Strategy 6: Selling with Compassion

In the last article we covered shifting your marketing focus and message. Now you need to consider how your sales team needs to pivot as well. Sales needs to follow the lead of the marketing you have in the marketplace, and focus on bringing the same empathy, sensitivity and compassion to the forefront. This new landscape of the marketplace has changed, and techniques need to also change.

Sales teams need to have a new mindset. Prepare yourself and your sales team to meet the new demand. You may have to exercise phone skills and writing skills you haven’t needed in the past. Make sure that you refocus why your product or service is valuable and why customers will benefit from buying from your company.

"The two main pillars of great salesmanship are being competitive and compassionate." – Steli Efti

Getting your Sales Team’s Mindset Right:

? Do your research on the prospect before you start the sales process? Review their details and their history.

? Sales block should be consistent. Stay focused on the sales processes in hour increments.

? Role play with other sales people and discuss options with your peers.

? As an owner, support and motivate them everyday.

This is the time to listen and ask questions instead of pushing the key points and the sales pitch.

Tone must change - Just like your marketing, your salesmanship and sales team need to adjust their approaches and scripts. Add more empathy and sensitivity throughout your sales process.

Serious customer focus - Pivot to a customer focused point of view. Salespeople need to be better listeners and ask more questions to ensure they are selling at the right level to meet the new demands. Take notes and stay engaged and keep drilling down to the root causes and the real obstacles. Questions start open ended and get more specific as we go. Make the assumption that the prospect is going to buy. Keep check their temperature as you go. Don’t force the close, get to it naturally. When prospects are ready to make a decision, they will ask you a question.

Sell the way they want to be sold to - Just like you use personality styles to help you manage employees, the same styles apply to customer’s buying habits. Refer back to the DISC Profile mentioned earlier. Here are the four main profiles.

Dominance buyers want the best, first, newest option.

Influence buyers are people oriented, they want to develop relationships - follow the known, liked and trusted path.

Steadiness buyers want warranties, guarantees and they like what they bought before.

Compliance buyers like research, time to think, facts and lots of details.

Learn these profiles so your approach is congruent with the needs of the buyers. Pick up cues and hints of how they communicate and respond so you can improve the probability of making the sale.

Review and apply the 3 different learning styles I mentioned in a previous article, these are Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic

I am certified in both the DISC and VAK methodologies so please let me know, if you would like to find out more.

Finally, your sales process should be put into a flow chart so you can break down the steps you need to move a buyer from point A through the decision process. To support your sales process, start asking for reviews and ratings and testimonials from your best customers. Make sure your business review and your ratings are updated. Buyers rely more and more on testimonials and reviews to help them make their decisions.

Don’t just sell, help - Much like your marketing messaging adjustments your sales process needs to add value and help your customers and prospects even if they don’t initially make a purchase. Be willing to give customers more than they expect. Under promise and over delivering has never been more important. The more delighted your customers is the likely they are to comeback, send a referral and build a lasting relationship with your business.

Relationships Matter - This bond you are building with your customers now during a crisis will pay dividends in the long-term. The way you make your customers feel about their purchase is critical. They may have reservations to make purchases due to the uncertainty. Make them feel that their decision isn’t just correct that it is prudent, wise and thoughtful. Don’t treat customers as numbers, build a relationship with them so they become loyal, and they become the best salespeople you have. Your best customers are the best resource you have to market your business now and after the crisis subsides.

Keeping the doors open and maximising your sales process will allow you to both survive in the short-term and thrive as life gets back to normal.

Now you are selling with compassion, you need to make sure those customers keep coming back for more! Strategy 7 is 'Customer Service & Repeat Business'. The key to surviving difficult times, is to keep your existing customers!