In this article, we examine why an agile sales team is key to succeeding in a more diversified and technology-driven business landscape. We explain what changes you can make right now, as well as the importance of a universal and effective sales methodology.
Having an agile way of working has become something of a buzzword in recent years. Increased supply, accelerated by new technology, fiercer competition and cost savings are driving the need for organizations to work agile across all areas of operations to maintain margins in the ever-changing business landscape. Against this background, agile sales can be seen as a new and trendy concept. But it's not really that simple.
Why sales should be agile - the foundation of successful sales leadership In general, skilled salespeople have always worked more agilely than their less successful peers, especially when it comes to more complex sales. The connection between successful sales organizations and agile working methods has existed for several decades.
Why? Mainly because no two customers are the same. Customers' needs are highly variable, influenced by their own goals and internal culture - above all in their decision-making group. The requirements for a product or service that a customer started with at the beginning of a purchase process can change as the decision group gets closer to the point when a (purchase) decision needs to be made.
To be persuasive and engaged with each customer and to have the ability to create and build value - not just for the person in front of you - but for everyone involved in the decision making team. In addition to this, a skilled salesperson also needs to constantly keep track of internal and external changes that can change the specific business opportunity. And to be skilled is to work agile.
Below we have listed 8 abilities that can help you develop an agile way of working. When used together, they unlock deeper customer understanding and a clearer picture of what it takes to win business without eating into profit margins or undermining product quality.
This is essential reading for salespeople, sales managers, and anyone interested in better sales results and higher returns.
Work agile in your sales - how do you do it?
Active listening
Flexible communication
Question technique
Knowledge
Assertiveness
Consider everyone in the customer's decision-making team
Negotiation
Agile selling: 8 skills to improve your sales
01. Active listening Each customer has their own perception of how they experience what agile sales should be. Understanding what this means is necessary if the salesperson is to be able to communicate effectively. It's not something that most customers generally think about, so it can be difficult to explain. The seller simply has to try to figure it out. The most essential skill in agile selling is therefore listening. That means absorbing every word the customer uses and how they choose to communicate their thoughts. A few years ago, a charity was having problems with its fundraising team. When a specialist at Huthwaite asked them to describe their fundraising team, they talked about low performers, average performers and high performers. They used a derogatory term to describe the high achievers but not with the other two groups.
When this came to light, it became clear that the organization had no experience of working with commercially skilled high performers. There were difficulties in communicating with their most skilled "salespeople". Active listening was important and gave them insight to find the right solution going forward. Key point: Are your salespeople actively listening to their customers and finding out what selling agile means to each of them?
02. Flexible verbal behavior It is important to have a deep understanding of how customers use their language - but it is also important for the seller to choose the right words when they speak. This is often unconscious. Many skilled salespeople would not be able to tell you what makes them successful, or they attribute their success to something that, upon closer inspection, is not what they actually do.
This is what we call a perception gap and this is why Hutthwaite's methodology is based on observational studies - and not just the consultative skills that many of our colleagues in the industry use. Research shows us that the gap in perception is much smaller among knowledgeable salespeople as they are fully aware of their language use.
The good news is that you can train people to become more aware of their language use and close the gap yourself. Even better, as people become more self-aware, they can make choices and adjust their verbal behaviors to be more effective. We call it flexible verbal behavior and it is the key to success in any verbal business interaction. Key takeaway: Train your sales team to be aware of their verbal behavior and practice being flexible in how they use it.
03. Question technique In order to actively listen and have a flexible verbal behavior, the customer must first start talking. And that requires the salesperson to use the next skill on our list – effective questioning techniques. Salespeople cannot become agile in meeting their customers' challenges, needs, priorities, and desired outcomes without a deep understanding of what these are. Gaining that understanding requires persistence.
When it comes to interviewing techniques, a salesperson must develop a systematic, consistent, and structured approach. Huthwaite's SPIN® Selling methodology is one of the best examples of a successful interview method; and that's why it's used by sales teams worldwide, including many Fortune 100 companies.
In a business decision, the perception of value and risk are important, but they are often based on the customer's perception and are individual. But the customer's perception is the only thing that counts. They need to understand it for themselves and then the salesperson can help them come to insight and decision by asking insightful questions about the problem they are facing, the consequences of not solving it, and the benefits of using a particular solution.
It enables the customer to communicate the value of the product or service to the rest of the decision-making group in a significantly more effective way. There is a big difference between "the seller said we will save..." and "I have calculated that we will save...". Key Point: In an agile sales organization, salespeople use systematic, consistent, and structured interviewing techniques to create value for their product or service.
04. Knowledge Before a salesperson starts asking more questions, it is necessary to know which questions should be asked. It negates how skilled a salesperson's listening and interviewing skills are if they bombard customers with questions that are irrelevant - the sales process will not move forward.
Being well-read and having correct information about the customer will of course help. Information about problems your product can solve for a potential customer, especially where you know your product can do a better job than the competition's, is invaluable information. Just as important as all the information you have about industry developments and trends that can influence a purchase decision. Main point: Background knowledge is important for asking the right questions and driving the sales process forward.
05. Assertiveness One of the most useful tools in a salesperson's repertoire is their assertiveness. There are few things that impress potential customers as much as the calm, confident demeanor of a genuinely confident salesperson.
A confident salesperson develops trust and confidence which strengthens the image of themselves and the company they represent. Assertiveness enables the salesperson to examine customer needs and offer ideas in a confident manner.
Confidence cannot be taught, it must be conquered, and there is no better way to conquer it than by being "fluent" in a sales methodology that works. Investing in sales skills training is good for any organization. Main point: There are few things that impress a customer more than a salesperson who is calm, persuasive and confident. Being " fluent" in a sales methodology that works is a powerful tool for building self-confidence.
06. Understand the client's business strategy Sometimes even the best sales skills are not enough. Client organizations can be complex with multitudes of challenges that need to be addressed, and there are certainly not enough resources to get everything done. Prioritizing is important. Putting the important before the urgent is sometimes difficult, but it is a skill that all good leaders should have.
Whatever is closest to the customer's strategic direction is what is most important. If the customer's company has a clearly defined and universally accepted business strategy that informs every decision they make – and all good companies do – it's important that the seller also understands that.
They must have the knowledge and understanding of the client's business strategy. By aligning solutions with the strategy, the seller maximizes their chances of their project being prioritized and allocated the resources to close the deal. Key Point: Vendors who understand and align their solutions to their customers' business strategies have the potential to gain the most attention.
07. Consider everyone in the customer's decision-making group Just when you thought it couldn't get more complicated, you hear about other people who are part of the customer's decision-making group - which you need to take into account. It is common knowledge that major purchasing decisions are rarely made by a single person. The customer usually has a so-called decision group. It can be through a formal purchasing committee or something as simple as asking for a second opinion around the coffee table.
But be aware that somewhere there is someone influencing the purchase decisions that you will probably never meet or hear about. Current research suggests that on average there are 6.8 individuals involved in a B2B purchasing decision. So there are at least six people, all with different needs, options, and possibly conflicting decision requirements and varying degrees of enthusiasm (or hopelessness) about the purchasing project. How should the seller handle it?
In theory, all you need to do is get all the key people to the decision point at the same time and have everyone prefer your solution over the competitor's. In practice, it takes a deep understanding of each individual's role in decision-making (which incidentally has nothing to do with their job title) and a clear strategy for communicating to everyone. Main point: Purchasing decisions are rarely made by one person. The salesperson must navigate the customer's decision group correctly and take care of all their problems and criteria, even though they may be different.
08. Negotiation You have now invested in sales training, developed your team's skills, strategies and and given them the confidence and knowledge they need to do an exceptionally good job. And it does; they accurately determine the customer's vision with an agile way of working, build both value and clear competitive advantages, present a compelling business proposition for your solutions and effectively manage the complexity of the buying organization. You've ticked all the boxes – the buyers love your proposal and your company has signed the deal. Great, the deal is yours, right?
Wrong. Now you have to meet the procurer - the professional buyer. Now is the time to negotiate. It's the bidder's job to tell you that they like your proposal, but they can get the same thing 20% cheaper elsewhere, and what can you do to still win the bidding.
Somewhat expected, not everything they say is true. If they can really get it 20% cheaper, and if it really is the same thing, then they would have bought it from the other player. They want to do the deal with you but they want better terms. They claim it's a buyer's market and they have all the power, but this is also not true. But that doesn't stop them from doing everything they can, they can even go so far as to try to undermine your confidence and torpedo your proposal.
There is one thing you can be sure of. They are experienced negotiators. Are your salespeople as familiar with the process? If not, they should be. Negotiation skills are the final piece of the puzzle, the ultimate weapon in the ultimate salesperson's repertoire.
And don't think you can take a shortcut by just training your sales managers in negotiation techniques and then sending them in at the end of the sales process. Buyers love it - because the one thing a sales manager can do that a salesperson can't is give away more concessions - for free. Key takeaway: Train your entire sales team to negotiate to protect your profit margin. Implementing an agile sales strategy will help salespeople understand what they need to win the business procurement and to win it without compromising margins, or undermining the integrity of the product or the company behind it.
Comments