Things have certainly changed in the last few months as our society adapts to the “new normal” that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought us. You might be wearing a mask at the gym, ordering grocery delivery, and helping your kids attend school from home, among other things. One question that is on many of our readers’ minds at this time is: how does this “new normal” affect my sales tactics?
Even through the negative shift that our global economy has taken during the pandemic, resilient companies push forward and remain profitable. Do you have what it takes to defeat the odds and come out of this coronavirus recession leading the pack? Let’s brush up on some sales strategies and dive into how COVID-19 has changed the shape of salesmanship.
Take action
Show your clients that you are committed to them through thick and thin by establishing digital communication right away. Being clear with the ways you are contactable is an immediate need that is essential for you to take action to fulfill. Don’t let too much time pass before you talk to your clients! With the isolation and changes going on, your relationship with clients can slip away overnight if you haven’t prioritized resuscitating it.
Acknowledge the “new normal”
Your sales tactics may be based on in-person contacts and face-to-face meetings. Things have changed and we have to adapt! We cannot wait for things to go back to how they were before the pandemic hit—we need to act now. Serving clients looks different now than it did before, and we may have to do some creative problem-solving to meet their needs. Consider all the tools at your disposal, including new technology and old-fashioned techniques
Plan and prepare
You know that the demand for your services has not gone away just because we are social distancing or possibly sheltering in place. You still have valuable services that fulfill great needs in your community—maybe now more than ever. Plan for inbound enquiries coming in different ways than they have before. Do you have a triage system for those contacts that is pandemic-proof? Are you ensuring that potential customers don’t forget about you? How can you mitigate the ever-changing landscape in front of your clients? Which of your products makes the most sense to fill people’s needs right now?
Empathy and consideration
Above all, remember that each client is experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic differently. Though it may barely affect some, others are struggling with feelings of isolation, fear, and even the unexpected loss of a loved one due to the virus. In each call you place, each email you write, each contact you make, keep your mind and heart open to the suffering of those around you. As we all know, nothing in sales is more important than a genuine human connection—and those connections are still the foundation of everything we do, even when they have to look differently than they have in the past!
