Understanding the benefits of having a sales model, let’s explore the different elements of a sales model that every company should include.
Depending on the business type, a sales model should consider the following elements:
| # | Element | Brief Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business Model | The foundation of everything |
| 2 | Inventory | What you sell |
| 3 | Work Process | How you operate |
| 4 | Purchase Cycle | How the customer buys |
| 5 | Conversion Funnel | From visitor to customer |
| 6 | Sales Cycle | Your team’s steps |
| 7 | Tone of Voice | How you communicate |
| 8 | Work Tools | CRM, email, etc. |
| 9 | Marketing | How you attract customers |
| 10 | Business Meeting | The key moment |
| 11 | Closing & Production Handoff | The final agreement |
| 12 | Retention & Customer Service | Keeping them coming back |
1. 🏢 Business Model
The first thing to consider in a sales model is the company’s business model. From it we learn everything:
- Value proposition: What do we offer?
- Target audience: Who do we sell to?
- Sales channels: How do we reach them?
- Customer relationships: How do we interact?
- Partner relationships: Who helps us?
- Key metrics: What do we measure?
- Cost structure: What do we spend?
- Revenue structure: How do we make money?
Related article: Check our post on Business Model for deeper insights.
2. 📦 Inventory
Organizing our products and services is essential for better control of our inventory and, simultaneously, our cost and revenue structure. In some cases, storage and logistics are elements to consider within our inventory.
Types of inventory we can organize:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Raw materials | Basic production inputs |
| Work in progress | In elaboration, not yet finished |
| Finished products | Ready for sale |
| Anticipation products | For forecasted demand |
| Batch products | Group production |
| Consignment products | With third parties for sale |
| Obsolete products | Damaged or unsellable |
| Safety stock | Backup inventory |
| Cyclical products | Seasonal items |
Inventory periodicity:
Inventory can be measured periodically:
- Monthly
- Bimonthly
- Semiannually
- Annually
Always at the beginning and end of each period to maintain organization.
3. ⚙️ Work Process
Whether we need one person or an entire team to deliver our products and services, we must be clear about the steps each person takes.
Practical example: Coffee shop or Pizzeria
- Cashier: Takes order and processes payment
- Kitchen: Receives order and prepares food
- Waiter: Notifies customer and delivers order
To optimize work effectiveness, these steps must be well understood by the production team.
Stages for performance analysis:
- Documentation: Write down each process step
- Measurement: Evaluate times and quality
- Analysis: Identify improvement areas
4. 🔄 Purchase Cycle
The purchase cycle is a 3-phase process through which consumers make purchases:
The 3 phases of the purchase cycle:
Phase 1: Discovery
The customer identifies a problem or need. In this stage, they search for general information and ask: “What options exist?”
Phase 2: Consideration
They evaluate different alternatives. They compare prices, features, reviews, and opinions from other users.
Phase 3: Decision
They choose the option that best fits their needs and make the purchase.
5. 🎯 Conversion Funnel
A conversion funnel is a series of stages that intercepts a person in the purchase cycle. Its goal is to convert those people into customers.
Conversion funnel stages:
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| Visitor/Approach | Person who learns about your company for the first time |
| Prospect | Shows initial interest in your products or services |
| Sales Qualification | You evaluate if they have potential to become a customer |
| Marketing Qualification | You analyze their behavior and interactions |
| Sales Opportunity | They are ready to buy, just need to close the deal |
| Customer | They make the purchase and begin the business relationship |
6. 📈 Sales Cycle
A sales cycle consists of the steps to sell our products and services.
Sales cycle steps:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Approach | Initial contact with the prospect (inbound or outbound) |
| Information exchange | Understand their needs and present solutions |
| Agreement | Negotiate terms, conditions, and prices |
| Payment | Complete the economic transaction |
| Delivery | Deliver the contracted product or service |
| Service | Provide post-sale support |
Approach types:
- Inbound: Customer comes to you through content, social media, or referrals
- Outbound: You actively seek the customer through calls, emails, or visits
7. 🗣️ Tone of Voice
“It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Tone of voice refers to how you communicate with your customers.
Tone of voice examples:
| Tone | Ideal for… |
|---|---|
| Formal | Corporations, professional services, B2B |
| Casual | Youth brands, lifestyle, social media |
| Serious | Sensitive topics, legal services, health |
| Transparent | Building trust, ethical brands |
| Inclusive | Reaching diverse audiences |
| Cheerful | Consumer products, entertainment |
| Passionate | Cause-driven brands, entrepreneurs |
8. 🛠️ Work Tools
We must know the tools we’ll use and become familiar with them, as they facilitate and streamline our work processes.
Essential tools:
| Tool | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Computers / Cloud | Google Workspace, Dropbox | Storage and collaborative work |
| Business email | Google Workspace, Outlook | Professional communication |
| CRM | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive | Customer management and tracking |
| Presentations | Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides | Show value propositions |
| Sales script | Internal document | Standardized team guide |
| Social Media | LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook | Prospecting and brand building |
| Point of Sale | Shopify, Mercado Pago, terminals | Payment and invoicing |
9. 📢 Marketing
Now that we know everything about our company, products, services, and their benefits for customers, it’s time to seek our ideal client, focusing on our target audience.
Prospecting strategies: White Hat vs Black Hat
| Strategy | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| White Hat | Messages sent with recipient consent | Newsletters with voluntary subscription, contact after content download |
| Black Hat | Messages sent without consent | Spam, purchased databases, unsolicited calls |
⚠️ Important: Know the benefits and drawbacks of implementing messaging campaigns like mass email (newsletters).
Prospecting channels:
| Channel | Description |
|---|---|
| Acquaintances | Personal and professional network |
| Social media | LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook |
| Search engines | Google, Bing |
| Directories | Google Maps, industry directories |
| Events | Fairs, conferences, networking |
Popular marketing strategies:
- Content Marketing: Blogs, videos, podcasts to attract audiences
- SEO: Search engine optimization
- Social Media Marketing: Organic and paid posts
- Email Marketing: Newsletters and automations
- PPC: Pay-per-click advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads)
- Influencer Marketing: Collaborations with content creators
- Marketing Automation: Automated workflows
- Affiliate Marketing: Commissions for referred sales
- Events and Experiences: Brand activations
- Relationship Marketing: Customer loyalty building
Marketing campaigns
Campaigns are action plans established within a strategy. They consist of a series of publications with specific objectives.
Campaign objectives:
- Sales: Generate direct revenue
- Traffic: Drive people to your website
- Community: Build a loyal audience
- Brand: Position your name in the market
10. 🤝 Business Meeting
It’s necessary to prepare each business meeting to resolve all client questions and handle their objections.
Points to cover in a business meeting:
| Point | Description |
|---|---|
| Presentation | Who we are, what we do, and our experience |
| Project understanding | Listen actively to the client and their needs |
| Introduction | Meeting context and objectives |
| Proposal | Present our value solution |
| Negotiation | Adjust terms, prices, and conditions |
| Closing techniques | Guide the client toward the purchase decision |
11. ✅ Closing and Production Handoff
Once an agreement is reached, depending on the business type, it can close with a payment and purchase ticket or with a service contract.
Post-closing steps:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Contract signing | Formalize the legal agreement |
| Payment | Complete the economic transaction |
| Payment receipt | Deliver invoice, ticket, or receipt |
| Account setup | Register the client in internal systems |
| Work process | Begin execution of the product or service |
| Delivery | Deliver the final result to the client |
12. 💖 Retention and Customer Service
Once a sale is closed, our focus should be on building customer loyalty. Therefore, the quality of the product/service and customer service must be the best.
Customer service tasks:
| Task | Description | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Customer support | Resolve questions and problems | Daily |
| Periodic follow-up | Check how things are going and offer support | Weekly/Monthly |
| Sending tips and added value | Share useful content for their business | Biweekly |
| Sending news and new products | Keep them informed of updates | Monthly |
Benefits of retention:
- ✅ Lower acquisition cost (it’s more expensive to get new customers than retain existing ones)
- ✅ Loyal customers buy more and more frequently
- ✅ They recommend your business to other potential customers
- ✅ They provide valuable feedback for improvement
- ✅ They stabilize your long-term revenue
✅ Conclusion
The elements of a sales model work together to create a system that turns prospects into customers and customers into promoters of your brand.
Summary of the 12 key elements:
- Business Model – The foundation on which you build everything
- Inventory – What you have to sell
- Work Process – How your team operates internally
- Purchase Cycle – Understanding how your customer buys
- Conversion Funnel – The conversion stages
- Sales Cycle – The steps your team follows
- Tone of Voice – How you communicate with the market
- Work Tools – What you use to sell
- Marketing – How you attract new prospects
- Business Meeting – The key moment of the sale
- Closing and Production Handoff – The final agreement
- Retention and Customer Service – How you keep them
Does your sales model already include all these elements?
