There are so many cogs, and operations to any business that allow it to run and allow it to run successfully. You have the operations, the logistics, the HR, the finance, and the marketing to name but a few. However, one part of any business that I see most valuable is the sales department.
It goes without saying that if you have a business and you are making sales, and even being proactive enough with your sales, then you are not going to get too far. You can be the world’s best desk maker, but if no one is going to get out there and sell the desks then do you really have a business.
That being said, it is normally the sales operation that gets sometimes neglected, or even culled when things start to go bad. In this article, I would like to share with you my reasonings as to why the sales operation of any business is perhaps the most vital.
Supporting Cash Flow
Every business sees a true value in cast flow management, and the priority of this can be very critical for any business. Sales is perhaps, no, IS the only department of any business that has the biggest impact on cash flow. If you have a team that is generating sales, then cutting costs and reducing the bottom lines is taken away from the focus slightly. More sales = more cash in.
Sales Forecasting
If you have ever put together a business plan, or even looked at one, you will see that one of the most important sections of a business plan is that of sales forecasting. Every investor, every bank, every stakeholder wants to understand the sales forecast and they want to understand where sales are going to be coming from – and a lot of the other business operations are driven by the sales forecasting too.
Communications
There are few businesses out there that do not want to provide value to their customers and one way that businesses can understand this is through the communication that occurs between the customers and the business itself. And one way this happens is through the sales team.
Sure, there is a benefit of having a sales team out there communicating your values to your customers, but your sales team are also your eyes and ears on the ground. It is they that understand what the customer needs so their feedback can be so important for business planning.
Do You Have a Business without Sales?
It was Henry Ford that said “Nothing happens until someone sells something”, and as I alluded to earlier on in this article, unless someone is selling something in your business, you don’t have a business. In fact, if you take a moment to stop reading this article and take in your surroundings; everything you can see, everything you are holding, and everything you are wearing was once sold, and required sales to make that happen. So if you ever doubt the importance of sales, just take some time to remember this point.
At C3 Sales and Consulting, we are experts in sales, and we are here to help you and your organisation make more sales, and to ensure the processes, team and strategies are in place to ensure overall success. If you feel you could use some sales support, please do contact us.
