Sales opportunities 'must be maximised in today's economic climate'

The business world is a very different place to what it was a few years ago and it is more important than ever that companies pay attention to maintaining the health of their sales.

According to the Selling People white paper Sales Consulting, while it may be self-evident that sales are a firm's oxygen many fail to comprehend the need to invest in sustaining and increasing them.

By bringing in a sales consultancy, executives can dissect their entire selling strategy and identify which processes are the most effective and also learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of their team.

"Now more than ever it's important that all sales opportunities are maximised and all the right tools and processes are in place to ensure continued growth and ongoing profitability," the paper said.

One way in which a sales consultancy can help businesses generate greater sales is by helping them adapt their selling techniques to mirror the changes in companies buying habits.

John Gorman, writing on the Beyond the Boardroom blog, said that sales has changed from an "ad hoc and unstructured" practice to a "sophisticated and process driven" one and firms must evolve or die.