Selling During & Post COVID

It would not be too farfetched a statement to say, as a salesperson unless you are in the essential products or services, no one really wants to talk to you. Even then, in current times the pressure of selling and the anxiety that accompanies with it, is a heady combination. No one really wants to be a salesperson at this moment, unless you enjoy selling and you genuinely love to experience the joy that comes along with it. Organisations, (while most of them) are showing their humane side and are being rational in their demands or expectations, though we all know it, to keep the business running sales has to be done. Some organisations are slyly demanding sales in the guise that they aren't stopping the salaries, well, I am no judge of what is right and wrong, all I know is, come what may sales have to be generated, and generated the right way.

I have been talking to friends, colleagues and clients across various industries and the one sentiment that is common is - It is tough out there. Having been a lifelong sales person, add to that a moniker of a sales coach I felt I should share some thoughts about selling during and post COVID that would help if you are in a selling role, so here goes.

Disclaimer : Please bear in mind, this isn't a one size fits all selling solution, I see it more as a guidepost for a salesperson to draw out plans from.

Emotion, yeah now is the time to feel, show and express those emotions :- 

COVID or no COVID, no one and I mean no one likes to be sold to, more so in a situation when you are trying to save every penny available. So, it is really simple - DO NO SELL instead offer to help, genuinely. Be human as a salesperson in your approach, first serve your existing customers in the best possible manner, remember to communicate to them that you are serving them, and tell them it is tough for your organisation too, non-communication/incomplete communication is like hara-kiri in these times. I believe most customers are considerate human beings, they understand (yeah, you may encounter an occasional odd ball, who gives you a tough time) and the odd one who is troubling you is an aberration to the rule.

So, how does one exactly show emotion when you aren't meeting customers face to face. Here are four ways that apply both during voice and non-voice aka written communication

1. Voice and Tone - Be Gentle, don't be in a rush, no one is going anywhere really. Eagerness shouldn’t be misconstrued as cheesy, seek permission always, even if you have known the customer all your life. You possibly don't know what the customer is dealing with at the very moment when you called. Bring on your listening skills and listen to things the customer is telling you, acknowledge it. Be present to serve not to sell.
2. Word Choice - Use words that demonstrate and signify care. Brevity is the name of the game, be crystal clear in your communication
3. Compassion - Seek to understand your customer's situation, tell them you understand and care.
4. Vulnerability - Everyone knows it is tough out there, so drop your guard a bit, it will allow room for the customer to do the same. Remember we are all in it together. 

Now, to the crucial issue that is giving many sleepless nights - how do I keep and grow my sales???

To answer this I would divide customers into two major categories -

1. Existing
2. New

Existing Customers - Get cracking on your business/sales analytics unless you haven't done that already. Look up your CRM notes, Data reveals stories, stories of the customer that aren't so easily visible till we look. Analyse, who is buying what, how much and how often. Just going through this numbers will show you trends, gaps and opportunities that have been hiding in plain sight. Managing the replenishment cycles really well is paramount in this case. You might notice your competition has taken some business away from you that you can service, maybe because you were happy with what you were getting and didn’t show the hunger/need for more.

After you have analysed the data, talk to customers, check with them the reasons why they haven't purchased from you or have taken the product from a competitor(please remember you aren't going to sell a customer only once, so plant seeds for a future sale),in my experience more often than not the customer doesn’t even know you offer a particular product/service.

If your product is also a fit for any other department of the customer, then ask for recommendations to get an entry into that department, yes I very well understand it is not that easy, though it isn't difficult either. 

Check, there is no harm in asking. You have already spent enough energy, effort, time and money acquiring this customer, now get smarter to keep and grow the customer. 

New Customers - The caveat to serving a new customer is that you still need to have background information about the customer, so before you approach make sure you have got as much information about that customer (if you don’t have it, ask around your organisation or your existing customers, someone always knows).

Needless to say selling to new customers is a bit more tougher than serving or selling to existing customers. So let’s make it simpler and further divide the NEW customers into 4 buckets.  

1. You know them, they know your company - These are customers that you have met or made contact with. These are your best bet at the moment, you have had interactions and some business discussion has taken place. There is a possibility the decisions might have got staggered/deferred, but the deal isn't off the table yet. Get to this fact as soon as possible, stay in touch with these customers on a regular basis, offer them confidence that you still have the ability to serve them, should they take the decision to move forward.
2. You don’t know them, but they know your company/product - The customer probably has heard of your company and maybe has even has experienced your product some place else. For such a customer, it is best to transition into the product conversation from their past so you build familiarity as quickly as possible. If possible go through a referral, recommendation route to get the ball rolling.
3. You know them, but they don’t know your company/product - This one fully rests on you as a salesperson, you have probably already built trust with this customer in the past and they might be keen to engage with you but not yet sure about your company and product. To serve them you need to build confidence by providing testimonials, white papers, product presentation etc
4. You don’t know them, they don’t know your company/product - Stay clear of this category, they are not to be contacted by a salesperson, they are a focus customer for the marketing team, if you have a marketing team get them to contact these customers else just don’t bother. Well, maybe not fully ignore them, engage them with non-sales means such as inviting them for education seminars, digital events or any other tools available at your disposal. Sensitise about your company/product, don't sell, trust me if they are in need, they will seek you out.

Please note, you treat each customer category with a different strategy, this way you don’t try to be all things to all customers. You may ask, will it be easy to sell to new customers in this current business environment just because we now have 4 buckets, well, if you don’t try, I can tell you it's definitely going to get harder.

Let me reiterate the above strategies aren't really easy, fit-all solutions for selling, they are a guidepost. Let me know how you feel about these thoughts, it is an environment of collaboration, together we can seek the answer out. 

Wait, I know what you are thinking, all this is fine but our greatest challenge is the damn negotiations, they are getting tougher and more brutal. I haven't forgotten at all, negotiation deserves separate attention as a whole subject and I will write about it too.

One last thing, let me let out an open secret - Everyone is someone's customer and/or service provider, so learn from salespersons who are reaching out to you !!!

All the best my fellow sales folks, remember to always provide your customers a reason to be associated with you, prove to them that if they don’t buy from you, it is their loss as much as it is yours. Stay Safe.