Mapping the ideal, not the real
If the map describes a process nobody follows, it will be ignored. Start from what happens and improve it.
Free sales template
Sales process steps and process map template
A sales process is the agreed set of steps your team follows to turn a target account into a customer, with an owner and a clear finish line for each step. This template maps ten B2B sales process steps, from building the list to handing the customer to delivery, so everyone from the SDR to the founder knows who does what, with what, and by when.
What it is and when to use it
Most companies have a sales process whether they have written it down or not. The problem with the unwritten version is that every rep runs a slightly different one, so you cannot tell whether a lost deal was a bad fit, a skipped step or a weak seller. Mapping it fixes that.
A sales process map is the written version, laid out as a table. Each row is a step. For each step you record who owns it, what they need before they start, what they do, what must be true before it is finished, which tools they use and how long it should take. The time limit is the column most teams skip and the one that makes the map useful, because it turns slow deals into visible exceptions.
The process is the seller's view: the steps your team takes. The sales cycle is the buyer's view of the same journey, and the pipeline stages are the checkpoints you report on. This template focuses on the process. The sales cycle and pipeline stages templates cover the other two.
Who uses it
Sales managers
Use it to onboard new reps, coach to a specific step and spot where deals wait too long.
Founders
Use it to get the sales process out of your head before you hire your first SDR or AE, or bring in an outsourced team.
SDRs and AEs
Use it as the checklist for your part of the process and the handover rules between you.
The sales process map template
Every section and column, with what to write in each. Use the fill-in version below to type straight into it and copy, print or download the result.
1. The sales process map
Ten steps that fit most B2B sales with an SDR and AE split. Merge or add steps to match your sale.
| Step | Owner | Inputs | Actions | Exit criteria | Tools | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Define targets | Sales lead | Ideal customer profile, territory | Build and tier the account list | List signed off and loaded | CRM, data provider | Days |
| 2. Research | SDR | Tiered list | Find the right contacts and a reason to call | Contacts verified, first line written | LinkedIn, company site | Minutes per account |
| 3. Outreach | SDR | Researched contacts | Calls, emails and LinkedIn touches in a cadence | Two-way conversation, or cadence complete | Dialler, email tool | Cadence length |
| 4. Connect and qualify | SDR | A live conversation | Confirm the problem, role and timing | Meets the qualified meeting definition | Script, CRM | On the call |
| 5. Book and confirm | SDR | Qualified prospect | Book a time, send the invite, confirm the day before | Meeting accepted and confirmed | Calendar, CRM | Within 5 to 7 days |
| 6. Hand over | SDR to AE | Booked meeting | Write the handover note in the CRM | AE has read the note before the meeting | CRM | Same day as booking |
| 7. Discovery | AE | Handover note | Diagnose the problem, map the people and the decision | Qualified opportunity created | CRM, discovery guide | Days |
| 8. Solution and proposal | AE | Qualified opportunity | Demo or workshop, then a priced proposal | Buyer has confirmed budget and approvers | Demo environment, proposal template | Days |
| 9. Negotiate and close | AE and manager | Accepted proposal | Agree terms, handle procurement and legal | Contract signed | E-signature, CRM | Days |
| 10. Hand over to delivery | AE to delivery or success | Signed contract | Kick-off meeting and handover notes | Customer has met the delivery team | CRM, project tool | Within a week of signing |
2. Handover checklists
Most deals that stall do so at a handover. Write down exactly what moves with the deal.
| Handover | From | To | What must be in the CRM | Service level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booked meeting | SDR | AE | Role, stated need, current setup, why they took the meeting, any timing | Same day |
| Closed won customer | AE | Delivery or success | Goals, stakeholders, promises made, contract terms | Within a week |
| Not ready yet | AE | SDR or marketing | Reason, date to recontact, who to contact | At closed lost |
3. Rules of the process
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Qualified meeting definition | Right person, right company, confirmed need, attended. Agree it in writing with whoever books meetings. |
| Lead routing rule | Which AE gets which meeting: by territory, segment or round robin. |
| When to skip steps | For example, an inbound demo request can skip steps 1 to 4 but never steps 5 and 6. |
| Process owner and review date | Who changes the process and when it is reviewed. Quarterly is enough. |
Fill it in online
Type into the template, or load the worked example and edit it. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere: it stays in this browser tab until you copy, download or print it.
Empty fields copy as {{placeholders}} so you can see what is left to fill in.
Worked example
An Australian B2B company using outsourced SDRs. The company is described, not named, and the figures are illustrative.
Worked example: a Perth mining software company
A Perth company sells maintenance planning software to mining contractors and mine operators. It uses an outsourced SDR team calling into WA, QLD and NSW and two AEs who run discovery on site or by video. Before mapping the process, AEs reported that a third of meetings arrived with no notes.
The time limits below are the targets the team set. They are illustrative.
1. The sales process map
| Step | Owner | Inputs | Actions | Exit criteria | Tools | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Define targets | Head of sales | ICP, WA, QLD, NSW | Build 900-account list, tier 60 as Tier 1 | List loaded and washed | CRM, data provider | 10 days |
| 2. Research | SDRs | Tier 1 and 2 accounts | Find maintenance and reliability leaders, site news | Two verified contacts per account | LinkedIn, mine site news | 5 minutes per account |
| 3. Outreach | SDRs | Researched contacts | Eight touches over about 24 days | Conversation or cadence complete | Dialler, email tool | 24 days |
| 4. Connect and qualify | SDRs | Live conversation | Confirm planning pain and role | Meets the definition | Script | On the call |
| 5. Book and confirm | SDRs | Qualified prospect | Book within a week, confirm the day before | Accepted and confirmed | Calendar | 5 to 7 days |
| 6. Hand over | SDR to AE | Booked meeting | CRM handover note | AE has read it | CRM | Same day |
| 7. Discovery | AE | Handover note | Site walk or video discovery | Opportunity created | Discovery guide | 14 days |
| 8. Solution and proposal | AE | Opportunity | Demo with planners, proposal | Budget and approvers confirmed | Demo site | 30 days |
| 9. Negotiate and close | AE and head of sales | Accepted proposal | Procurement and contract | Signed | E-signature | 45 days |
| 10. Hand over to delivery | AE to implementation | Signed contract | Kick-off on site | Customer met implementation lead | Project tool | 7 days |
2. Handover checklists
| Handover | From | To | What must be in the CRM | Service level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booked meeting | SDR | AE | Site, role, current planning tool, the problem in their words, shutdown dates | Same day |
| Closed won customer | AE | Implementation lead | Sites, users, go-live date promised, contract terms | Within a week |
| Not ready yet | AE | SDR | Reason, recontact month, contacts | At closed lost |
3. Rules of the process
- Qualified meeting definition
- Maintenance, reliability or operations leader at a contractor or site with 100+ staff, who confirmed a planning problem and attended the meeting.
- Lead routing rule
- WA meetings to the Perth AE. QLD and NSW meetings to the second AE. Enterprise operators to the founder.
- When to skip steps
- Inbound demo requests go straight to step 5. Referrals from existing customers skip research but still get a handover note.
- Process owner and review date
- Head of sales, reviewed each quarter with the SDR lead.
What to notice
- Writing the handover note into step 6 with a same-day time limit fixed the 'no notes' problem within a month.
- Mining shutdown dates were added to the handover because they decide when a site can change its maintenance planning.
How to use it, step by step
- List what actually happens. Walk through your last five won deals with the people who worked them and write down every step, including the ones nobody talks about.
- Group into eight to twelve steps. Combine anything that is always done together. Each step should have one owner.
- Add inputs and exit criteria. What does the owner need to start, and what must be true for the step to be finished?
- Add tools and a time limit. The time limit is the target, not the average. It turns slow deals into exceptions you can see.
- Write the handover checklists. For every change of owner, list exactly what goes into the CRM and by when.
- Agree the rules and publish. Qualified meeting definition, routing and exceptions. Share the map with everyone who touches a deal, including any outsourced team.
- Review each quarter. Compare actual time in each step with the limit, and change the process where it no longer fits.
Common mistakes
Steps without owners
A step with two owners has none. Name one person or role.
No time limits
Without a limit, a deal waiting three weeks for a proposal looks normal.
Ignoring handovers
The SDR to AE and AE to delivery handovers are where context gets lost. Give each its own checklist.
More sales templates
- SDR onboarding plan templatePre-start checklist, a week-by-week first month, a certification checklist and ramp milestones to day 90.Sales managerSDRFounderPlanningProcessOpen the template
- Sales funnel stages templateMap the B2B sales funnel from target accounts to customers, with volumes, conversion rates and owners at each stage.FounderSales managerProcessPlanningOpen the template
- Sales cadence templateA day-by-day touch plan across calls, email and LinkedIn, with call windows, exit rules and compliance notes.SDRSales managerProcessOpen the template
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In our data from 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, Australian callers booked 1.3 meetings per 100 dials, against 0.3 for offshore teams. Pricing is starting at $7,000 a month.
FAQ
Sales process map template questions
Straight answers from the team that runs outbound for Australian B2B companies.
Still have questions?
Book a 30-minute callA common B2B sales process has ten steps: define targets, research, outreach, connect and qualify, book and confirm the meeting, hand over to the AE, discovery, solution and proposal, negotiate and close, and hand over to delivery.
A table or diagram showing each step of the sales process with its owner, inputs, actions, exit criteria, tools and time limit. It makes the process visible so it can be taught, measured and improved.
The sales process is the steps your team takes. The sales cycle is the buyer's journey and how long it takes from first contact to signature. Pipeline stages are the checkpoints you report on along the way.
Usually eight to twelve. Fewer and steps hide too much; more and people stop following the map.
Give the partner steps 1 to 6 and the handover checklist in writing before launch, including the qualified meeting definition and routing rule. Review the handover notes in the first two weeks.
Review it quarterly. Change it when a step is consistently slower than its time limit or when the data shows deals being lost at the same step.
Need a team to run the plan?
Book a 30-minute call. We will map your market and buyers and show you what a phone-first campaign would book.
Starting at $7,000 a month. Exact fee quoted after a 30-minute call.