What Is Full Cycle Sales? A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Full cycle sales is a game-changer in the world of B2B sales. By managing the entire sales process from prospecting to closing, sales reps build deeper customer relationships and drive more revenue. But what exactly does full cycle selling entail, and how can you implement it successfully in your business?

In this comprehensive guide, we'll break down the 7 key stages of full cycle sales and share practical tips for optimizing your process. You'll discover the benefits of this powerful approach, like shorter sales cycles and higher win rates. Plus, we'll explore how AI tools can automate repetitive tasks and supercharge your results.

Ready to take your sales to the next level? Let's dive in and uncover the secrets of full cycle selling mastery!

The Basics of Full Cycle Sales: A Complete Overview

Full cycle sales is the end-to-end process of converting a prospect into a customer. It covers every step from initial contact through closing the deal. Understanding the full cycle is key for sales reps to effectively nurture leads and consistently hit their quotas.

In this section, we'll cover:

• What full cycle sales is and how it differs from other sales models
• The benefits of using a full cycle sales process
• The key stages involved in full cycle selling
• The skills and mindset needed to succeed in full cycle sales

1. Defining Full Cycle Sales

Full cycle sales refers to the complete sales process from prospecting to closing. The sales rep handles the entire sales cycle themselves, building relationships with leads, qualifying them, pitching, handling objections, and ultimately getting the customer to sign on the dotted line.

This differs from other sales models where reps may only be responsible for certain parts of the process, such as lead generation or closing. In full cycle selling, one rep owns the deal from start to finish.

2. Benefits of a Full Cycle Sales Process

Using a full cycle sales process offers several key benefits:

• Builds stronger relationships with prospects by having a single point of contact
• Allows reps to deeply understand the customer's needs and tailor the pitch
• Enables more accurate sales forecasting by giving reps full visibility into their pipeline
• Motivates reps by empowering them to control the entire sales process

While it requires reps to be well-rounded, full cycle selling creates a better buying experience and helps reps consistently meet their quotas. Learn how to build a prospect list to start the process effectively.

3. Key Stages of Full Cycle Selling

Full cycle sales can be broken down into these main stages:

1. Prospecting: Sourcing and connecting with potential customers
2. Qualifying: Determining if the prospect is a good fit for your offering
3. Pitching: Demonstrating how your product or service solves their problems
4. Handling objections: Addressing the prospect's concerns and reservations
5. Closing: Getting the prospect to agree to the deal

Reps need to skillfully execute each of these stages to keep deals moving through the pipeline to close.

4. Succeeding in Full Cycle Sales

To thrive in full cycle sales, reps need a diverse skill set that includes:

• Prospecting and lead generation
• Needs discovery and qualification
• Persuasive presenting and pitching
• Objection handling and negotiation
• Closing and deal management

Equally important is having the right mindset. Full cycle selling requires persistence, adaptability, and a commitment to understanding and serving the customer's needs. With the right skills and approach, full cycle sales empowers reps to take ownership and maximize their results.

The key to success in full cycle sales is mastering each stage of the process and seamlessly moving prospects from one step to the next. By understanding the customer and tailoring your approach, you can more effectively guide them to the close. For more tips, check out how to prepare for a sales call.

Next up, we'll dive deeper into the 7 stages of the full cycle sales process and the specific actions to take at each step to consistently win deals.

Breaking Down the 7 Stages of Full Cycle Sales

The full cycle sales process consists of seven key stages that guide a prospect from initial contact to becoming a paying customer. By methodically moving through each stage, sales reps can build relationships, demonstrate value, and ultimately win the business. Let's examine each of the seven stages in detail.

1. Prospecting for Potential Customers

Prospecting involves identifying potential customers that fit your ideal customer profile and gathering their contact information. This is a critical first step, as the quality of your prospects will determine the success of the later stages.

To prospect effectively, define your target customer based on firmographics like industry, company size, and geography. Then use tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or ZoomInfo to find contacts that match that profile. Capture key info like name, title, email, and phone number to enable outreach in the next stage.

Use Bardeen to automate sales prospecting and save time finding high-quality leads.

2. Qualifying Leads to Determine Fit

Not every prospect you identify will be a good fit for your product or service. That's why qualifying leads is a critical next step. The goal is to determine if the prospect has a need you can solve, a budget to buy, and the authority to make the purchase.

To qualify a lead, ask probing questions to uncover their current situation, challenges, and objectives. Listen for trigger events like a change in leadership, strategy, or budget that could indicate a potential opportunity. Disqualify poor-fit leads to avoid wasting time, and focus on prospects with the highest probability of buying.

3. Presenting a Tailored Sales Pitch

Once a lead is qualified, it's time to present your solution in a way that resonates with their unique needs and goals. This is typically done through a customized sales pitch or demonstration.

To craft a compelling pitch, map your product's features and benefits directly to the prospect's stated challenges. Use case studies and customer examples similar to the prospect to make your solution relatable. Focus on the business outcomes you can help them achieve, not just the capabilities of your product. And keep it concise - highlight only the most relevant information needed to get the prospect to take the next step.

4. Handling Common Sales Objections

Objections are a natural part of the sales process. Prospects will likely have concerns about price, timing, fit, or their ability to get internal buy-in. Top sales reps anticipate these objections and are prepared to handle them effectively.

Start by fully understanding the root cause of the objection - is it a lack of information, a misunderstanding, or a valid concern? Acknowledge the objection and reframe it as an opportunity to share additional value. Have case studies, ROI calculations, and reference customers ready to provide proof. Most importantly, ask questions to engage the prospect in problem-solving alongside you.

5. Closing the Deal Successfully

Closing is the most critical stage of the full sales cycle, as all prior efforts lead up to this point. Once a prospect has seen your product's value and is primed to buy, it's time to ask for the sale.

Closing is a delicate balance of being assertive without being pushy. If a prospect seems ready, a simple "Are you ready to move forward?" may suffice. Other times, creating urgency with a limited-time discount or trial offer can spur action. The key is to make it easy for the customer to say yes and to feel confident they're making the right choice.

6. Onboarding New Customers Effectively

Signing the contract is a major milestone, but the sales cycle isn't complete until the customer is successfully onboarded and seeing value from your product. The onboarding stage is critical for setting customers up for long-term success and reducing churn down the line.

Develop a thorough onboarding process that includes training, goal-setting, and regular check-ins. Identify key stakeholders and tailor the onboarding to their unique needs and learning styles. Establish clear milestones and timelines so all parties are aligned. Most importantly, celebrate quick wins to build momentum and reinforce the customer's decision to buy.

Use Bardeen for sales prospecting tools that integrate smoothly with your existing workflows.

7. Following Up Post-Sale to Drive Value

Full cycle sales reps understand that their job isn't done once the sale is made. Following up post-sale to ensure the customer is getting value is key to driving retention, growth, and advocacy.

Schedule regular check-in calls or onsite visits to assess the customer's progress and satisfaction. Proactively share best practices and tips to help them get more value from your solution. Solicit feedback and act on it quickly. And look for opportunities to expand the relationship by cross-selling or upselling additional products when it can help the customer achieve their goals.

Mastering each of these seven stages is the key to sales success. By prospecting strategically, qualifying effectively, presenting persuasively, handling objections deftly, closing decisively, onboarding thoroughly, and following up consistently, full cycle sales reps can win more deals and delight more customers.

Next up, we'll explore how to implement a full cycle sales process in your own organization, including training your team, selecting supportive tools, and measuring your success. You won't want to miss these practical tips for transforming your sales results!

Putting Full Cycle Sales into Practice in Your Company

Implementing a full cycle sales model requires a strategic approach to ensure a smooth transition and successful adoption. By evaluating your current sales process, training your team, investing in the right tools, and continuously optimizing, you can reap the benefits of full cycle sales for your business.

1. Assess Your Existing Sales Process

Before diving into implementation, take a step back and analyze your current sales process from end to end. Identify any inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or gaps that may arise from handoffs between different team members. Look for opportunities to streamline and simplify the process.

For example, if you notice that leads often get stuck in the qualification stage due to lack of clear criteria or slow response times, consider using lead enrichment tools to improve this stage.

2. Equip Your Sales Team with Full Cycle Skills

Transitioning to full cycle sales requires equipping your team with the skills and knowledge to handle every stage of the process effectively. Provide comprehensive training on prospecting, lead qualification, presenting, objection handling, closing, and account management.

Consider bringing in experienced full cycle sales professionals to mentor and coach your existing team. Pair new hires with seasoned reps to shadow and learn the ropes. Ongoing training and skill development should be a priority to keep your team sharp.

3. Arm Reps with the Right Sales Tools

Having the right tools in place is critical for full cycle sales success. Invest in a robust CRM to manage your pipeline, track interactions, and provide visibility across the organization. Sales engagement platforms can help reps automate outreach and follow-up.

Tools for video conferencing, contract management, and content sharing enable reps to engage buyers effectively throughout the cycle. Evaluate your tech stack and consolidate where possible to keep things simple and efficient for your team.

4. Define KPIs to Measure Full Cycle Success

To gauge the impact of your full cycle sales implementation, establish clear metrics and KPIs to track. Key indicators could include sales cycle length, win rate, average deal size, and customer retention.

Set benchmarks prior to rollout and continually measure progress over time. Share results with your team regularly to keep everyone aligned and motivated. Celebrate wins and learn from misses to continuously improve.

5. Continuously Optimize Your Full Cycle Process

Implementing full cycle sales is not a one-and-done endeavor. Your process should be dynamic and adaptable based on results and feedback over time. Schedule regular retrospectives with your team to discuss what's working and what could be improved.

Keep a pulse on industry and market trends that may require tweaks to your approach. Lean into sales automation and AI to enhance your full cycle process as new technologies emerge. Always be iterating and optimizing to stay ahead of the curve.

Full cycle sales mastery takes commitment and continuous improvement. By assessing your process, enabling your team, leveraging the right tools, tracking meaningful KPIs, and optimizing over time, you can maximize the impact of full cycle sales for your business.

Now that you have a roadmap for implementing full cycle sales, let's explore how to quantify the results and ROI of your efforts. Our next section will dive into the key metrics to track for measuring the success of your full cycle sales implementation.

Quantifying the Results of Your Full Cycle Sales Efforts

To gauge the success of your full cycle sales implementation, it's crucial to track the right metrics. By monitoring key indicators like sales cycle length, win rate, and revenue generation, you can quantify the impact of your efforts and identify areas for ongoing improvement.

1. Pinpoint Critical Full Cycle Sales KPIs

The first step in measuring your full cycle sales performance is determining which metrics matter most. Sales cycle length reveals how efficiently reps move deals through the pipeline. Win rate shows how effectively reps close opportunities. Revenue generated ties directly to bottom-line impact.

For example, a SaaS company implementing full cycle sales may focus on metrics like trial conversion rates, average contract value, and customer churn to assess the health of their process from end to end.

2. Implement Full Cycle Sales Reporting Dashboards

With your key metrics identified, it's time to make tracking them a breeze. Set up reporting dashboards that automatically pull in data from your CRM and other sales tools. Configure visualizations that help you spot trends at a glance.

Save time and automate your reporting dashboards with Bardeen's automation tools. Focus on closing deals and let Bardeen handle the data.

By having real-time visibility into your full cycle sales performance, you can quickly diagnose issues and double down on what's working. Dashboards keep your finger on the pulse of your process.

3. Dive Deep to Extract Full Cycle Sales Insights

Dashboards provide a high-level view, but sometimes you need to investigate further. Regularly dig into your full cycle sales data to uncover insights that can inform optimizations.

Look for patterns and anomalies. Perhaps deals tend to stall out at a certain stage, indicating a need for better rep training or collateral. Maybe certain types of leads consistently have a higher win rate, suggesting an ideal customer profile to prioritize.

4. Spotlight Full Cycle Sales Success Stories

Your full cycle sales data can also shine a light on your top performing reps. Analyze the metrics to understand what sets your star sellers apart. What are they doing differently at each stage of the process?

Use these insights to establish best practices. Have top reps share their techniques with the rest of the team. Celebrate wins and replicate success to level up your entire sales org.

5. Link Full Cycle Sales Metrics to Revenue Impact

Ultimately, the success of your full cycle sales implementation comes down to revenue. Track how your efforts move the needle on the metrics that matter to your bottom line.

Calculate the ROI of your initiative by comparing revenue generated to the costs of implementation, such as new hires, training, and tools. Tie your full cycle sales performance directly to business outcomes.

Full cycle sales success is in the numbers. By tracking the right metrics, extracting actionable insights, and measuring the revenue impact, you can quantify your results and continuously optimize your process.

Thanks for sticking with us through this comprehensive guide to full cycle sales! While we covered a lot of ground, becoming a true full cycle sales pro takes practice. Don't get discouraged if you can't implement everything overnight - just keep honing your craft and let the metrics be your guide.

Conclusions

Understanding full cycle sales is crucial for optimizing your sales process and driving revenue growth. In this comprehensive guide, you discovered:

• The fundamentals of full cycle sales and its advantages over other sales models
• The 7 critical stages of the full cycle sales process, from prospecting to post-sale follow-up
• How to successfully implement full cycle selling in your organization
• Measuring the impact and ROI of your full cycle sales efforts

Don't let your competition outpace you - automate sales prospecting or risk leaving money on the table!