Do salespeople need agility?

If you ask most salespeople what they think their job is, they will say, "help customers close the deal." It sounds like common sense. After all, sales are a business of selling products and services. Salespeople have to follow up on leads and close deals, no matter how long it takes. How then do salespeople get skills that help them close more deals? There are several answers to this question, but we need to first look at what exactly these skills are.

In every organization, there is a process or system that allows people to move through the sales process. These processes are usually formal (in the form of rules or procedures) and formalized in an organizational setting such as a department, store, or corporation. The process may include hiring practices, creating formal job descriptions, and training and development.

All of these practices have one thing in common: They create formal systems that enable people in various positions to move from point A to point B. Sometimes these systems are consciously enforced by senior management to prevent the creation of a damaging work environment or other kinds of abuses of power. Other times, the implementation of these practices is merely done away with by the business. Either way, the effect is the same: people are required to follow up with customers after the sale. This system of follow-ups is called agility.

Agility in action starts when people know how to follow up after the sale. There are multiple factors that determine how good a salesperson can be at this. For example, a person's personality may play a role. It has been shown that some salespeople naturally like to close more deals, while others prefer to talk their way out of a bad situation. Another thing that affects this quality of a salesperson's performance is his ability to quickly adapt. In order to make full use of his speed, a salesperson needs to know how to make his decisions based on current market conditions.

To be able to adapt quickly, a salesperson needs to know what kind of follow-ups a customer wants to take. He also needs to know how quickly to make changes in his tactics if necessary. He should know the difference between closing more calls and closing fewer calls. In addition, he must know that follow-ups are most efficient. These decisions and practices are collectively known as agility.

A business that does not practice agility will find itself struggling to stay in business. Companies that are forced to adopt the non-agility model will have less success than those that choose agility. This is because salespeople are forced to follow up when they do not want to. When salespeople are given the freedom to pursue their own interests, however, they are much more productive. This is the opposite of what most business owners want: for their salespeople to work only when they are wanted.

So, do salespeople need agility? Yes, but they need to be allowed to choose their pace. This does not mean that every salesperson has to run as fast as the next person. Nor does it mean that each salesperson should never slow down. Just allow them to follow up when they are wanted.

If you want to boost your sales, you must give your salespeople the freedom to choose their own pace. Give them permission to follow up whenever they want. Then, give them an incentive to stick with their own pace. If a salesperson can achieve this through careful planning and practice, then you know that do salespeople need agility.

But if you already have a product or service that is so in demand that it is hard to keep up with demand, then you know that agility does not need to be yours. Instead, you need to learn to control your sales and let customers make their own demands. Once you do that, you will find that you are much more productive than your competitors. After all, it is better to sell to someone who is completely happy with their decision than to get angry at a customer who is only temporarily unsatisfied. And finally, in the case of a physical product, it is better to sell something to someone who is physically ready to buy than to send out a mail order to a person who may never even have ordered a product from you before.

In short, do salespeople need agility? Yes, absolutely. But, you also need to be willing to control your own pace. Allow your salespeople to follow up on leads, but stay right there at the table when they are making the sale.

Agility is great but doesn't overdo it. This means leaving the supervisory end to your salespeople. They are your best chance for controlling the pace of your sales process. Learn to read your sales leads and ask them what kind of information they are looking for. Let your salespeople use their own judgment and style, but remember to always keep them on track.

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