
•
Paperwork completed
•
Handoff to onboarding/success
•
Document learnings
•
Request referrals
Building Your Playbook
What to Document
For each stage:
•
Objective of the stage
•
Entry criteria
•
Key activities
•
Questions to ask
•
Common objections
•
Exit criteria
•
Email templates
Overall:
•
Ideal customer profile
•
Qualification criteria
•
Pricing and discounting guidelines
•
Competitive positioning
•
Objection handling responses
•
Case studies and proof points
Start Simple
You don’t need a 50-page playbook on day one.
Start with:
•
Stage definitions
•
Key discovery questions
•
Common objections and responses
•
Email templates for key moments
Add depth as you learn.
Update Constantly
The playbook is never done.
•
Add new objections when you hear them
•
Update what works based on wins
•
Remove what doesn’t work based on losses
Living document, not finished product.
Tools and Systems
CRM
Central system for tracking deals.
Options:
•
HubSpot (free tier)
•
Pipedrive (simple, affordable)
•
Salesforce (enterprise, complex)
•
Close (sales-focused)
What to track:
•
Contact information
•
Company details
•
Deal stage and value
•
Activities and notes
•
Expected close date
Communication Tools
•
Email (with tracking)
•
Calendar (scheduling)
•
Video (Zoom, Google Meet)
•
LinkedIn (for research, outreach)
Automation
•
Email sequences for follow-up
•
Scheduling tools (Calendly)
•
Proposal tools (PandaDoc, Qwilr)
Start simple. Add automation as you scale.
Measuring Your Process
Pipeline Metrics
Number of deals: By stage, total
Pipeline value: Total potential revenue
Conversion rates: Stage to stage
Velocity: Time in each stage, total cycle time
Activity Metrics
Calls made: Quantity and quality
Emails sent: Open rates, response rates
Demos given: Conversion to proposal
Outcome Metrics
Win rate: Closed won / Total decisions
Average deal size: Revenue per closed deal
Sales cycle length: Days from lead to close
Using Metrics
Diagnose problems:
•
Low win rate at proposal stage → Work on proposals or earlier qualification
•
Long time in discovery → Better discovery process needed
•
High fall-off after demo → Demo isn’t landing
Forecast accurately:
•
Historical conversion rates
•
Expected value per stage
Common Process Problems
Deals Stuck in Pipeline
Deals that never move forward or backward.
Causes:
•
No next step scheduled
•
Prospect ghosting
•
Poor qualification
Fixes:
•
Every call ends with scheduled next step
•
Clear follow-up cadence
•
Aggressive disqualification
Unpredictable Pipeline
Can’t forecast accurately.
Causes:
•
Inconsistent stage definitions
•
Poor data hygiene
•
Optimistic deal assessments
Fixes:
•
Clear stage criteria
•
Regular pipeline reviews
•
Honest deal assessment
New Salespeople Struggle
Can’t replicate founder success.
Causes:
•
Undocumented process
•
Tacit knowledge not transferred
•
Insufficient onboarding
Fixes:
•
Document everything
•
Shadow and reverse-shadow sessions
•
Structured onboarding program
Process Is Ignored
You have a process but nobody follows it.
Causes:
•
Process doesn’t match reality
•
Too complicated
•
No accountability
Fixes:
•
Build process from actual winning deals
•
Simplify to what matters
•
Review regularly and enforce
Building Process Iteratively
Phase 1: Observe
Sell and document what you do:
•
What stages do deals go through?
•
What works in each stage?
•
Where do deals die?
Don’t prescribe; observe.
Phase 2: Define
Create first version of process:
•
Define stages and criteria
•
Document key activities
•
Create basic templates
Keep it simple.
Phase 3: Execute
Use the process yourself:
•
Follow the stages
•
Use the templates
•
Track in CRM
Test that it works.
Phase 4: Refine
Improve based on experience:
•
What’s working? Do more.
•
What’s not? Fix or remove.
•
What’s missing? Add.
Phase 5: Train
Teach to new team members:
•
Document in playbook
•
Onboarding program
•
Shadowing and coaching
Process is ready when others can execute it.
Key Takeaways
•
A sales process is repeatable steps from lead to closed deal
•
Define stages with clear entry and exit criteria—no subjectivity
•
Document key activities, questions, and templates for each stage
•
Use a CRM to track deals through your pipeline
•
Measure conversion rates at each stage to diagnose problems
•
Start with a simple process and refine based on what you learn
•
Don’t let dead deals linger—disqualify or close lost aggressively
•
The process is ready to scale when others can execute it successfully
•
Update your playbook constantly as you learn
•
Build process from observation of what works, not theory
AIMake has access to all of this
Our AI has access to the entire Startup Handbook. Ask it anything about building your startup.
Get started →
Next →
Closing Deals: Getting to Yes