How to get ahead in sales when the goal posts have changed:

Making changes to the way you win work in the ‘new normal’…

Whether you are in sales, a sales manager, a budget holder or a partner in a professional service firm you know that winning work from both existing and new clients is the engine room of your business.

Now is the time to support your front-line business developers and salespeople because in the space of a few short months the business landscape and our whole way of living has changed in fundamental ways.

When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters: one signifies danger and the other is opportunity.

In times of significant change, most people go through a number of stages from denial through resistance and exploration to acceptance. Your ability to look forward and be proactive will dramatically increase your chances of successfully navigating this change.

An exclusive survey by Marketing Week and Econsultancy on the impact of Corona virus revealed that more than four in five leaders and managers believe rapid upskilling of remote workers is critical to remain competitive. And over 80% believe the ability to provide effective on demand learning resources is key.

And the requirement for online learning is not going to go away…

We have been spending a lot of time talking with people in a wide variety of corporate and professional service firms, including CEOs, Learning and Development / HR professionals as well as salespeople and sales managers. And of course thinking strategically about what we might see in the ‘new normal’. The consensus seems to be that Face-to-Face training delivery will come back, but there is likely to be less of it and it might not properly resurface until the middle of 2021. So, in the medium term, a higher proportion of online/remote delivery will remain in the learning mix.

Almost all business is shifting to remote working during the global response to the pandemic and it is likely that this will continue for some time. This presents real and fresh challenges to salespeople and fee earners in all sectors and professions. The previous norm of face-to-face meetings enabled relationships to be developed quickly and meetings to have a natural flow to them. It was easier to ensure the full attention on the meeting of all those involved and the unconscious reading and responding to body language which was part of the professional armoury of a top influencer. But, when the way we hold meetings has changed so fundamentally, we have to respond to those changes if we are to be highly effective.

“Between stimulus and response is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth.”

Viktor Frankl, Austria Neurologist

Everyone in sales knows that the job of someone selling is to identify what a customer wants and then present and sell the appropriate product or service. So, nothing changes there.

What are the new questions that need to be addressed?

• How do we adjust to the new norm?
• What can we do to help our customers succeed in a crisis?
• How can we still push for business and yet not be seen to be ‘me me me’?
• How can salespeople survive or even come out stronger during this disruption?
• What are the critical success factors in holding remote sales meetings?

So, what do we now need to focus on right now that is really going to make a positive difference?

In times like these, it’s easy to start thinking about and acting on what is important to us: our quota, our commission, our needs, our profit. Clients can sense this immediately and will back away. No-one wants to be seen as the desperate salesperson. It is the wrong approach and will backfire.

Tom & Jerry have consulted, brainstormed and now designed our response to help your people identify a plan, ensure anyone who has to sell has the right mind-set to succeed and give them a shot in the arm so that they know what to do and can execute quickly as well as thrive in lockdown and in the near-term future of continued social distancing and remote working.

Who are we, Tom & Jerry, to set up ourselves up as experts? We have been working together for 15 years, delivering sales & BD training and 1-1 coaching in both large corporates and Professional Services Firms. Our clients include Baker McKenzie, Linklaters, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Arthur Cox, Carpmaels & Ransford as well as PwC and EY. On the corporate side we have worked extensively with Sodexo, Burberry, VF Europe (The North Face, Lee Jeans), Elior, Consilio and Imex. We are the co-authors of Brilliant Selling which has sold over 75,000 copies and been translated into 16 languages. We have also been in sales for over 20 years. We have just been commissioned to write the 3rd edition of Brilliant Selling which will incorporate ideas on remote selling.

Our current operating environment demands a shift in the way we engage with and sell to customers. We no longer have the benefit of meeting and connecting face-to-face — options we perhaps took for granted in developing relationships and building trust. The way we prepare for, engage in, and follow up on customer conversations and selling opportunities must adapt. Sales professionals must be equipped to break the artificial barrier that exists when selling in a virtual setting by using heightened selling skills to engage, personalise, and ultimately retain existing customers as well as reach out and start the process of acquiring new customers.

We have a suite of quick and easy to access learning resources and frameworks which will hit the pain points of your salespeople, address the sales challenges your organisation is facing head on and help remove fear and inactivity equipping you with what your teams need right now.

If you need your salespeople and fee earners to develop practical and actionable skills and you want to guarantee they have the right attitude during lockdown, then here is what we have developed for you…

90-minute Masterclass

An easy way for your team to access highly practical tips on how to be effective in the ‘new normal’. This 90-minute Masterclass includes:

• A pulse survey of participants prior to the programme to gain buy-in, ensure context and gain specific input on their issues
• High impact practical tips on:

-How to make the most of the lockdown

-Setting high-impact goals to support your success

-Unlocking the power of mind-set

-Engaging customers through ‘virtual’ sales meetings

-Selling the value through differentiation

• Get ahead by learning what the best salespeople are doing in these unprecedented times!

The Sales Conversation Series

Create focus, reflection and action on key aspects of winning work through our recorded sales conversation series.

• A series of 10 recorded conversations between Tom & Jerry designed to be played during a 4-week period to create focus and action on sales and relationship development during these challenging times
• Each conversation lasting 10-15 minutes and focused on a specific question about sales or relationship development
• You have the opportunity to inform the specific conversations and involve internal resource in them
• An effective way of engaging your sales teams through a morning video conversation around a specific topic

Sales in the ‘New Normal’: Modular Learning Programme

• A complete high-impact learning journey programme to upskill and re-focus your salespeople.
• A complete interactive online training with Tom & Jerry complete with supporting workbooks
• Four modules of training:

-Influencing: How to maximise your influence in the ‘new normal’

-Managing and holding remote sales meetings: Practical tips to get the best out of remote meetings

-Social selling: How to leverage social media and social selling to support your success

-Pitching & presenting: Key success factors in presenting your proposition remotely

• Follow-up sales coaching available as an option
• Exit the programme with a clear plan to chart your success over the next 6 months

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin

In times of significant change it is critical that you respond rather than simply react to the change. Get in touch with us now to find out more about our programmes and the practical tips we can provide to help you succeed in sales in the ‘new normal’.

If you want to respond now, here are 3 ideas:

1. Get in touch to find out more Tom: [email protected] | Jerry: [email protected]
2. Tom & Jerry are focusing on 2 specific areas in May and June, Remote Selling & Presenting Online - visit our website to view our on-line training
3. Tune in to our free webinar on 2nd June. Register your interest below

Emma Lewis, from the Emperor Presentations team hosts this webinar alongside award-winning business writer, presentation skills trainer and coach Jeremy Cassell. Together they offer a look into the brave new world of online presenting and what key considerations need to be made when it comes to balancing performance and visuals to ensure that you deliver an inspiring and persuasive presentation. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE & sign up for our free newsletter.