After a couple of years, the COVID era is finally nearing its end. But now, the main question is what skills will be needed in a post-COVID world. Unfortunately, it can probably be some 20 years before it can be possible to analyse all the effects of the pandemic on the world’s economy. That is because the essence of many business types has changed as well as the employers’ and employees’ expectations. However, the good news is that many of the changes won’t require significant time and money investments in the learning process. On the other hand, agility and resilience will be the most necessary survival skills. In this article, we present you with the business savvy and sales agility requirements for succeeding in a post-COVID world.
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The picture of business savvy
Business savvy is a rare and valuable trait that implies an effort to reach your aims in business and, during that process, become an expert in a specific business area through continuous learning, self-development, problem-solving, and communication. So, communication is one of the essential characteristics of business savvy. It means a two-way process – both talking and listening. Excellent communicators unite people because of their ability to comprehend employees’ needs and wants and then send messages that engage and motivate the audience. They understand that fruitful communication is important and that employees mustn’t stop learning and improving their thinking. In addition, great communicators encourage power in their employees by recognising them as individuals with ideas they can present and implement in the company.
Finding the solutions through developing the skills
Businesses can quickly become focused on the issues and challenges that prevent the company from reaching its financial and other aims. But focusing on the problems should be replaced by creating the solutions. That is crucial both for the employer and their employees. It entails initiative, growth, research, brainstorming, and attending business management short courses. When managers, company owners, and their employees are fixated on creating solutions to the problems instead of the obstacles, they can experience more excellent morale and productivity in their work as well as better business results.
The importance of sales agility
Nowadays, managers, leaders, and company owners cope with more complexity than ever. In addition, digital transformation, industry convergence, and chain supply management come with new issues. Therefore, the sales professionals’ capacity to understand the details of these problems can also be challenged. On the other hand, sellers try to provide solutions to the new requirements of the customers, as their services and products also become more complicated. So, professionals in the sales industry must possess appropriate skills to comprehend the customers’ new issues and connect the solutions to them. For all of that, agility is one of the essential characteristics. Namely, sales professionals with an agile approach use the customers’ issues to their advantage. Firstly, they spend some time thoroughly inspecting how the requirements of the customers have changed. Then, they use these facts to effectively assess the value of their solution. Every conversation with the customer will contribute to the seller getting closer to understanding the customer’s essential needs. This approach is agile and considered one of the best because it offers a lot of flexibility. This kind of engagement attracts the customers because they know that they work with a seller who is determined to figure out the core complexity of their issues. In addition, it is effective for the seller because they become able to shape and understand the customers’ thinking.
Sales agility is the secret to the success of small businesses
Small and medium business owners research winning sales practices that imply agility. Partnerships are evolving, markets are changing, and employees come and go. Therefore, companies have to act quickly to stay on track. In those cases, sales agility has to come first. The sales department’s ability also has to be adjusted to all external environments because that is the key to handling any changes. Companies with exceptional sales agility skills are placed somewhere between being extraordinarily rigid and making super quick decisions, almost without a plan. A successful small or medium-sized business owner has to adopt a sales strategy focused on comprehending the target market and competitors and a sales methodology that prioritises customers, sales process, territories, forecasting, and sales activities. Small business owners have to be focused on sales metrics, goal settings, compensation plans, and CRMs. They also have to organise sales training and improve management performance.
Long story short, business savvy and sales agility are equally as important for succeeding in the post-COVID world as they were in the pre-COVID era. Maybe the times have changed, but the main principles remain the same.
