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Cases

Ohjelma
Bike Lease Finland

Bike Lease Finland

Leasing and maintenance of employee bicycles, digital services.

Ohjelma
Excelence Solutions

Excelence Solutions

Consulting and data analytics, expert services and consulting.

Ohjelma
Finnish Timber Oy

Finnish Timber Oy

Ecological log buildings and construction site processes, project business.

Ohjelma
Green Scape

Green Scape

Customized green wall services for B2B clients, service business.

Ohjelma
Marine Craft

Marine Craft

Customized motorboats, project delivery, manufacturing industry.

Ohjelma
Scandinavian Design

Scandinavian Design

Leasing and maintenance of company bicycles, digital services.

Task

Sales Process Stages



In this task, the student organizes the case company's sales process step by step from the first contact to closing the sale and post-sale customer relationship management. They describe what happens at each stage, what the seller does, and what the customer needs, and identify the most critical stages for success. Finally, the student suggests development actions and considers how marketing could support sales at different stages. The task helps to understand the sales process as a whole and its greatest success points.

Learning objectives

After completing the task, the student:
1. Can describe the case company's sales process stages from the first contact to closing the sale and post-sale management.
2. Identifies the most critical stages of the sales process and can justify why they are important.
3. Understands the perspectives of the seller and the customer at different stages.
4. Can suggest practical ways to develop sales and the sales process.

Step by step

  1. Stages of the sales process

    Objective:
    The objective of this assignment is for the student to understand the case company's sales process as a whole and to identify its key stages. The goal is to recognise the points in the process where sales success is particularly critical and what should be done well at those points.

    Material:

    • The selected case company's case description from the learning material.

    • The assignment is based on the case description and justified assumptions about how sales typically progress in the case company (e.g. contact, meeting, proposal, contract, delivery).

    Assignment process (instructions for the student):

    1. Briefly describe what the case company sells and to whom
      Begin with a 5–8 sentence background section:

      • what products or services the case company sells

      • who its typical customers are (consumers, business customers, public sector, etc.)

      • whether sales occur mainly face to face, online, by phone or as a combination.
        This provides the basis for describing the sales process.

    2. List the main stages of the sales process from first contact to follow up
      Draw or write a step by step chain of how sales progress, for example:

      • prospecting / lead generation

      • first contact (phone call, email, meeting, online form)

      • needs assessment

      • solution presentation and handling objections

      • proposal and negotiation

      • closing the deal (agreement, order)

      • delivery and implementation

      • follow up and upselling.
        You may adjust the list to fit the case company's situation. Write a few sentences about what happens in each stage.

    3. Describe in more detail what the salesperson does in each stage
      Choose 4–6 of the most important stages from your list and deepen them:

      • what sales tasks are included in the stage (e.g. asking questions, tailoring the solution, preparing the proposal)

      • what the customer thinks and needs at that stage

      • what typical challenges may arise (e.g. customer not responding, delays with the proposal, unclear needs).
        Write a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) for each stage.

    4. Identify the most critical stages of the sales process
      Select at least two stages that are particularly crucial for the case company's success (e.g. needs assessment, closing or follow up).
      Explain:

      • why this stage is critical (e.g. most drop offs, greatest impact on customer experience)

      • what must be done especially well for the customer to move to the next stage

      • what tools or support salespeople need to succeed (e.g. question frameworks, proposal templates, systems).

    5. Reflect on how marketing supports the different stages of the sales process
      Write about ½ page on how marketing can support sales at each stage.
      For example:

      • what types of content and materials are needed (brochures, reference stories, website content)

      • how marketing can provide more qualified leads to sales

      • how follow up can be supported (e.g. newsletters, customer satisfaction surveys).

    6. Summarise the sales process “on one page”
      Write a final 5–7 sentence summary that:

      • briefly describes the main stages of the sales process

      • identifies the 2–3 most critical stages and the key improvement suggestion for each

      • explains how sales and marketing could together improve the process.

    Submission and evaluation:
    Submit a text of approximately 1–2 pages that includes:

    • a background description of the case company's sales (what is sold and to whom)

    • a clear, step by step description of the sales process

    • a more detailed description of the selected key stages

    • the identified critical stages and justifications

    • a concise summary and improvement suggestions.

    Evaluation will focus on how well you:

    • structure the sales process as a logical whole

    • identify the critical points for sales success in a practical way

    • include the customer's perspective

    • present improvement suggestions that fit the case company's situation

    • write clearly and in a structured way.

    Recommended working time: about 45–60 minutes, individually or in pairs.

Tasks by audience and theme

University of applied sciences

Polytechnics and higher education studies.

68 tasks