What is the typical sequence of the Equinox sales process?

• A. Prospecting, discovery, solution mapping, negotiation, formal proposal, close, and onboarding.
• B. Prospecting, discovery, solution mapping, formal proposal, negotiation, close, and onboarding.
• C. Prospecting, solution mapping, discovery, formal proposal, negotiation, close, and onboarding.
• D. Prospecting, discovery, formal proposal, solution mapping, negotiation, close, and onboarding.

Answer: (B)

This sequence tests understanding of a consultative sales flow: you move from finding potential buyers to understanding their needs, then tailor a solution, document it, and finally finalize and enable the customer.

You start with prospecting to identify who may benefit from your offering. Next comes discovery, where you uncover the customer’s real wants, pains, and priorities. With that insight, you perform solution mapping to align a specific approach or product configuration to those needs. After the solution is mapped, you present a formal proposal that lays out the recommended solution, value, and pricing. Then you enter negotiation to finalize terms, followed by closing the deal and onboarding to ensure a smooth implementation and uptake.

Other options disrupt this logical flow: negotiating before the formal proposal relies on guesswork; swapping discovery and solution mapping disconnects the solution from the customer’s actual needs; and proposing before fully understanding the needs or mapping the solution makes the offer less targeted and credible.