Picking the right sales stages for the way you sell is one of the most important elements of a successful sales process.

Whether you’re building your first pipeline from scratch or want to overhaul an existing process, these sales process templates will give you a great head-start.

Simple Sales Process Templates

Complex Sales Process Templates

Customer Nurturing Sales Process Templates

Simple Sales Process Templates

Three-Step Sales Process (aka the Default Process)

Note: This is the bare minimum set of stages for a sales process with few moving parts. In fact, this is the default template in Nutshell’s sales process builder.

QUALIFY
Confirm that the prospect has the budget and need to make a purchase in the near future. Verify that the point-of-contact is the primary decision-maker; if they’re not, determine who else would need to sign off on the purchase.

PITCH
Demonstrate your solution to the prospect, showing how it would improve their life and/or make them more successful. Encourage the prospect to share questions and objections so you can learn more about how to best serve them.

CLOSE
Overcome last-minute objections, make final negotiations, and obtain a signed contract or initial payment to make the sale official. Then, ensure that your solution is delivered to the customer and schedule your first follow-up touches to retain their business.

Simple Outbound Sales Process for Cold Calling

PROSPECT
Find potential leads through online/social media research, networking, and asking current customers for referrals.

MAKE INITIAL CALL
Complete the first touch with a new lead via phone call. Explain the key benefits of your solution and determine if there’s mutual interest.

QUALIFY
Confirm that the prospect has the budget and need to make a purchase in the near future. Verify that the point-of-contact is the primary decision-maker; if they’re not, determine who else would need to sign off on the purchase.

PITCH
Demonstrate your solution to the prospect, showing how it would improve their life and/or make them more successful. Encourage the prospect to share questions and objections so you can learn more about how to best serve them.

CLOSE
Overcome last-minute objections, make final negotiations, and obtain a signed contract or initial payment to make the sale official. Then, ensure that your solution is delivered to the customer and schedule your first follow-up touches to retain their business.

Simple Inbound Sales Process

REVIEW INCOMING LEADS
Analyze new leads to determine which ones are a close customer fit and worth the sales team’s attention.

COMPLETE QUALIFICATION CALL
Complete the first touch with an interested lead to confirm whether or not they have the budget and need to make a purchase in the near future. Verify that the point-of-contact is the primary decision-maker; if they’re not, determine who else would need to sign off on the purchase.

RESEARCH
Gather more information on the prospect in advance of a formal presentation; learn as much as possible about their company operations, desired outcomes, and the specific needs of all stakeholders.

PITCH
Demonstrate your solution to the prospect, showing how it would improve their life and/or make them more successful. Encourage the prospect to share questions and objections so you can learn more about how to best serve them.

CLOSE
Overcome last-minute objections, make final negotiations, and obtain a signed contract or initial payment to make the sale official. Then, ensure that your solution is delivered to the customer and schedule your first follow-up touches to retain their business.

Complex Sales Process Templates

Proposal-Based Sales Process

MAKE CONTACT
Complete the first touch with a new lead via phone call or email. Explain the key benefits of your solution and determine if there’s mutual interest.

QUALIFY
Confirm that the prospect has the budget and need to make a purchase in the near future. Verify that the point-of-contact is the primary decision-maker; if they’re not, determine who else would need to sign off on the purchase.

RESEARCH
Gather more information on the prospect in advance of a formal presentation; learn as much as possible about their company operations, desired outcomes, and the specific needs of all stakeholders.

PITCH
Demonstrate your solution to the prospect, showing how it would improve their life and/or make them more successful. Encourage the prospect to share questions and objections so you can learn more about how to best serve them.

PROPOSE
Prepare and send a detailed proposal covering what you would provide, at what cost and terms, and over what timeline.

GET SIGNATURE
Secure buy-in from the prospect by collecting the signed proposal, and prepare for closing activities.

CLOSE
Overcome last-minute objections, make final negotiations, and obtain a signed contract or initial payment to make the sale official. Then, ensure that your solution is delivered to the customer and schedule your first follow-up touches to retain their business.

Complex Inbound Sales Process

REVIEW INCOMING LEADS
Sort through your new inbound leads, filtering out any that seem bogus or clearly aren’t qualified, and prioritizing the leads that fit your ideal customer profile.

ATTEMPT FIRST CONTACT
Make the first call to a new lead in order to introduce yourself and your company. If you reach the prospect’s voicemail box, explain who you are and mention that you’ll be calling back at a certain day/time.

CONDUCT MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION
Complete the first legitimate phone conversation with a new lead. Explain the key benefits of your solution, determine if there’s mutual interest, and offer to provide materials for further education.

QUALIFY
Confirm that the prospect has the budget and need to make a purchase in the near future. Verify that the point-of-contact is the primary decision-maker; if they’re not, determine who else would need to sign off on the purchase.

SCHEDULE DEMO
Get prospect to agree to a time and place to attend a live presentation of your solution via video chat/web conference.

COMPLETE DEMO
Conduct your presentation and schedule a follow-up contact.

OVERCOME OBJECTIONS
Draw out the remaining roadblocks to making the sale and alleviate the buyer’s concerns regarding how your product offering will meet their needs and budget. Explain how your solution is better for their specific needs than competing solutions that they may also be evaluating.

CLOSE
Obtain a signed contract or payment information to make the sale official. Then, ensure that your solution is delivered to the customer in a timely fashion and schedule your first follow-up touches to retain their business.

PASS TO ONBOARDING
Connect your new customer with an onboarding specialist or your Customer Success team, and ensure that the customer gets everything they need to successfully integrate your solution into their business.

Account-Based Sales Process

IDENTIFY AND PRE-QUALIFY TARGET ACCOUNT
Conduct preliminary research to identify a company that would be an ideal fit for your product or service, in everything from the size of the company to the elements of their business operations that would make your product a valuable addition.

CREATE LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS
Through company website pages and social channels, find out the names of all potential stakeholders who would have a say in the purchase, from sales and marketing staff to departmental heads to C-level leadership.

ASSEMBLE INITIAL STRATEGY
Create your gameplan for the target account, based on what has been successful with similar accounts in the past. Assign stakeholders to your reps, and conduct deeper research to create the personalized content and messaging that the stakeholders will receive.

COMPLETE FIRST ROUND OF CONTACT
Make initial calls and/or send cold emails to everyone on your stakeholder list.

COMPLETE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION
Identify interest from at least one stakeholder, learn more about their current needs, and pitch them on your solution.

SCHEDULE PRESENTATION
Get stakeholders to agree to a time and place to meet for the live presentation of your solution. Include as many decision-makers as possible.

CONDUCT PRESENTATION
Conduct your presentation and schedule a follow-up contact.

OVERCOME OBJECTIONS
Draw out the remaining roadblocks to making the sale and alleviate the buyer’s concerns regarding how your product offering will meet their needs and budget. Explain how your solution is better for their specific needs than competing solutions that they may also be evaluating. Secure buy-in from all decision-makers.

SEND CONTRACT
Deliver a formal agreement to the buyer laying out the details of the sale as you’ve agreed to them in conversation, and make last-minute negotiations.

CLOSE
Obtain a signed contract to make the sale official. Then, ensure that your solution is delivered to the customer in a timely fashion and schedule your first follow-up touches to retain their business.