Sales and buyer journey overview

The buyer journey is the recommended operating sequence for guiding a person from initial interest to an active customer account and post-sale relationship. It is not one automatic workflow. Staff must verify information, assign ownership, record outcomes, and complete the correct business process at every stage.

The most important principle is that each stage represents a different level of commitment and evidence. Interest is not qualification; a site visit is not a reservation; a reservation is not a payment; an application is not approval; and approval is not a completed contract or sale.

Journey at a glance

Stage	Primary owner	What must be true	Record that should be current	Normal next step
Inquiry	Sales coordinator	A buyer has contacted Wamule or submitted a form	Inquiry/application and lead context	Assign owner and make first contact
First contact	Assigned sales staff	Buyer identity and interest have been confirmed	Lead activity and next action	Qualification conversation
Qualification	Sales staff	Need, lot interest, intended use, payment context, and readiness are understood	Lead stage, notes, owner, follow-up	Verified lot discussion or site visit
Lot discussion	Sales staff	Staff have checked current inventory and reservation context	Lead preferred lot and Lot record	Site visit or continued qualification
Site visit	Sales/field staff	Visit is scheduled or completed with an outcome	Site Visit and lead activity	Follow-up, alternative lot, or reservation review
Reservation	Authorized operations staff	Buyer and lot meet the hold criteria	Reservation, lot context, owner, expiry	Deposit/readiness and application work
Deposit review	Sales + Finance	Expected proof or funds are being reviewed through separate operational and financial processes	Reservation/deposit status and Payments	Verified payment or follow-up/expiry decision
Application	Authorized reviewer	Submitted information, lot, completeness, and duplicate context have been reviewed	Application and linked lead	Request information, approve, or decline
Customer creation	Administration	Authorized approval and correct buyer identity are confirmed	Customer and linked application	Contract preparation
Contract	Administration/management	Approved terms, lot, price, deposit, dates, and document process are confirmed	Contract and signed document	Payment setup and post-sales handoff
Payments and collections	Finance/collections	Transactions and obligations are recorded and verified	Payments, requests, statement, collections history	Ongoing account administration
Post-sale	Operations	Required customer, agreement, document, payment, and project tasks are owned	Post-sales checklist and tasks	Completion and long-term follow-up

Stage 1: Inquiry and lead creation

A new inquiry should become controlled work quickly. Staff should search for an existing buyer, review duplicate context, assign an owner, and record the first next action.

Minimum outcome:

• buyer can be identified and contacted;
• source and interest are recorded;
• duplicate records have been reviewed;
• an owner is assigned; and
• first contact has a due date.

See Inquiry to lead and Public inquiry to lead SOP.

Stage 2: First contact and qualification

Qualification is a conversation, not a checkbox. Staff should understand:

• what type of lot or project the buyer wants;
• intended use;
• location or size preference;
• timing;
• relevant budget or payment-plan interest;
• whether a site visit is appropriate; and
• what information the buyer still needs.

Do not promise approval, financing, availability, or a final price before the appropriate record and decision are verified.

Stage 3: Lot discussion

Before discussing a specific lot as available:

1. Open the lot record.
2. Confirm project and parcel number.
3. Review Available, Reserved, or Sold status.
4. Check active reservation context.
5. Confirm approved price and basic parcel information.
6. Record the discussion in the lead.

The lead's preferred-lot field records interest; it does not control inventory.

Stage 4: Site visit

A site visit should have a date, assigned staff member, property/location context, and outcome. After the visit, record what the buyer saw, their feedback, lots discussed, and the next action.

Do not create a reservation simply because a visit was scheduled or completed.

Stage 5: Reservation

Reservation is a temporary operational hold. Before creating it, confirm the buyer, lot, approved hold period, expected deposit, owner, and expiry process.

During the hold:

• monitor expiry;
• follow up on buyer commitments;
• review proof separately from payment verification;
• avoid overlapping reservations; and
• preserve release/extension reasons.

Stage 6: Deposit review

Deposit-related work often involves two parallel lanes:

• Operational lane: the reservation tracks what is expected and when.
• Financial lane: Payments records the actual verified transaction.

Sales should not tell a buyer the deposit is financially confirmed until Finance has verified and recorded it according to procedure.

Stage 7: Application review

The reviewer should verify identity, linked lead, duplicate context, preferred lot, completeness, acknowledgements, and payment-option context. Any AI review is advisory.

Only an authorized human may approve or decline. The decision and its supporting notes should be preserved.

Stage 8: Customer and contract

After approval, Administration should confirm the correct customer record, lot, price, deposit, installment terms, start date, due day, and document process.

Customer creation does not automatically mean:

• the contract is signed;
• the payment schedule is active;
• a deposit was reconciled;
• the lot should be marked Sold; or
• post-sales work is complete.

Each downstream record must be reviewed separately.

Stage 9: Payments and collections

Finance records verified transactions and reviews receipt, proof, reference, authorization, customer, and contract context. Collections uses those records to prioritize due and overdue work.

A customer promise or sent request does not alter the ledger. A payment must be verified and recorded.

Stage 10: Post-sale management

Post-sale work can include agreement readiness, document collection, payment setup, collections handoff, account updates, and other project tasks. Every task should have an owner, due date, completion criterion, and blocker where needed.

Ownership and handoffs

At each handoff, record:

• current status;
• latest verified outcome;
• new owner;
• next action;
• due date;
• unresolved risk; and
• linked records that must be reviewed.

A handoff is not complete when a message is sent. It is complete when the new owner has sufficient context and the platform reflects the change.

When a buyer moves backward

The journey is not always linear. A buyer may:

• change preferred lot;
• miss a reservation deadline;
• need more application information;
• pause before contract;
• dispute a payment; or
• return after being inactive.

Use the truthful current status. Preserve earlier history and create the next appropriate action instead of forcing the buyer to remain at an inaccurate later stage.

Example end-to-end scenario

A fictional buyer, Nadia Training, submits an inquiry for Lot 5.

1. Sales reviews duplicate context and assigns the lead.
2. First contact confirms Nadia wants a residential lot and a site visit.
3. Lot 5 is checked and found Reserved; verified alternatives are discussed.
4. Nadia visits Lots 7 and 8 and selects Lot 8.
5. An authorized reservation is created with a clear expiry and expected deposit.
6. Nadia sends transfer proof. Finance verifies and records the payment separately.
7. Her application is reviewed and approved by an authorized human.
8. The correct customer is created and contract terms are checked.
9. The signed contract is uploaded; payment setup and collections handoff are confirmed.
10. Post-sales tasks are assigned and completed with evidence.

At every stage, the responsible record is updated before the buyer is described as having advanced.

Common journey failures

• Lead has no owner or next action.
• Buyer is promised a lot without current inventory verification.
• Site visit is mistaken for a hold.
• Reservation remains active after expiry without explanation.
• Proof is treated as payment.
• Application approval is assumed from an AI review.
• Customer or contract is created under the wrong buyer or lot.
• Payments are recorded without checking for duplicates.
• Collections contact is made from a stale balance.
• Post-sales tasks are marked complete without evidence.

Suggested training media

Screenshot space: Add a sequence of eight small screenshots showing the same fictional buyer at Lead, Site Visit, Reservation, Application, Customer, Contract, Payments, and Post-Sales stages. Keep the buyer and lot consistent across every image.

Diagram space: Replace or supplement the existing buyer-journey diagram with a swimlane diagram for Sales, Administration, Finance, and Operations. Show handoffs and mark the human-verification gates.

Diagram space: Add a “not the same thing” comparison: Site Visit ≠ Reservation; Reservation ≠ Payment; Application ≠ Approval; Approval ≠ Contract; Proof ≠ Reconciliation.

Video space: Record a 12–15 minute end-to-end Nadia Training scenario. Show each record transition, who owns it, the evidence required, and the point where the next team takes responsibility.