This is a guest post from one of our current members Mary Grothe at Sales BQ®.
COVID-19 created a world-wide crisis and is negatively impacting many businesses. It’s important we don’t stop working during this time, but rather, keep our revenue engines running. When the crisis slows or ends, you don’t want to have an empty pipeline. It will take time to rebuild the revenue flow and it will create a larger revenue gap for the companies who stop investing in pipeline building activities. The companies that continue to sell and market during this crisis will likely avoid potential fatal gaps in cash flow throughout the end of the year.
Sales BQ® is dedicated to being a resource for CEOs, Sales Managers, and Sales Reps during this crisis. Read the following articles written by our VPs of RevOps to learn more about how to best manage your sales team through the COVID-19 Pandemic.
KEEP GENERATING REVENUE WITH THE HELP OF THESE RESOURCES:
HOW SALES LEADERS CAN RESPOND IN A TIME OF CRISIS
As a sales leader, I’ve seen my share of difficult situations. In fact, I actually enjoy problem-solving—give me a difficult project or negative prospect any day. But this situation is fundamentally different from anything I’ve ever faced, and it has put my love of problem-solving to the test. How do we respond in a time of crisis? Where do we focus first? How do we rally our teams? These are questions I have had to grapple with (and quickly come up with answers to).
- Rally your leadership team
- Check on your team members
- Prepare corporate communication
- Assess your portfolio
Here are just four out of the seven activities to implement as a sales leader in a time of crisis. To learn more about each of these actions and how to implement them, read this article.
AN UNEXPECTED COVID-19 SIDE EFFECT: SPEECHLESS SALESPEOPLE
One thing hasn’t changed, however: our livelihood still depends on our ability to sell. Our companies need us to sell to stay in business. America needs us to sell to keep the economy moving. Prospects need to be prospected, and salespeople need to do what they do best: sell.
This means our sales volume shouldn’t change, but our tone should.
The approach has to shift. We need to acknowledge the crisis we are in, change our messaging, and position our product or service as helping (rather than selling to) the prospect.
Here are three ways to shift:
- Change Your Formula
- Focus On What You Can Do
- Reset & Invest: Become Indispensable
To go more in depth about the three ways to shift your selling methodology in a time of crisis, read the full article here.
LEADING SALES TEAMS THROUGH A CRISIS
These days, it can feel like all we talk about and all we hear about is COVID-19, the “new normal,” and how all of our lives are rapidly changing. It can be easy to get lost in the worry and fear. Instead, I have been taking the same approach that I use in my sales process: be authentic; be confident; stay positive; and always remember that, no matter how bad it seems, this too shall pass. Below are some of the steps we’ve taken to move forward amidst the chaos.
- Assess Each Prospect
- Show Compassion
- Find Ways to Help
- Celebrate Every Win
Listed are just four out of the 8 steps you can take as a sales leader to navigate through this crisis. To view the rest of the steps, and get an in depth explanation on each, read the article here.
3 ATTRIBUTES OF A TOP SALES PERFORMER
Mary Grothe, recently held a webinar speaking on the 3 Attributes of a Top Sales Performer. During this webinar she also speaks about the best practices to keep selling during a crisis. You will learn the top 3 attributes, how to benchmark yourself against them, and an action plan to increase your performance. The attributes are:
1.The relentless pursuit of winning, fueled by hating to lose and the inner desire to be number 1, and competing in everything.
2.Being full of passion, enthusiasm, and conviction.
3.Being an industry and product/service expert.
Watch Mary’s webinar to learn more about how to change your messaging and persevere during this pandemic.