Sales and Marketing Process – A Closer Look

Is it an art or a science? In business that question is frequently, and aptly, applied to Sales and Marketing. Good marketing and sales people know how to work the “magic” that creates leads and closes sales. If you ask them how they do it, however, they may not be able to explain it. Many sales and marketing veterans operate through an intuitive feel they have created through observation and experience, but it is not something very easily defined or described.

Sales and Marketing is a Business Process

While Bizmanualz may not be ready to proclaim Sales and Marketing as an art or a science, we are ready to show in this addition to the Bizmanualz Policies, Procedures and Forms product line that Sales and Marketing is a business process that can be understood, controlled, and continually improved through the following practice:

• Define the process
• Understand process inputs and outputs
• Create a plan that implements best practices; set meaningful goals
• Execute the process according to the plan
• Measure key performance indicators of the process that directly relate to goals
• Monitor process measurements for discrepancies between goals and results
• Identify root causes of discrepancies and make corrections to improve the process

This Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach is the foundation of Quality Management Systems such as the ISO Standards, and of defect reduction/continual improvement programs such as Six Sigma. This philosophy of understanding the process and then taking a disciplined approach to planning, executing, measuring, and improving has been successfully applied to business functions like product design, production, and accounting. It is time to apply this disciplined philosophy to the Sales and Marketing operation.

A business has only two functions:
marketing and innovation.
- Peter Drucker

A Disciplined Approach to Sales and Marketing

While a disciplined approach to managing processes is important for all segments of a business operation, it is particularly important to Sales and Marketing. A disciplined approach to the Sales and Marketing process means a relentless, yet reflective, pursuit of numbers. Not reaching sales goals can spell disaster for a business, no matter how great the product, service, and production segments may be. Applying a disciplined process approach to Sales and Marketing means that making the numbers is not left to chance; it is a well thought-out strategy that is continually monitored, controlled, and improved.

Using an intuitive feel to find leads and close sales may be effective enough to keep a business afloat, or even appear successful. However, how well does that approach align with your overall business strategy? Is using intuition good enough for the operating the manufacturing line or handling invoices in accounting?

It is time to stop thinking of Sales and Marketing as a magical black box. It is a business process that is fundamental to the success of your company; therefore, it should be well-defined, under control, and aligned with the overall business strategy. Bizmanualz Sales & Marketing Policies, Procedures, and Forms can help you apply the same disciplined process standards you use in other segments your business to your Sales and Marketing operation.

This week we discussed sales and marketing as a business process. Next week we will discuss coordinating the marketing and sales functions, and aligning them with the overall business strategy.

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Posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 under ISO Quality Management

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Originally published by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title Sales and Marketing Process – A Closer Look.

This and more articles like this can be found at www.bizmanualz.com. This article may be reprinted freely as long as this resource box is left intact.