Every sales team is under pressure to meet quotas, keep up with product and market changes, and use multiple technologies to speed the sales process and improve results. Although there’s no magic combination of tools and sales techniques, there’s one attribute that can catapult your sales reps from autopilot to quota-busting performance. That attribute is “agile learning.”
Learn. Adapt. Sell.
According to globally-recognized B2B sales strategist, Jill Konrath, agile learning is what reps need to stay on top of increasing demands and constant change. In her ebook, “5 Strategies for Leading a Quota-Busting Sales Team,”Konrath defines learning agility as the ability to:
- Assimilate new information
- Pick up new skills
- Respond to evolving situations
- Find new options when stuck
How well do your sales reps embody the qualities of learning agility? Do they win business by bringing fresh ideas and insights to your clients and prospects? Do they possess and share knowledge that differentiates your offering and your organization? How can you stimulate new thinking and train sales reps to be agile learners?
Inspire Buyer Action
One of Konrath’s strategies for nurturing learning agility is turning problems into challenges. Her approach is to solve those challenges by asking (and answering) a series of questions. This constructive approach replaces stress-inducing performance demands with opportunities for collaboration, creativity, and new insights.
For example, Konrath suggests asking, “How can we minimize our losses to the status quo?” In our experience, buyers who don’t see the financial benefit of solving their problem stick with the status quo. Those who understand the cost of inaction are more likely to become customers.
ROI Selling recommends using an assessment early in the buying process to help prospects realize the depth and scope of their problem, and embrace the need for change. In the hands of an energized sales rep, a detailed assessment not only raises buyer awareness, but paints a picture of how much better things will be after deploying your solution.
Calculating ROI further empowers both buyers and sellers with the financial justification for taking action. In addition to estimating cost savings, revenue gains, and your solution’s net value, it helps reps build a persuasive business case that strengthens your offer against alternative investments customers are considering.
Accelerate Decision Making
Another suggested question, “How can we help our clients make decisions faster?” presents an ideal opportunity for using value selling programs to demonstrate the advantages of your offering and accelerate a purchase decision.
It’s important for sellers to influence and gain control of the buying process, which is increasingly self-directed by prospects. Leveraging value calculators and assessment tools at every digital touchpoint can help distinguish your message and convey the value of your solution.
You can then clinch the deal by presenting a solid business case. When crafted by agile learners using proven value selling methodologies, your business case can inform and challenge customers to look at their problem and your solution differently. When the value is clear, prospects can move forward quickly and with confidence.
Conclusion
Agile learning keeps your sales team sharp, productive, and equipped to respond to changing market and prospect needs. It encourages reps to think creatively about every benefit you offer, and transform failures into valuable learning experiences.
When supported by value selling best practices, agile learners can quickly become quota-busting sellers who are inspired to tackle problems differently. Consider how Konrath’s strategies can improve your team’s overall performance one question at a time.
