Agility: Why it’s Important in Sales and Business
Guest Blog by Andrew Lisa
Although we hear the term used more and more in the business community lately, the concept of “agile business” is nothing new. Having a flexible business model that works in real time to adapt to the constant changes and marketplace evolution has always been the goal of business. Adaptive systems that allow businesses to behave in a predictable way, even in the face of mighty challenges, is imperative in the modern business world.
Nowhere is the concept of business agility more important than in the world of sales.
Agile Business in the Realm of Sales
The agile business strategy has never been more important than it is in the world of sales and marketing. Training for this environment is of the utmost importance if your sales techniques are going to be as agile as your business goals are lofty. As discussed in “How Syncsort Became Agile,” software is often at the center of an agile business strategy developed for sales.
CRM
Your business’s customer relationship management – or CRM – system is your most powerful tool in honing sales techniques that are designed for agility in sales. By managing your interactions with both current and potential customers, you can harness the total of your customer data to work in a predictive – not reflexive – fashion with customers you already have, as well as customers you hope to land. CRM is the bridge between sales and marketing training and real-world business agility.
The Hand-off
The crucial space between marketing and sales – called the hand-off – is the most pivotal point in any business. Where marketing ends and sales begins is the place where the most adaptive ability – agility – is required. This is true for both the marketing team handing off the ball, and the sales team picking it up. No matter how well honed your sales techniques are, success is fleeting if your marketing team isn’t just as agile as the closer – and vice versa.
Agile business is the opposite of bureaucracy.
Agile business is a loosely defined and complex term. But basically, if the concept of bureaucracy had an opposite, it would be the concept of agile business. The removal of red tape – so that small teams or even individuals can function independently and engage in perpetual meetings to keep everyone informed – is the heart of agile business. Could you think of anything more important to success in sales?
Andrew Lisa is a freelance business writer. He covers small business management and modern sales techniques.
Following the above tips will leader you to the Smooth Sale!
Read Addtional Strategies and Techniques:
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press
