Covid-19 has impacted nearly every facet of life, with various industries finding themselves hit hard as they either find a way to cope with “the new normal” or close their doors for good. For most, adapting to 2021 and beyond means placing most of their focus on remote sales.
While some companies are a step ahead in that realm, others are forced to shift their business models or entirely recreate their sales spaces to suit an online environment. If your organization falls into the latter category, then check out these remote sales success tips to help you ride out the pandemic.
Consider Your Leads a Stockpile
There’s a buying moratorium going on, both from mandates and economic downturn. While the companies and clients you work with might not be able to do business as usual right now, you can still position yourself as a prime connection when this period ends.
It’s worth devoting some extra time and resources to building relationships and leads. Stockpile those prospects, keeping in touch with them to build rapport leading up to their reopening or reemergence in their industry. Selecting a quality value management tool can help you identify how much of your resources should go to individual clients.
Refocusing
Industries have been hit hard by this pandemic, but tough times bring opportunity for growth. Several if not all of your clients surely have a few painful areas that Covid-19 has hit the hardest. So, why not refocus your efforts to showing these clients how your company can help alleviate those pains?
That doesn’t mean you need to change your selling points or tactics, just adjust the presentation to frame your products or services in a way that meets your clients’ most urgent needs. Telecommuting adjustments, shutdown in supply chains, newly created remote workforces, and even cyber security are all common areas of need these days.
Empathy First
Sales and marketing agents walk a fine line. Push too hard and it might seem as though your agents are taking advantage of hard times. Shifting your sales approach to one of empathy and understanding is an ideal way to relate to you prospects, showing that you’re here to help. Allow this to guide your interactions with clients, be genuine, and work to build communities with your clients.
Creativity Still Matters
In fact, creativity might matter more than ever. Organizations all over the world are cutting out in-person activities from meetings to travel and more, which means a virtual environment is the way to go. You just have to make it as effective as possible.
Your usual pattern might be a discovery call followed by an in-person meeting. The discovery call still works and you’ll still need a well-crafted PowerPoint, but the in-person aspect needs to be virtual. That’s where tools like Zoom and Google Meet come into play.
Where you need to get creative is in your presentation. Virtual tours of production floors, in-depth demos that discuss more of the process, and product demonstration videos are all excellent ways to make that happen.