Like a massive tidal wave, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended business operations, supply chains, and economic activity. However, it has not changed the need for sales teams to produce results. To win in today's new selling landscape, sales organizations will have to adapt to rapidly evolving market dynamics and make changes to their playbook.
On a recent webinar, “How to readjust and future-proof your sales,” sales growth experts from TTEC addressed prevalent questions about selling in today’s new reality and shared proven tactics, tips, and strategies.
How do I enable a sales environment with at-home sellers?
The key to enabling sellers and other employees to work productively and successfully in a remote environment is to establish regular communication streams. Schedule daily video conferences to quickly review priorities and tasks just as you would for an office meeting. Set up a peer-to-peer communication channel for informal conversations and collaborations, such as over a messaging app, in addition regular training and coaching sessions. Offer virtual coffee breaks, lunch-and-learn sessions, and virtual happy hours to build camaraderie. And don’t forget to acknowledge wins at meetings. The goal is to help sellers feel that they are part of a cohesive team—wherever they are.
How do I justify adding more sellers when budget is tight or non-existent?
Justifying the need to hire new sellers when most companies are tightening their budgets is challenging, but now is the time when talented, experienced sellers are most essential. An outsourcing partner that is experienced in rapidly training and ramping up sales teams is an effective way to extend resources. Additionally, remote workforces can be scaled up or down as needed and increase operational efficiencies while reducing costs.
What should our sellers focus on if deals are on hold?
Check in with clients and listen to what they need at this time. Be empathetic to the challenges that clients are facing. Even if a client puts a deal on hold, continue to reach out, share information, and maintain the relationship. When the client is ready to resume buying, your company will be top of mind.
Be proactive in providing useful insights and value. For instance, bringing your clients together in a group meeting where they can share notes and challenges is a valuable opportunity for your clients and increases goodwill toward your company’s brand. And with deals on hold, approach that time as an opportunity to pursue new markets. Be creative: what products or services could be retooled for a different industry?
How can I use data to deliver the right message?
With market needs evolving so quickly, data analytics and insights are more important than ever. An experienced partner can help companies identify, implement, and deploy the right data analytics tools to understand and anticipate buyer sentiment and behavior. Data insights are invaluable for understanding buyer intent and interest across the entire life cycle to drive growth and retention. These insights are also crucial to uncovering new demographic groups and opportunities.
How do I align field sales with inside sales?
Teamwork makes the dream work. This is especially true today. Sales organizations must effectively utilize all the available resources and be prepared to work in a more fluid model. Equipping field or outside sellers with the training, coaching, and resources to do inside selling maximizes resources and vice versa. From a tactical perspective, an at-home sales model also allows for greater flexibility and more personalized meetings. For example, a field sales team could line up meetings and pass them on to an at-home inside seller within the prospect’s geographic footprint to provide more relatable conversations.
The key takeaway is that these may be uncertain times, but with strategic planning and creative thinking, sales teams can emerge even stronger and well-positioned to meet their clients’ needs in a new reality.
To learn more, watch the on-demand TTEC webinar, "How to readjust and future-proof your sales." Game on!
