Selling in a COVID-19 world
The pandemic has impacted how we work, and sales is no exception
The impact of lockdown and the pandemic in general have been extremely challenging for myself and sales professionals all over the world. It’s affected how I work, when I work and what I’m able to deliver. I don’t imagine I’m alone, which is why there’s no better time to look at what we can do to adapt our pre COVID-19 sales techniques to the new world. There’s no quick fix, of course. We need to think about every aspect of how we work and what needs to change moving forward.
The other day, I was on the phone to a customer and they were telling me about the impact of COVID-19 on their business. As they were talking, I realised that the conversation was very different to the one we would have had in previous years. We can’t rely on old ways of working to sell. My team needs to approach things differently. So I started thinking about the key things we need to consider. Here are some I’ve come up with, but I’d love to hear if you have any more to share.
Discover what’s important
The effects of COVID-19 might impact businesses for many years to come, so above all we need to listen to customers and help them navigate these challenging times. They may be evaluating what they purchase and when, as their budgets are tightened and they deal with cash flow issues in their business. Be prepared that decisions which may have been easy in the past will be more considered now. It could be that this isn’t the time to sell your product, but instead a good time to build valuable relationships that will pay dividends in the years to come.
Remember that some industries like hospitality and retail have been deeply affected by COVID-19, so it’s important to recognise the emotional toll these businesses may be going through. If you take the time to understand what’s important to them right now in their business and life — remembering that this might differ from what the things they used to prioritise — you’ll be able to deliver solutions that will truly help them and maintain your relationship over the long term.
Here are my tips for rediscovering what is important to your customers:
- Be inquisitive and ask questions. Find out how they’ve had to adapt and what challenges they’ve faced. Don’t settle for the first answer. Dig deeper for those valuable insights.
- Remember to be human. Don’t just focus on business goals or aspirations. What are your clients’ personal goals and what does success look like to them?
- Instead of making assumptions, ask them to clarify their needs. For example, ‘I know you said this was important to your business last year. Is that still the case?’
Build a human connection
A human touch is still extremely important, whether it’s a video call, or a socially distanced face-to-face meeting if that’s possible where you live. Behind every sale is a human interaction, so try to leverage this to increase your likelihood of converting leads. You can also build rapport and understanding, by thinking and talking from the customer’s point of view rather than your own. Above all, take the time to listen and start every conversation by asking how they are doing — starting with a personal connection rather than a professional one.
Switching the conversation from personal to professional can be challenging, especially when your customer is going through a hard time. The best advice I can give is be upfront. Ask if they’re in the right frame of mind to talk about the project, or would prefer to save it for another time. This gives the customer control over when the conversation happens, so they feel prepared. I also recommend finding out how your customer prefers to communicate, whether it’s by phone, whatsapp, email or another format. Do they want lots of detail, or short and sharp messages? That kind of information is vital for building strong relationships.
Embrace a positive mindset
Having a positive mindset through this transition is vital. You might not have done a great job today, but if you have a goal and you’re committed to achieving that goal, you can stay focused. Make a plan, stick to it and know that your skills will grow over time.
One technique that’s worked for me is to replace a negative thought with a positive one. For example, when you think ‘I’m not going to hit my monthly target’ or ‘I didn’t provide enough support to that customer’, immediately accept the negative thought by saying it aloud and replace it with a positive one. For example: ‘my relationship with this customer is stronger than ever’ or ‘that was a really great meeting’. It sounds obvious, but can make the world of difference.
You may also like to keep a record of all the positive feedback you receive. Perhaps an email folder to look back on when you need a pick me up. Equally, don’t totally dismiss those negative thoughts if they’re valid. It could be something that needs addressing, which is why I recommend having a clear action list of things you need to work on. Take that list and speak to your manager, peer or mentor to see how you can address them head on.
Leverage digital tools
The online content that constantly pops up on our phones, emails and social media channels can be the most challenging part of staying productive — especially when most of us are working from home. These distractions can be hard to avoid, particularly when you’re putting off a challenging or dull task. Here are four apps that can manage these kinds of workflow distractions on your own terms, leaving you more time to focus converting leads and hitting your sales targets.
1. RescueTime
This provides an accurate snapshot of how you spend your time each day, to help you become more productive. It even lets you block distracting sites and set an alarm to tell you when you have spent more than two hours on a particular website.
Inbox by Google helps you manage emails, maintain a cleaner inbox, and get closer to achieving inbox zero. Features I find helpful are snoozing non-urgent emails to revisit later in the day or week, and goal-setting tools to make time in your working day for important things like exercising, doing your expenses or grabbing that regular coffee.
3. Freedom
The aim of this app is to make it easier for you to switch off from the distractions around you and get tasks done. It achieves this with software that lets you schedule block-out periods for websites and emails on your phone, tablet or computer, preventing the temptation of online distractions.
As we all know, getting away from your home desk isn’t always an option. But the Coffitivity app and a pair of headphones can be almost as good! Coffitivity recreates the sounds of a cafe to boost your creativity and help you work more productively. It has a library of different tracks such as ‘morning murmur’, ‘Paris paradise’ and ‘university undertones’.
Make a positive impact
Everyone has had to adapt to COVID-19 in some way, but I think we need to prepare ourselves for the fact that many of the changes we’ve made will become a permanent part of our lives. We need to reconsider the way we approach customers and the sales techniques we use, to make sure we don’t erode the relationships we’ve worked so hard to build over the years. These are tough times, but if we embrace change and put our customers first, we’ll be able to succeed as sales professionals during COVID-19 and beyond.
