Structuring the sales function of an SME: processes, sales pitches and steering

Situations calling for structuring the sales function

• Revenue depends on a few people, without a method shared within the team.
• Prospecting proceeds according to availability, for lack of a defined process and action plan.
• Management has no steering of collections and no sales dashboard.
• Each salesperson presents the offer in their own way, without a sales pitch adapted to priority segments.
• A growing services company organises a sales team of fewer than twenty people.
• The team’s interpersonal skills remain uneven, and no upskilling plan exists.

Process

1. Onboarding. The client first acquires the intake form CV-19. ASKonsult then opens the secure exchange space, which hosts all documents and exchanges.
2. Synchronous scoping. A first 60-minute videoconference session sets revenue objectives and priority segments. It also identifies the constraints specific to the team.
3. Asynchronous collection. The client completes the form and provides sales and invoicing histories. In parallel, the team completes an interpersonal skills self-assessment, and written questions flow in both directions.
4. Analysis and correction. The firm’s in-house engineering team then formalises the prospecting process, the sales pitches and the sales dashboard. A second 90-minute session then brings the sales team together in a workshop, by videoconference.
5. Synchronous delivery. A third 90-minute session finally closes the process. ASKonsult delivers the validated sales set-up and steering tools there.

Deliverable

The deliverable for structuring the sales function first includes a formalised sales process. It then brings together sales pitches by segment and a quarterly prospecting plan. The Business management kit is also part of the deliverable; ASKonsult configures it for the team. Finally, an upskilling plan extends the self-assessment conducted during collection. ASKonsult delivers the whole set, corrected and validated, at the debrief session, at the end of a four- to six-week process.

Prerequisites

The process first requires the completed form CV-19 and twelve months of sales history. The sales team also takes part in the workshop during the second session. Finally, management informs the employees concerned by the self-assessment in advance, in accordance with Law No. 09-08. The indicative timeframes run from receipt of a complete file.

Frequently asked questions

How is the quote for the package established?

A prior qualification exchange precedes the quote. This exchange covers, in particular, the size of the sales team and the number of segments. The special terms then set the scope, timetable, number of sessions, expected documents and deliverable. The order then follows from the accepted quote. In addition, the start date is set out in the special terms, according to the firm’s schedule.

What share of the work takes place in sessions?

Three synchronous sessions, four hours in total, mark the stages of structuring the sales function. The first, lasting 60 minutes, frames the objectives. The second, lasting 90 minutes, takes the form of a workshop with the team. The third, also lasting 90 minutes, provides the debrief. Between these sessions, collection and written questions take place asynchronously, through the secure exchange space.

What is the purpose of the intake form CV-19?

The intake form CV-19 first structures the information needed for the package. It qualifies the need and prepares the collection that the analysis will draw on. During scoping, the clarification session then specifies how to complete it. Finally, ASKonsult corrects the form during the analysis phase, in order to steer the work towards the deliverable.

Does the team’s data remain confidential?

ASKonsult treats the information and documents provided as confidential, including sales histories and self-assessments. These elements circulate only through the secure space and serve solely the purposes of the package. This obligation also survives the end of the relationship. In addition, informing self-assessed employees in advance meets the requirements of Law No. 09-08.

Does the package include prospecting or recruitment?

No. The package organises the sales set-up, but it includes neither prospecting on behalf of the client nor the recruitment of salespeople. Likewise, configuring customer relationship management software falls outside the service. The client’s team therefore conducts prospecting itself, using the tools and sales pitches provided.

What follow-up can be considered after the package?

When the need for support becomes recurrent, the Steering subscription (A-02) takes over. It offers regular support for day-to-day questions and the checking of directions. The Business management kit, already configured, then serves as the basis for monitoring activity. However, the client remains the sole decision-maker on the sales directions adopted.

Out of scope

Structuring the sales function does not include prospecting on behalf of the client. It also excludes the recruitment of salespeople. Configuring customer relationship management software likewise falls outside the package. Finally, the service is subject to an obligation of means: no guarantee covers the level of revenue achieved.