Sales Process Flowchart: How to Improve a Sales Process (Before & After Process Mapping)

Layla and her husband recently shared with our team a strange experience they had in a sales process at a local climbing gym and it got us thinking – how would we improve this sales process if we were that small business owner?

ClickUp Consultant Layla at ProcessDriven and her alter ego “Bro-la” walk you through the before and after of a potential revamping of a simple retail sales process. Together, we’ll make it just that much better by defining a sales process flowchart and adjusting a few small (but key!) steps.

A Real-Life Sales Process Example

Recently, people have been asking us for more and more real-life process examples. Well, it just so happens we came across a business with a simple process that needed some help.

In this example let’s pretend we are gym owners with a climbing wall. We’ll explain the current, not-so-great process, diagnose the problems, and walk through a potential solution.

The Start (customer walks in) and Stop (customer walks away with a membership)

Like most gyms, when someone first comes in, they need to go to the front desk and sign up for a membership. They walk in the door to kick off the process, and the process ends when they have purchased the membership.

The Current, not so great sales Process

The current sales process at this particular gym looks like this:

• The potential customer walks into the gym and sees three people standing at the desk, chitchatting
• They have to awkwardly butt into the conversation to be acknowledged
• Intital question was “do you climb?” (rather than a question that gauges their skill level)
• The represnetative goes through a complicated, long explanation of allll the potential membership option
• Customer reluctantly selects a random option, overwhemled by the amoung of information just given
• A handful of paperwork is handed to the customer
• Customer then waits awkwardly while the rep inputs information from the paperwork into the system
• Customer then walks away with a membership, but not 100% certain if it was the right choice or if it’s the one that would’ve best suited their needs

As you can imagine, this is not exactly a smooth or anywhere near an ideal sales process.

How to Better Execute the Details Between the Start and Stop

Now, let’s go back through the sales process with some newly-trained employees:

• The customer walks into the gym and one person at the desk immediately welcomes them to the gym and asks what they can help them with.
• Once the customer acknowledges that they’re new and looking to climb, the employee asks for a few more details and offers the best possible membership option for what the customer is looking
• Once they commit to the plan, instead of complicated paperwork, the employee outlines four very clear things they need from the customer to get started.
• The employee offers them a place to sit while they fill everything out so there’s no rush and they’re not holding up other customers who are coming into the gym.
• Once the paperwork is done, the employee gets to typing while the customer goes to get fitted with their climbing shoes and handles the other steps needed to get started
• Then, they give the customer a basic overview of the facility, letting them know where the restrooms are, the expectations of the gym, and that they’re available if they have any questions

Doesn’t that sound like a WAY more pleasant experience? The customer was:

• Acknowledged as they entered the facility
• Geared towards a membership option that was tailored to their needs
• AND walked away with at least the bare minimum knowledge to not feel like a total newbie.

The Key Differences

Let’s talk about what made the second sales process that much more enjoyable:

• Rather than the customer having to start the interaction, right off the bat, the employee engages with the customer as soon as they walk in the door.
• The paperwork and information needed was clearly laid out in the beginning, avoiding the shuffle and having to repeat what’s necessary multiple times
• The employee refrained from just throwing a heap of information onto the customer, and using gym jargon that a new customer isn’t familar with
• The employee proposed a plan that’s a good fit for the customer, easing the burden of figuring out which of the various, complex memberships are right for them
• The customer walked away knowing the basics of the layout, feeling good about their membership option, and ready to confidently enjoy their time at the facility

The slightest changes make the biggest differences!

How to Implement a Change in your sales Process with an Existing Team

Implementing a new sales process can seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be!

The key here is to clearly lay out the expectations for every staff member. This includes verbiage, the flow of the interaction, and how to handle certain questions or concerns. Having a clear and defined outline of what to do in any situation (including “emergencies”) can help your staff feel confident no matter what the customer presents them with.

Making sure staff and volunteers alike understand, have the know-how to make the most of any sales process can easily take a so-so customer experience to a great one.