Sales · 5 stages · about 38 weeks
Sales and business development roadmap
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- 1
Beginner · about 6 weeks
Communication and product knowledge
What to learn
What sales really is: Good sales is solving problems, not pushing products.
A salesperson finds people who have a problem, understands it, and shows how a product can help. If the product does not fit, a good salesperson says so. Customers buy again and refer others when they trust you.
Clear spoken communication: You will talk to customers all day, by phone and in person.
Speak slowly, use short sentences and avoid words the customer may not know. Use the language the customer is most comfortable in, whether English, Hindi or a local language. Practise saying your opening lines out loud until they sound natural.
Listening: Customers tell you what they need if you let them talk.
Active listening means giving full attention, not interrupting and repeating back what you heard ("So the main problem is late payments, right?"). Take notes during calls. A good rule is to let the customer speak more than you do.
Product knowledge: Customers trust people who know the product well.
Learn what your product does, who it is for, its price, and how it is different from competitors. Turn each feature into a benefit: "automatic GST invoices" becomes "saves 2 hours every week". Know the limits of the product too, so you never promise what it cannot do.
Knowing your customer: Different customers buy for different reasons.
An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a short description of the customer who gets the most value, such as "kirana shops with 2–10 staff in Tier 2 cities". Learn their daily problems, budget and who makes the buying decision. This tells you whom to call and what to say.
Professional habits: Being on time and following up builds trust.
Reply quickly, join calls on time and send what you promised. Dress and speak in a way that fits your customer. Small habits like a polite thank-you message after a meeting make a big difference.
Tasks
Project
A one-page product sheet in Canva or Google Docs: who the product is for, the problems it solves, key benefits, price, and answers to 5 common questions, tested on 2 real people.
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Free resources
- 2
Beginner · about 6 weeks
Finding customers: prospecting, calls, email and LinkedIn
What to learn
Prospecting and lead lists: You need a steady list of people to talk to.
A lead is a person or business that might buy. A prospect is a lead you have checked and who fits your ideal customer profile. Build lists in Google Sheets with name, business, phone, email, source and status, and only use contact details gathered in a fair and legal way.
Cold calling: Phone calls are still one of the fastest ways to reach Indian businesses.
A cold call is a call to someone who does not know you yet. Say who you are, why you are calling and ask for a small next step, like a 15-minute meeting. Expect many "no" answers; that is normal, so track your numbers and keep improving your script.
Cold email and WhatsApp messages: Written messages reach busy people who do not pick up calls.
Keep messages short: one line on their problem, one line on how you help, and one clear question. Personalise each message, for example by mentioning their shop or recent post. Never spam, and stop when someone asks you to.
LinkedIn for sales: Most business buyers in India are on LinkedIn.
Make your profile clear: a good photo, a headline about who you help and a short summary. Connect with a short personal note, comment usefully on posts and share helpful content. Selling straight away in the first message usually fails.
Follow-up: Many deals close only after several follow-ups.
Plan your follow-ups: for example day 2, day 5 and day 10 after the first contact. Each follow-up should add something useful, like a case study or answer. Polite persistence works; pestering does not.
Rules on calling and messaging: Spam calls can lead to complaints and penalties.
India has rules against unwanted commercial calls and messages, managed by TRAI, including the Do Not Disturb (DND) registry. Personal data is also protected by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Follow your company policy and check the latest rules before running any calling campaign.
Tasks
Project
A one-week outreach campaign: a lead list of 50 prospects, call script, message templates, follow-up plan and a results sheet showing calls, replies and meetings booked.
Free resources
- 3
Intermediate · about 8 weeks
Discovery, demos, objections and closing
What to learn
Discovery questions: You cannot sell well until you understand the problem.
A discovery call is a meeting where you ask questions to understand the customer. Ask about their current process, what is not working, what it costs them and who decides. Frameworks like BANT (budget, authority, need, timing) help you check if the deal is real.
Product demos: A good demo shows the customer their own problem being solved.
Do not show every feature. Show the 2 or 3 features that solve the problems they told you about, using examples from their business. End with a clear next step, such as a trial or a proposal.
Handling objections: Objections are questions, not the end of the deal.
Common objections are "too costly", "not now" and "we already use something". Listen fully, ask a question to understand the real worry, then answer with facts or a customer story. Keep a written list of objections and your best answers.
Proposals and pricing: A clear proposal makes it easy for the customer to say yes.
A proposal sums up the problem, your solution, price in rupees (with GST shown clearly), timeline and terms. Keep it short and use the customer's own words. Know which discounts you are allowed to give before the meeting.
Negotiation: Most deals need some give and take.
Know your walk-away point, the lowest deal you can accept, before you start. Trade, do not just give: a discount in return for a longer contract or faster payment. Stay calm and polite, and aim for a deal both sides are happy with.
Closing: Deals do not close by themselves.
Closing means asking for the decision clearly, for example "Shall we start on the 1st?". Confirm the next steps in writing: who signs, how payment is made and when. If the answer is no, ask why and leave the door open.
B2B and B2C selling: Selling to a business is very different from selling to a person.
B2B (business to business) sales usually involve several people, longer decisions and bigger amounts. B2C (business to consumer) sales are faster and more emotional, like selling a phone or a course. Learn which one your job is and adjust your approach.
Tasks
Project
A full mock sales cycle for one customer: discovery notes, a tailored demo outline, an objection list with answers, a one-page proposal and a follow-up email confirming the close.
Free resources
- 4
Intermediate · about 6 weeks
CRM, pipeline and targets
What to learn
What a CRM is: Every serious sales team records its work in a CRM.
A CRM (customer relationship management) system stores contacts, companies, calls, emails and deals in one place. Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho CRM are common in India. HubSpot has a free CRM you can practise on.
Sales pipeline and stages: A pipeline shows where every deal stands.
A pipeline is the list of open deals, grouped by stage such as New, Qualified, Demo done, Proposal sent and Won or Lost. Moving each deal to the right stage keeps your forecast honest. Clean old deals out every week.
Sales metrics: Numbers show what is working and what is not.
Track activity (calls, meetings), conversion rates (how many leads become deals) and outcomes (revenue, average deal size). Conversion rate is the share of people who move to the next step, for example 10 meetings from 100 calls is 10%. Use these numbers to improve, not to fake activity.
Targets and forecasting: Managers plan the business from your forecast.
A target or quota is how much you are expected to sell in a month or quarter. A forecast is your honest guess of what will close. Work backwards from your target to know how many calls and meetings you need each week.
Time management: Sales has many distractions and few hours.
Block fixed times for calls, follow-ups and CRM updates. Focus first on deals that are big and likely to close. Update the CRM right after each call, while you still remember the details.
Reports in Sheets or Excel: You will often need to show your numbers to a manager.
Learn to export CRM data and build a simple report with filters, SUMIF and a pivot table. Show trends such as meetings per week and win rate. Keep reports short and clear.
Tasks
Project
A working practice CRM with a defined pipeline, 20 contacts, 5 deals at different stages, a weekly activity plan based on a target, and a one-page weekly report.
Free resources
- 5
Expert · about 12 weeks
Key accounts, strategy and leading a sales team
What to learn
Key account management: A few big customers often bring most of the revenue.
A key account is a large customer that needs special care. Learn to map everyone involved, understand their business goals and plan how to grow the account over a year. Regular reviews and quick problem-solving keep them from leaving.
Upselling and renewals: Keeping and growing customers costs less than finding new ones.
Upselling means offering a bigger plan or extra product when it really helps the customer. Renewals are when contracts are extended. Watch how customers use the product, and act early if usage falls.
Channel and partner sales: Partners can reach customers you cannot reach alone.
Channel partners are distributors, resellers or agents who sell your product, often in other cities or states. You train them, support them and share revenue. Clear contracts and regular follow-up keep partners active.
Go-to-market and territory planning: Senior sales people decide where and how to sell.
Go-to-market (GTM) means the plan for which customers to target, through which channels and at what price. Territory planning divides regions or industries between sales people fairly. Use data from your CRM to decide, not only gut feeling.
Coaching and leading a team: Managers succeed through the success of their team.
Listen to team calls and give specific, kind feedback. Run short weekly pipeline reviews and help with stuck deals. Hire for honesty and curiosity, and train new people with clear scripts and role-plays.
Sales ethics: Lying to close a deal destroys trust and can break the law.
Never promise features, results or prices you cannot deliver. Do not hide charges, pressure vulnerable people or misuse customer data. Ethical selling builds long-term customers, referrals and a good name in the market.
Tasks
Project
A sales plan for a small company entering a new city: target customers, territory, channels, pricing, monthly targets, CRM pipeline setup, a key account plan and a team coaching routine.
Free resources