The sales cycle is the sequence of phases that a typical customer goes through when deciding to buy something. As a rule, the sales cycle is described from the customer's perspective. The first phase of the sales cycle may be either the customer's perception of a product, or a perception of a need that the product might satisfy. The following steps include research and evaluation; the last step is the customer's decision to purchase the product.
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| To explore how the sales cycle is used in the enterprise, here are some additional resources: |
| Can SFA software shorten the sales cycle?: Find out if sales force automation (SFA) software can shorten your organization's sales cycle. |
| Learning Guide: Effective sales management: Get tips and best practices for effective sales management. |
| Chapter Download: Salesforce.com for dummies: Read a free chapter on Web reporting tools from Salesforce.com for Dummies. |
| Voices of CRM: Sheryl Kingstone on mobile CRM: Learn how deploying mobile CRM can give your sales team an edge in this podcast. |
| Chapter Download: The solution selling technique: Discover the basics of the solution selling sales technique in this chapter excerpt. |
This was last updated in December 2003