If your sales are complex and your sales process is basic, something in that equation needs fixing.
Working out how complex your sales actually are is the first step towards defining the right process for your company. But it makes sense to start with the concept itself: what is a complex sale, and what makes it one?
Complex sales share three characteristics: 1) a high level of commitment and perceived risk, driven by the size of the investment; 2) a long sales cycle, often beyond two months; and 3) several people involved in the decision.
If you sell a high-value product or service, you will recognise all three. Think of software development firms, advanced technology products, industrial machinery, business intelligence services — any offer that represents a significant investment with long-lasting consequences for the buyer.
These sales become complex for straightforward reasons. First, the audience for such solutions is necessarily made up of larger organisations: the only ones able to absorb the cost and with a genuine need for an investment of that size.
Because the investment is significant, the perceived risk is higher. A wrong decision at that level can cost a company a great deal of money. So it is entirely reasonable that the buyer wants to study your proposal carefully, understand the benefits in depth and compare it against alternatives. That process can take months.
The other thing that stretches the cycle is the number of stakeholders. In these companies the decision rarely sits with a single manager or with the CEO.
Instead you are dealing with finance decision-makers assessing the conditions of the investment, technical people signing off on whether the solution fits, and internal influencers who can move the deal forward or derail it entirely.
Put together, that is a group of people your reps have to reach and convince, sometimes indirectly — so it is no surprise that closing takes several months.
By now the contrast is clear: complex sales are the opposite of low-involvement B2C purchases, where one consumer decides alone in half an hour. And the distinction isn’t strictly B2B versus B2C. Even in B2B there are low-involvement sales — a startup trying a social media management tool for a few months, for instance.
What this means for your sales process
It brings us back to why a defined sales process matters. In complex B2B sales, you need a process that equips reps to engage different decision-makers by connecting your benefits to the pain points that matter to each of them.
A good process also lets you replicate what works, sharpening the approach and reducing the risk of a bad decision — for you and for your customer. After months invested in a deal, that is the last outcome anyone wants.
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