The Salesperson's Life: Covid19, Week Two

Powerless: not a word in the Effective Sales Person's language.

Effective sales people manage their time wisely. They have a Pipeline, the holy grail of the salesperson. The Pipeline is what dictates your strategy, your goal and your factory's capability of planning and delivering your product successfully. It is the magic formula that helps get the second car you've always wanted, the designer handbag you dreamed of, a golf club membership or your child's entry to the most coveted private school in your area.

Controlling the Pipeline is a beast, a job in and of itself. You have your months, weeks and days planned out and lined up to the "T", based on that Pipeline. Every moment is scheduled in, every flight, hotel, meal calendared - you have a follow up system which has worked for you for years - you produce; controlling that pipeline, chasing the opportunities, hitting your quotas, closing the deals, making your customers happy. This is the design of the intensely satisfying formula that makes The Effective Salesperson a bona-fide superstar.

Your formula works, that is why you are the Effective Salesperson.

Covid19 has robbed our formula from us. The day to day existence of the Effective Salesperson in the Food Service Industry has become a ghost, a memory of what it was a week or 10 days ago. Flights are cancelled, the phones are quiet, emails are not coming in and the Pipeline has evaporated.

After speaking with colleagues, peers, industry leaders, customers and competitors the struggle seems to strike harder this week more than last. It seems to stem from the following.

Loss of control.

Powerlessness.

The Unknown.

The very systems that ran our lives are shell shocked, we have absolutely no control of what happens today... never mind tomorrow.

Our clients are not operating, they are bleeding their reserves dry, they are holding on by the skin of their teeth, trying to scrape by with takeout, curbside pickup or delivery. Stadiums, Cruiselines, Casinos, Golf Clubs, Higher Education, Hospitals - nobody is feeding the masses in the traditional sense, that means anyone providing any of the above services - is feeling this hit hard.

One new skill all of Effective Salespeople need to adapt to is not being overpowered by the powerlessness. The lack of control in the Effective Salesperson's life is what causes them to fail during normal circumstances. So how do we shine, rise up and stay "ok" during this chaos?

My advice for those of you struggling with any of this powerlessness during this unknown time is this:

• Remain on your "normal" schedule. Do not sleep in. Set an alarm, wake up, get ready for the day. While you are not going to be wearing a suit - do not stay in pajamas, no matter how many meme's make you think this is ok. Make your cup of coffee and sit down in front of your computer and get your day started.
• Open your CRM and/or your calendar - see what you were working on exactly one month ago - and reach out to those people. You don't need to sell them, but you should be connecting, letting them know you're still there for them. Connect with people you may have run into at a tradeshow, utilize those business cards that have been sitting on your desk, the leads from NRA, Catersource, and NAFEM 2018. Go back as long as you need to! Send each person a note - stay connected.
• Food, Food, Food. You will be tempted to eat a lot of garbage! Keep on top of your nutrition. First, eat a well rounded breakfast and lunch. Us road warriors rarely have the luxury of eating freshly cut up veggies and home cooked food for weeks on end so take advantage of this opportunity to get your nutrition on point so you can stay healthy and boost your immune system.
• Be nice to your body. Our bodies are used to constant abuse - give it time to heal now. Don't drink alcohol excessively and do not develop bad habits - this is not the time! Don't let your bedtime get out of whack and for the love of everything holy - turn off the tv and read a book!
• It's ok to be sad, but don't wallow! I have now allotted myself sadness time. I turn my timer on, set it for 15 minutes, and when it goes off I know that my sad time is over. I acknowledge the darkness, but I will not succumb to it nor simmer in it. I encourage you to do what works for you - accept it, but do not sit in it.

Friends, we are making decisions we thought we would never have to make. We are being confronted with fears we thought we would never have to face. However, we are creative, social beings who are being dealt a frightening hand and through this creativity, we will come up with the "out of the box" solutions. Remember this, we are not powerless over our minds. Our minds and our body will be what will get us through uncertain times. Remain strong with this knowledge and your power will not be relinquished to the unknown. The power of the calendar, the meetings, the solace of structure will be back soon enough - but remember, The Effective Salesperson, never ever gives up.