Speakers Inc Magazine, Volume 2

S O U T H A F R I C A ' S E C O N O M Y
WALTERS
SHELLEY
Everybody is lamenting the state of the South
African economy, not to mention the global
economy. We respond with surprise and
frustration, yet we know that downturns are
inevitable in anybody’s lifetime. It’s how you
ride them out that determines not only our
business’ longevity and success, but also our
competitive advantage.
Throughout history, every economic downturn
has changed business processes. First, in the
way we buy, and then by necessity, it changes
the way we sell. If an economic downturn does
not change the way we sell, we are missing
the client’s cues.
Either way, we can expect clients to put
increasing pressure on us if they do not get
value from their interactions with sales. They
will request or seek automation – allowing
them to reduce or eliminate the role of sales (if
they feel it is no longer relevant) and
accelerating the journey to commodity
supplier.
The ‘cost of sale’ is growing faster than
revenue for most B2B clients, with little to no
room to cut more fat, so increasing efficiency
and reducing friction in the sales process
provides returns not only for clients, but also
for the sales portion of our organizations.
This economic downturn presents us with an
opportunity to streamline our offering, our
messaging, our approach and our processes -
positioning us for meaningful and frictionless
client engagements. And when the dust settles
and we are back to a stable and growing
economy, you would have put so much
distance between you and the status quo that
your competitors will find it a real challenge to
catch up.
Conversation Intelligence Africa works with
teams both locally and abroad, in large
enterprises and small, to ensure that your
sales professionals have the clarity, conviction
and competence to deliver your differentiated
messaging to your clients.
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