Wellspect’s positive brand reputation eased my transition from physical to online sales

In-spite of technological advances, a preference for in-person sales prevailed in the export markets I oversaw, explains Asli Aral, Wellspect’s Regional Sales Manager for Europe and Latin America.?Traveling thousands of miles to secure deals with distributors in Greece, suppliers in Malta or hospitals in Iceland, has always been a critical part of my job, says Asli. The same applied to in-person meetings during which I elaborated on our products’ unique selling points and demonstrated our wide range of offering, adds Asli.

The crumbling of the world of physical sales

When Covid-19 hit early 2020, everything changed.?Restrictions imposed by governments worldwide, including travel bans and curfews, forced both businesses and customers to go digital. In the healthcare sector, visits to most hospitals were strictly prohibited. The world of physical sales, as I knew it, had crumbled.

At first, I was faced with this immense challenge of doing sales virtually- through online meetings- while providing my customers with the same value and level of success as before, although thousands of miles away. It felt like mission impossible, recalls Asli.

As I settled into my new reality, I started to ponder how to win over my customers and how to secure new leads virtually.

The basics of successful sales

Wellspect’s strong brand equity in the field of continence care, was certainly helpful. Promoting products that have a high reputation of being reliable and user friendly already did part of the job for me because existing customers who knew the Wellspect brand favored it. ?But my task, as a salesperson conducting online outreach, was far more challenging with new customers who didn’t know the Wellspect brand. Before I could even secure an online sales meeting, I had to forge a connection and create a will for that other person to free his or her calendar for me. ?

While this insight was initially daunting, I ultimately realized that I had to develop a new mindset and outlook on sales. And that the basics of successful sales prevailed. Being agile, solving problems and staying attuned to customers need remained key. The rest boils down to the superiority of your products and their unique value proposition design.

Your ability to connect with other humans – your customers- is also central to your succcess as a salesperson.

Human connections central to all encounters

By exuberating calm, smiling, and making the other person feel at ease, you can build a good first impression and secure the attention of the other person, a few minutes into the encounter. My experience in sales, which dates back to 2017, has also taught me the importance of establishing a human connection by looking for points of parity with other individuals. This applies to physical as well as digital encounters.

The customer in your computer screen may be a parent like you. He or she may be just as awkward with the virtual encounter or just as fed up with the restrictions imposed at the time by Covid-19. Always look for points of parity as they allow the other person to mirror himself or herself in you, brining you closer together. If you can’t find any, remember that you two are united by what you do and have the best interest of the product users at heart.

Be honest, open, and never lie. That’s how you build trust. In your products and in you as a sales representative, advises Asli.

The world of sales will continue to change. With artificial intelligence (AI) on everyone’s lips we, as sales representatives, must stay tuned to the impact AI will have on our roles. But I fear not, with Wellspect’s strong brand equity and my agile mindset, I am ready for the challenge, wraps Asli up.?