Sales Audits: A Comprehensive Guide to Improving Your Sales Process

Even companies with the best sales processes need to understand what’s going on behind the scenes. That’s where sales process audits come in. Sales audits help identify areas where your company is doing everything right and areas where you need improvement. Quantitative and qualitative information is generated, allowing your management team to plan based on data, trends, and evidence.

TDLR:

• A sales audit allows you to view the inner workings of your sales process in detail.
• Fixing issues in your sales process with a sales audit can significantly increase sales and revenue.

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What is a Sales Audit?

A sales audit, sometimes called a sales process audit, is a deep look inside a company’s sales process and methodology. The review covers all forward-facing staff as well as marketing and management. The audit can find areas where your company is falling behind and which need improvement. The audit also can be a source of good news showing where success is occurring.

Why Should You Conduct a Sales Audit?

It’s essential that, as a company owner or sales manager, you understand how efficient your sales process truly is. By conducting a sales audit, you can correct:

• Inefficient sales process –  A sales audit will speed up your sales cycle by finding inefficient practices and bottlenecks in your operations.

• Communication gaps between teams –  The sales audit can identify where communication is lacking so you can institute functional communication policies.

• Poor training for sales reps – A sales audit can isolate areas in the sales or marketing departments where training does not functionally exist or needs to be revised and updated.

• Unused or misused sales technology –  Your sales audit report can show areas where your tech stack isn’t being used or used to your full advantage..

• Sales forecasting errors –  Using your sales data and other data from your CRM and the sales floor, a sales audit will find areas for improvement.

How Often Should You Run a Sales Process Audit?  

Your company should conduct a sales audit once or twice yearly as needed. This schedule can vary based on the size of your business and how well you are meeting company goals. Sales audits involve time and money, so smaller companies may not be able to run as many audits as their larger counterparts.

Is it difficult to run a sales audit?

The short answer is yes. It is an undertaking that is detailed and requires effort. The payoff for the time invested is that you’ll get a clear picture of your sales process and how you can improve your sales, client services, and other aspects of your company.

25% | A sales audit can improve sales effectiveness by 25% in just 90 days! ⁱ

How long does a sales process audit take?

There’s no set timeframe for a sales audit; the length of time you’ll need depends upon the size of your business and the scope of your audit. However, on average, sales audits can take about three months, including planning, research, and completing the report.

In closing:

Conducting a sales audit is a crucial step toward identifying areas in your company that need improvement and areas where your organization may be falling behind. By taking the time to understand your company, you will discover critical needs and address them with a more efficient and streamlined sales process. Additionally, a sales audit will improve communication between sales, client services, and marketing teams. You should conduct a sales audit once or twice a year to ensure that your company is meeting its goals and staying competitive.

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Leonard Goffe is our resident sales enablement nerd. You can find him writing or behind his camera when he’s not reading about Sales Enablement, AI, and technology.

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