Sometimes the things that seem so basic and obvious are the most overlooked. I’m often asked about what it takes to succeed in sales, in business.
The ability to create efficiency through pattern identification in markets is how you create value. Or, at least that’s one of the way to create it.  
Going a step further, the ability to put in place a funnel, create volume, identify conversions through that funnel and manage an iteration process is what it takes to succeed. 
At it’s most basic level, a funnel looks like the following for each department:
Marketing
Advertisement
Eye ball
Lead 
Sales
Lead
Demo
Close 
Customer Success
New client
Calls and success metrics
Retention
HR
Candidate
Interviews
New hire
Mailmunch lies out a beginner's sales funnel in the image below. This can be applied across departments when setting yours up.

Almost everyone in L.O.B. (line of business) is using a funnel. Sales, Marketing, Success, and typically Recruiters are deploying funnels in order to hit specific targets/outcomes. Once you understand that your decision maker is just like you, you will understand that a business person is like someone panning for gold. They put sand and dirt in the top of their funnel, all with the intention of finding little bits of gold after sifting down the funnel.
This gold is then used to fuel the business. If you operate in L.O.B. or want a job in that area the first thing you should do is understand your goals and metrics at each level of the funnel (including volume and conversion rates).
Once you have this, you are ready to starting panning for gold. Everyone is looking for gold and everyone loves to find a fellow miner and share mining stories.
So understand your funnel, or talk to someone who does and let’s get the gold!
Happy Huntin'
Gabe