Photo courtesy of 123rf.com
All of us are running around our houses trying to sell remotely and it's difficult. Zoom calls, Microsoft Teams calls, and conference calls. Our kids are in our faces daily asking for help with school work, or needing help with wi-fi connections. How the hell are we supposed to sell? Remote selling? Virtual Sales? Selling PPE out of our garage?
It's all very confusing, and now it seems that all of us are on the phone or conducting meetings via a computer. Suddenly we are a different breed of sales reps. For many of you inside sales reps this is nothing new, but many of us are used to being directly in front of people. And not being there is driving us crazy. Here are a few tips on how to manage this ever changing world of sales, and guess what? It's really not that much different.
1. Go Old School: "To Do" List - Since the pandemic started, I have been getting asked a lot about how to manage a sales team that's sitting at home. People are so used to being out at appointments, or traveling to appointments, but that's completely changed for a great many people. So what are reps supposed to do with their days? Start by making a list of things to do each morning, just like you would if you were going to conduct a day in the field. A simple to do list will get you started at least and then you can plan your day around your list. Stay focused on a list that makes you money, not one that makes you eat, like a grocery list.
2. Get Acquainted With Technology - I have many older friends who have no idea how to handle a Zoom meeting or can even conduct a FaceTime call. They're what I call "technology deniers". I speak to them about how they need to get more familiar with the new ways of communicating and I hear the same thing over and over. "I do best when I'm in front of a customer!" Well that's not going to happen very often during this pandemic...UNLESS you learn how to use technology to get in front of your customers. The virus isn't going away for quite a while so we had all better learn to use the latest apps to communicate our message otherwise you won't be selling very much.
3. Keep Your Pants On - If you're conducting online meetings, it's real easy to get comfortable, and forget to put on your clothes. A lot of people conduct calls in their pajamas and for me this is a bit too informal, considering that your laptop camera could be working and you don't even know it. Yes we're all dealing with kids, dogs, and daily chores but let's keep it at least a little bit professional. Get dressed up like you're conducting a meeting in person. Besides, no one wants to see your underwear during a Teams meeting. .
4. Buy A Camera - The first thing I did when I couldn't visit with customers was buy an HD camera for my laptop. It was great for filming webinars and conducting calls because I could switch between my laptop camera to my HD pretty seamlessly. If you have to do product demos this little tool is invaluable. It helps bring clarity and professionalism to your presentations. And it you have your pants on then you won't have to worry about switching to different camera angles.
5. Learn Phone Techniques - If you're not comfortable on the phone, than you're not going to be successful during the pandemic. And by comfortable, I don't mean you can multi-task using apps and texting, or that you're proficient at playing games on your mobile device. You need to actually speak to people. What? You mean I have to talk to someone. Yep! There are a number of free webinars on YouTube that talk about call reluctance and phone blocking. Watch them and pick up some tips to improve your skills on the phone.
6. If Meeting In Person: Wear A Mask - I was recently at an appointment with 7 people in a conference room and everyone was wearing a mask. However as the meeting wore on, one of the participants said he was going to take his off, so he could speak. Oh boy was that a mistake! The person running the meeting nearly lost it. She told him that if he wanted to take it off he should excuse himself from the meeting and think about the message it was sending to everyone else in the room. He was another vendor so I didn't care if he left the meeting, or that he was reprimanded. He was sending more business my way!
7. Keep Setting Appointments - It is very easy to get out of your routine during this pandemic. Try your level best not to get sucked into watching television, the news is terrifying right now and it can be very depressing. Modify your day but keep trying to set appointments. It's difficult, but if you attempt to inject some normalcy into your day it will go a lot faster and you'll feel much better about yourself and your job.
8. Try And Stay Sane - If you're a sales person staying in lock down is probably driving you nuts.. In fact, even if you're not a sales person it's probably driving you crazy. It's difficult because most of us are social animals. We want to be interacting with people on a regular basis, so being cooped up inside our houses is extremely taxing. Do anything you can to try and stay sane. I find myself reading a lot of books right now and the first thing I did when we went into lock down was reorganize my garage. It took a while but it kept my minding off of the pandemic and kept me out of harms way. Find anything and everything to keep your attitude positive and your outlook bright.
9. Stay In Touch With Friends - The most difficult thing about this pandemic is that it has put many friendships at risk. My family is very cautious about interacting with other people because many of them work in healthcare. As a result, it is very difficult to interact, so it puts a strain on relationships. We all want to be safe, so maybe FaceTime, or phone calls are better options to keep your friends in touch without actually touching them.
10. Focus On Your Goals - I remember when all this started, a few partners immediately told me, "We're screwed! We can't visit our customers so we're going to lose a lot business." My first thoughts were the opposite. I thought that our competitors were dealing with the same issues, so this was an opportunity to show our customers we could deliver our services even in the face of a pandemic. We stayed focus on our sales goals for the year and it helped keep everyone on the right track. Unfortunately, many people have lost their jobs and the lock down didn't help, but if you're still in business try to stay focused on your goals.
I know we are all going through a terrible time, but I hope that all of you are staying sane and staying safe.
SFTD
