DJC Insights
Designing a Single Sales Flow That Scales
Complexity is the enemy of scale. Most sales teams have 10 different ways to close a deal. "If it's a referral, I call them." "If it's a cold lead, I email them." "If they are rich, I buy them lunch."
This is not a system. It's an art project. Art projects don't scale. Factories do.
The Power of One
To build a predictable revenue engine, you need One Flow. Every lead, no matter where it comes from, enters the same pipe.
The 5-Step Universal Flow
- Ingest: All leads (Ads, Referrals, Walk-ins) go into the CRM as "New Lead."
- Qualify: Automated logic or a junior rep filters them. (Good/Bad).
- Discovery: The first meeting. Goal: Diagnosis.
- Proposal: The solution. Goal: Agreement.
- Close: Money changes hands.
Why Deviations Kill Growth
When you allow exceptions ("Oh, he's my cousin, I'll just skip to Proposal"), you break your data. If you skip steps, you cannot measure conversion rates. If you cannot measure conversion rates, you cannot forecast revenue.
Designing the "Happy Path"
- Draw your ideal customer journey.
- Identify the exit criteria for each stage.
- Exit Criteria for 'Discovery': Budget confirmed, Decision Maker identified, Pain Point clear.
- If criteria aren't met, they don't move.
Eliminate Branching
Don't build: "If X happens, then go to sub-process Y." Build: "If X happens, they fall out of the pipe." Focus 100% of your energy on the leads that stay on the main line.
The goal isn't to close everyone. The goal is to close the right people, the same way, every time. That is how you scale from 2 reps to 20.