How we're Selling when no one is Buying

Some would argue that right now is a hard time to be in B2B sales. Companies aren’t buying and prefer to keep money in the business. 

I’ve got 13 years of Sales under my belt, with the last 4 in rec-tech B2B sales, so I thought I’d throw my two cents into the ring of what I am doing right now to get deals over the line. 

At Vincere, not only are we still selling to recruitment companies every single day, but we have had net growth Quarter-on-Quarter, and we are onboarding new customers at a faster rate than ever before. 

Comparing March 2019 to March 2020, Vincere had a 170% increase in inbound leads with no increased investment in marketing. Our deal win rates as a team are also increasing, in spite of no increased headcount in our global sales team. So what are we doing that's so different? 

1. We’ve adapted to the market / We’re being flexible

Right now, we have made a decision to be flexible with payment plans for new customers. We are working with companies that are using this opportunity to invest in a new system, but not sticking them with a massive upfront investment. This flexibility is allowing them to make the decision to move forward, and keeping cash flow steady. 

2. We’re not afraid to try new techniques

I am making more effort to put myself out there and test new techniques daily. (This article is a case-in-point) If there is ever a time to take risks, it’s now. I’ve set myself a target of being more vocal on Social, creating more video content (which is way out of my comfort zone) and asking the sales team for advice/feedback/constructive criticism. One great thing that has happened as a side effect from Covid, is that we are a team looking to succeed together. No idea is a bad idea (yet..) so we’re all pitching in and trying out a new way of selling.

3. Our Leadership team are back in the game and getting their hands dirty

I am lucky, my Director is back from Maternity leave and is as hungry to win a deal as I am, and I have no shame in asking for help to close a deal. Our leadership team is ready and waiting to get into the dirt of demos. Sometimes you need that Senior voice to close a deal, and I have my Director of Growth and CEO on speed dial to sign-off on deals when I need them. 

4. Using our Network and the Power of a Referral

Just as I have no shame in asking my Director to jump on a demo to close a deal, I have no shame in asking my circle of trust clients for referrals. The power of a referral is not lost on me - ‘Time kills deals’, and with referrals the deals tend to close a lot quicker. 

5. We’ve invested in Customer Success and Product

Our CS and Product team have grown by a headcount of 6 in the past 2 months, and we are still rolling out product updates each quarter. Covid hasn’t put a dampener on our output. We have a roadmap we are sticking to. This is allowing us to market to current customers (probably a reason that our churn rates remain low), and future customers (prospects). It’s easier to keep selling when the product is always innovating and evolving.

None of these steps are reinventing the wheel when it comes to ideas, and product marketing which lead to that all important sale. But putting them together has been the secret sauce that is making us better sales people right now. I will be carrying these on well past Covid being over.  

We’re onboarding customers that are looking to grow their brand with a tech partner that is there with them every step of the way. 

We’re listening to their needs for our product releases, so we can build a system that grows with them. 

And as Sales People, we are enthusiastic about passing this on to our network and closing those deals.