COVID 19: How to Sell Any thing to Any One

Selling is always a challenge for Marketers and Sellers. At the Outset, we need to understand the genesis of sales. Whenever we are selling a product, we are bridging a gap which is there in the market. For instance, prior to cellular phones, we have never thought of talking, while we are on a move or we are mobile. Small cars like Maruti 800 was a kind of a boon for the middle class family.

So, if we are selling a product during turbulent times, such as during this pandemic, which has created a problem for number of business tycoons, along with political bigwigs and last but not the least developed countries like United States of America, United Kingdom and various European Nations.

In sales it does not matter, you are an experience person, VP Sales or Start Up Owner or even successful industrialist. What matters is your approach, creativity and your out of the box selling technique. In turbulent time, you need a different selling technique.

There is no doubt that we start with market research, which includes a thorough research of your competition.

In other words we would starting with "Three Cs of Sales", Company, Cost and Competition. It reminds me of Charles Darwin Theory, that is struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. And this clearly indicates, our product should be a star product. Which means that you are too good in terms of quality, after sales service and off course- pricing.

So, let us start with Pandemic Selling Technique.

First step is scarcity analysis, you need to understand that due to this pandemic, we are catering to which scarcity, or gap. For instance if we are selling vegetables, then I need to understand that there would be an impact on logistics or supply chain and logistics. It means during an exigence, go for gap analysis. And try to fill up this gap, that is during a lock down try to ensure supply of vegetables and fruits directly to the consumer.

Second step is Channelizing. During a pandemic our customer will go for budget cutting, and it is due to shortage of cash. So either go for a payment gateway or try to direct him towards the objective of buying a product. For instance, why should I purchase bread in the morning, I will have something else in the morning. So, I would try to tell him about the importance of having bread in the morning.

Quite some time back, one of my friend told me something great about sales. If our customer's answer is NO, then it is not NO it is KNOW. Which means, customer is saying, I want to know more about the product or solution.

Third step would be Problem Solving or in simple words- Objection Handling., He would be having 100 of questions in his mind about the utility of going for the product. Understand his concern by proper probing. So, here our objective would be to understand our customer and his concern.

Fourth step will be , proposing an appropriate solution. But here there is a catch. While suggesting the solution you do not have to impose your idea or thinking on your customer.

We cannot forget that we are living in a VUCA world. When VUCA was used for the first time in 1987, we never knew that in 2020 it hold good. V stands for volatility, U stands for Uncertainty, C for complex and A for Ambiguity. During this pandemic also there is lot of ambiguity, Uncertainty, complexity and of course there is a lot of volatility. And we need to have a plan to out smart this difficult situation.

During a pandemic or turbulent time, we are not able to go out. So, therefore our dependence on internet and social media is on a greater extent. This clearly fosters and amplify the need of social selling.

What is Social Selling?

Social selling is a process by which we engage our customers through the use of social media tools. As a marketer or as a sales person you need to sell your product digitally.

As a marketer or a sales professional, you need to develop credibility by spreading awareness in the market. Even you need to generate lead through social media platforms.

But AGAIN we need to keep this thing in our mind and that is necessity is the mother of invention. Which means that in sales we need create awareness and after that we need to go for need creation. But there is a million dollar question and that is can we create need or need is already there. But just we need to discover it. But you come across a catch 99 situation. And that is, how to discover need. There are plenty of theories, concepts and knowledge, which explain the process of need identification.

Before entering in the area of sales and marketing, we need to understand the fabric of our society and how does this society works.

Let us understand this with an example. During this COVID 19, most of the companies have gone for work from home, there after Central Government have declared lock down. Which means most of the people were in home, they cannot go out and purchase. You can sell only, if you can deliver them.

We should be able to have an understanding towards the thinking or psych of our customer. Then only we would be able to convince our customer to purchase our product. I have one more example to share, when a customer steps in any shop of chandni chowk, a sales person can predict that how much cash the person in question is carrying. Is it telepathy, intuition or some kind of a magic. No my dear friends, it is not a magic it is only a technique. These people are able to judge a customer by their non verbals. So we should be able to understand their requirement, their objectives and their concern.

But Interestingly magic is some where else, and that is few propositions:

1.   We are here to have an emotional connect. Logic have no place here. If you have connected him emotionally, you have sold the product.

2.   Seller should be able to take a lead in the conversation. You should have something great to offer to your customer.

3.   You should be able to identify and uncover the concern are of the customer. As a seller, you should know where it hurts, Use emotional triggers.

4.   You should be proactive and positive. You should believe in 'Never say die attitude'

5.   If you are not taking care of your customer, then your competitor is going to do the same,

6.   As we know that every marketer is having some thing or the other unique thing to offer.

7.   In every sales call we are going to tell our customers, how we are going to help them.

8.   Always try to give value to your customers, they will never leave you or forget you.

9.   If your customer find your product very expensive, this means that you are unsuccessful in understanding the need of the customer.

If you want to be successful in selling your product, during turbulent times. You need to connect to your customer emotionally, rather than logically. Every product has a differentiation to offer, but it is a biggest challenge to do it. During turbulent time you have to connect to your customer, if you convince him that you are going to give him value for money.

Sales is the biggest challenge for a marketer, and every marketer is also able to have a good market share. But if the conditions of the market are normal. But during pandemic or turbulent times there is a huge gap between demand and supply.

Customers also go for panic buying, which would further lead to hoarding or overstocking. This kind of a condition leads to a different kind of a situation or scenario, for instance If I am a loyal customer of Pepsodent and due to on availability of the product, I would be forced to go for some other brand. So, it means, my product should be coupled with robust supply chain.

In this scenario we can also go for omni retailing, that is selling your product both online as well as off line. It again talks about going for a different strategy and plan of action.

When I was a kid and I told my parents that I wanted to become a sales person. My father asked me that why do you want to become a sales person. I told my father that he is magician. So, my Dad asked me, how come he is a magician. I told him that he was able to convince you to buy that product. So, Friends that was the beginning of my being a Marketer or a Sales Person. To be very frank, I am very much convinced that I am doing a great job. Because I love my profession, I love selling, I love convincing a person. Believe you me, what you need to become an exemplary sales guy is, for you nothing is difficult or impossible. And gradually I learnt this art of convincing my customer. The foremost thing you need to inculcate is that you are helping a customer, you are solving his problem, then definitely you would be able to succeed in your endeavour.

When I was doing my MBA, my professor told me that in order to become a star sales person you need to have these qualities:

1.   You should be having a fire in your belly.

2.   You should be damn good in your conversational skills.

3.   You should be able to make impossible things possible.

4.   Your biggest weapon in sales is your attitude.

Some where I read that there was a balloon wala. Whenever his sales go down, he leaves two or three balloons in the air. When kids used to see these balloons in the air, they used to purchase it from the balloon wala and his sales goes up.

So, one days as usual, his sales goes down, he leaves to balloons in the air. One 6 year old comes to him and asked, Uncles does this blue balloon also goes up in the air. Balloon wala replied wonderfully, that it is not the colour, but it is the helium gas, which takes it up in the sky.

So, Guys Remember…. It is the attitude…which will make you a star sales person.

During the pandemic or turbulent time, make your attitude, a deciding factor. Secondly it is your concern for your customer. Remember, you are not selling a product, you are selling a solution. If I am able to convince my customer that I really care for him, I am giving him out of the box solution, I am able to make him realize that I offer him a solution.

We should be able to make our customer realize that WE will be able to offer him a solution which he is looking for. In sales we should be able to assure our customer that the solution he will be getting would be of a superior quality. In every sale there could be three outcomes:

Sales

No Sales

Advancement

Continuation

Like Arjuna…. we have only one objective, and that is Sale. Sale and Sales….