From a consumer perspective, sales can feel like a pressure tactic nightmare. From an organizational perspective, sales can feel like a desperate attempt to win someone’s business.

We’ve all witnessed poor sales processes. From the overly pushy car sales rep that seems to pop out of nowhere to the high-energy telemarketer who just won’t stop calling, we know what a bad sales experience feels like.

Sales shouldn’t be a slimy word. 

In truth, sales is an opportunity for businesses to solve key problems — and for customers to have their needs met. 

When you think of it that way, your sales process embodies just how powerful and meaningful sales can be. 

If you’re interested in how to improve your team’s sales process, we’ve got just the article for you. We’re sharing eight ways you can uplevel (and humanize) your sales processes. 

1. Study Up on all Things Sales

It’s tempting to believe you’ve learned everything you need to know about sales. But sales consists of ever-evolving subject matter. While you learn some sales strategies on the ground, others come from study material. 

So, study up on all things sales. Keep an eye on the latest trends and why they're working. Take a deep dive into sales psychology and how to use it ethically. Analyze case studies and reverse-engineer their processes. 

Sales process improvement often begins with understanding the fundamentals and building on them with new knowledge, so before embarking on your educational journey, spend a few moments jotting down any questions you have about sales. Be sure to also write down any challenges you’re currently facing, fears you might be having, and short-term and long-term goals. 

Next, organize everything you've written down by theme, for instance:

• Buyer journey optimization challenges 
• Sales psychology questions
• Relationship building goals
• Customer churn rate fears
• Visibility boosting goals

Then, choose your study resources and schedule study time into your calendar. 

Finally, study up on sales, theme by theme. For instance, focus on customer churn rate fears during week one and buyer journey optimization challenges during week two. 

2. Update your Data Processes 

Your sales outreach processes are only as good as the data behind them.

Would you want someone to try to gain your business if they knew nothing about you? How would you feel if a travel agent offered you a discounted beach bungalow trip to Florida when all you've been wanting is a luxury trip to Paris? Would you still give them the time of day? 

Probably not. 

Even if you did, you probably wouldn’t completely trust them. 

The reason for that is simple - they didn't take the time to understand your needs before they made you an offer. 

Instead of jumping the gun to present you with a trip that doesn't match your needs, the travel agent could’ve:

• Reviewed your travel history to get a feel for the types of trips you like to take
• Sent you a questionnaire with specific questions about your needs 
• Taken a look online for viewing and purchasing habits
• Called you to interview you about your core needs 

See the difference there? The first approach was a random phone call without any data backing it. The second approach was a data-backed strategy informed by the customer’s needs.

The bottom line? It’s crucial to marry your data processes with your outreach processes. In other words, you should back every outreach move with clear customer data and strategy. 

It’s also important to implement quick and easy ways to access that data to avoid information silos. To make faster data-driven decisions, consider using sales process software that facilitates data replication across multiple channels when needed.

3. Periodically Explore New Industry Tools

Some things in sales never change, but sales enablement tools are the opposite - they are rapidly evolving, especially in this age of AI. 

It could be sales process software designed to enhance customer engagement or sales CRM platforms that streamline workflows, or even something as specific as a sales route planner that helps shave precious hours off of the workweek of a field salesperson. 

Whether it has broad appeal or is designed with a niche audience in mind, keeping up with the innovative tools in your industry will give you a competitive edge. 

Here’s an example of a broad or universal sales tool: Gong.io 

Gong.io uses AI to analyze sales conversations, providing sales teams with valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t.

Imagine you are struggling to identify why your team’s close rates have dipped over the last quarter. With Gong.io, you can review call recordings and uncover patterns in customer objections, sales rep talk time, or missed opportunities to upsell. 

For example, the data might reveal that top-performing reps consistently mention a specific product benefit that others overlook. Gong.io turns this insight into actionable coaching opportunities, helping teams refine their pitch, address common objections, and increase win rates. 

It’s a powerful example of how AI-driven tools can optimize the sales process at every stage.

On the other end of the spectrum is a more niche but still invaluable sales tool: Badger Maps.

For outside sales teams, Badger Maps offers a transformative tool that automates route planning, allowing you to cut driving time by 20%. 

Imagine you are juggling 15 different customer visits each day. Without proper planning or the proper tools, you waste hours navigating inefficient routes or missing opportunities to stop by nearby prospects. Badger Maps solves this problem by providing route optimization, real-time data access, and customer management tools - all in one place.  Sales teams that adopt Badger Maps often report saving several hours each week, freeing up time to focus on closing deals and nurturing relationships. In fact, the average team of 10 reps sells $936k more the year they start using the app.

Staying updated on these tools ensures that you’re not falling behind your competition. By regularly exploring new software and platforms, you’ll not only improve your team’s efficiency but also refine your sales process for better results. 

4. Don’t Bury the Lead! 

When visitors land on your website - or any page associated with your business - they need to know what you do and how you can serve them in seconds. 

That’s where your unique selling proposition comes in.

Your unique selling proposition (USP) is a statement that reflects how you help your target customer in clear and simple language. After reading your unique selling proposition, people should understand what your business is about and how you can help them. In other words, don't bury the lead. Put your USP front and center. 

You can add it to the top of your website, in your social media bios, or as a tagline in your email signature. Spread your value everywhere you go so your target clients can find you quickly and easily. This is low-hanging fruit, friends. 

For instance, check out this selling proposition by Kudos:

As soon as you land on its website, Kudos has its selling proposition at the top left in bold. After reading this example, you’re not only crystal-clear about what Kudos does but also want to try it out. The “Add to Chrome” button is a helpful addition, too.

Here’s another example from Badger Maps:

Again, the unique selling proposition is highlighted at the top of the landing page for easy reference and instantly answers the most important initial questions a customer might have. 

What is Badger Maps? The #1 route planner

Who is it for? Field sales and service people

Why is it valuable? Sales teams sell 20 - 25% more

How can it be accessed? Get a demo, a free trial, or watch a 30 second video.

Anyone who reads this will know exactly how Badger Maps can help them. To drive interest and understanding even further, they also include a well-crafted gif of their product in action front and center.

5. Establish a Consistent Brand Image 

Custom branding is pivotal to establishing a brand image that's consistent and recognizable. 

Never underestimate the power of a strong brand image. 

Done right, branding can help you create an emotional connection and a lasting impression with your audience. Done wrong, branding can make your business look unprofessional, inconsistent, and may even encourage your audience to seek out your competitors. 

Is it really that dramatic?

Yes.

Branding is essentially the face of your business. It’s what people remember most when they think about you. So it stands to reason that sales process optimization can often rely heavily on a brand image that inspires trust and reliability. 

One of the most famous companies worldwide, Coca-Cola has preserved its iconic red-and-white color scheme and cursive logo for decades, tying it in with a theme of happiness, togetherness, and refreshment. They can then build memorable campaigns on top of this brand identity. The “Share a Coke” campaign, for example, indubitably capitalized on the idea of bringing people together with refreshments.  

With the right logo, website, landing pages, and marketing tools, you can automate lead generation and relieve your sales team of unnecessary pressure.

Need some resources to help you create a consistent brand image? Check these out:

• To create quick marketing materials, check out Canva
• For all things business formation, check out Tailor Brands 
• For all things website creation, visit Squarespace 
• For social media marketing captions and images, visit Social Curator
• To download fonts, take a look at FontSpace

6. Build Trust with Social Proof 

Oh, social proof. What would we do without you?

From reading Yelp restaurant reviews to comparing product ratings on Amazon, social proof has become a trusted friend. 

Why?

People want to see somebody else succeed before they make the same decision. Real social proof doesn’t lie. And no, bots and spammy comments don’t count.

So, if your favorite business coach recommends a book, would you trust their recommendation? If a veteran contributor to a large online sales forum shares how a CRM tool boosted client retention by 30%, wouldn’t you at least consider checking it out for your own team? 

Yes, and yes. 

The gist? You can leverage social proof to build trust and nurture your audience closer to conversion.

To take advantage of this tip, start by collecting social proof. 

To do this, you can:

• Send polls and surveys to your VIP customers — be sure to ask for permission to use their responses
• Use a social listening tool to collect user-generated content, brand mentions, and visual product
• Request LinkedIn recommendations from current and previous customers
• Request testimonials and reviews from current and previous customers
• Ask your VIP customers to record customer testimonial videos 

You can integrate social proof across all of your marketing channels, including:

• As you embed customer stories into email marketing campaigns
• As videos on Vimeo and YouTube
• As testimonials on your website
• In Instagram Reels and Stories 
• On sales and checkout pages
• As a banner on your website
• During outreach calls 
• In social media posts
• As pins on Pinterest
• In funnel marketing
• In welcome emails 
• On landing pages 

7. Build Connections with Great Stories 

Storytelling has a way of connecting people through emotion, relatability, and personalization like nothing else can. 

So why not start with your brand story?

Your brand story gives your audience a better sense of how you came to be. It is also a prime opportunity to highlight your core values and establish an even deeper connection. You can also use your brand story to show off your personality and establish a consistent image.

Check out this brand story by Stack, a spatial browser app, for example:

Not only does Stack humanize its brand story, but it also uses a fun and engaging tone to further establish its image. This is how it all ties together.

You can also integrate other storytelling tactics into your sales processes, such as:

• Sharing customer success stories in email newsletters
• Including examples or a case study in your guest posts as you generate quality links to improve your rankings and increase sales.
• Sharing transparent thought leadership content on LinkedIn and other social media channels
• Shooting a documentary-style video to highlight one of your products in an upcoming ad campaign
• Using storytelling techniques in your blog posts

Because they may have inherently less face-to-face interactions, the best sales process for B2B or Saas businesses often incorporates storytelling as a way to humanize the brand and create memorable connections. 

8. Conduct a Sales Process Health Check 

And finally, conduct a sales process health check to understand where you can improve and what solutions you need. Then, implement positive changes to refine your sales processes.

To give you a leg up, here’s a checklist you can run through:

• Outline your current sales processes
• Highlight common challenges 
• Highlight common successes
• List your deal breakers
• List your priorities 
• Compare your current processes against the buyer’s journey — are they aligned?
• Create a solution for each common challenge you listed 
• Ask for and implement feedback from previous customers via polls, surveys, questionnaires, and interviews
• Refine your sales processes according to the data and solutions you collected above 
• Train your team on the new processes
• Implement your new processes

A sales process improvement plan like this ensures you’re regularly refining your strategies and aligning them with both your goals and customer expectations. 

Wrap Up 

Here’s a quick recap of the tips we shared today:

1. Study up on all things sales

2. Update your data processes

3. Periodically explore new industry tools

4. Establish a consistent brand image 

5. Build trust with social proof 

6. Don’t bury the lead

7. Build connections with great stories

8. Conduct a sales process health check and implement changes

Sales process optimization is about aligning your strategies with customer needs while staying ahead of industry trends. 

And remember, sales is an opportunity to solve problems, so go out there and help your customers solve their problems.