What You “See” Is What You Get

To Sell, or Not to Sell?

Not exactly Shakespeare, but it is a question many product and service providers have been asking themselves since the coronavirus upended nearly everyone’s life weeks ago. Unfortunately, it’s a question that doesn’t have an easy answer.

With no definitive end to the COVID-19 pandemic in sight, the majority of business owners are, for the most part, still operating in “survival mode.” They’re hunkered down, frantically looking for ways to cut costs and weather the storm.

The last thing most of them are thinking about is investing time and/or money in growing their businesses...at least not in the short term.

As understandable (some would say, logical) as that kind of thinking is given present circumstances, recognize that it’s driven by fear and pessimism rather than confidence and optimism.

Now before you get the wrong idea, I’m not implying that we should all simply ignore what’s going on in the world right now or pretend it’s not happening. That would require a special level of cluelessness and insensitivity!

What I am suggesting is that business owners (and those of us that sell to them) practice “cognitive reframing” – a technique that helps people look at events and situations differently by changing the meaning we give them.

For example, instead of seeing things through a frame of crushing adversity, we can reframe the same conditions in a way that allows us to perceive tremendous opportunity!

Reframe and Reboot

It all comes down to perspective...something that each of us has absolute control over.

And make no mistake, there IS tremendous opportunity, right now, for businesses to reorganize, restructure, reinvent and reposition themselves.

The downtime that many organizations are now experiencing can be devoted to ALL of those pursuits in whatever order you want to tackle them.

Think about it, how often are any of us “gifted” extended periods of unallocated time in which we can study and learn new techniques, technologies, strategies and tactics devoted to improved sales, marketing, leadership, communication and customer experience?

The answer to that question, by the way, is seldom-if-ever.

Of course, if my use of the word “gifted” kind of distracted you from the rest of the question, I’m going to ask you to think, again, about cognitive reframing.

Hardly anyone would reflexively define this pandemic as a gift. I get it. But a simple change of perspective can help us see barrels of lemonade instead of the mountain of lemons everyone else is focused on.

And that’s how forward-thinking entrepreneurs and business leaders will not only survive this crisis but position themselves to thrive once things return to "normal."

An Obligation To Sell

Now at this point you might be wondering how all of this applies to selling or not selling in the present.

Here it is in a nutshell...

If your product or service can genuinely benefit others (i.e. organizations and individuals) in a way that helps them better cope with whatever daily struggles they’re now dealing with and/or prepares them to take market share once the storm passes and business returns to some semblance of normalcy, you have an obligation to sell!

How you go about doing it, though, could require an additional level of sensitivity and finesse.

Keep in mind that a LOT of people – unaware of the power of cognitive reframing – are presently stuck in survival mode. They’re scared and struggling and may not be immediately receptive to what you’re selling. Approach them with a servant leader mentality. Inquire as to how they’re doing, and how you can be of service.

Don’t initially jump into sales mode. Demonstrate, first, that you’re there to help, that you’re someone who can be trusted, and that you have their (vs. your own) best interests at heart.  

Once the trust factor has been established and you’ve identified a problem that YOU are uniquely qualified to solve, determine if they’re financially capable of investing in your solution and that they’re willing and able to make a buying decision once you’ve laid it out for them. 

If you’ve been given those assurances and a green light to present your solution, seize the opportunity and close the sale!

Now obviously even under the best of conditions it’s not always that cut-and-dried, but the process is essentially the same. And that’s the thing to remember. Because even in the middle of a raging health crisis, there are still opportunities to conduct business if you change the way you look at things and reach out to prospects with genuine solutions to their present and future challenges. 

Reach out to me directly if you'd like to further explore how these (or other) strategies and tactics can be incorporated into your organization's sales and leadership initiatives...

Email: [email protected] / Mobile: 203-257-4551.