Preparing to Sell to A Post Covid Audience

I recently read a thought-provoking article by David Jacoby in which he quoted a study by McKinsey & Company:

“Two-thirds of B2B decision makers believe that new digital sales models adopted during COVID are as effective, if not more so, than previous models. The math of virtual selling is compelling: You can much more easily conduct Zoom meetings than meeting customers in person. Mr. Jacoby goes on to predict that virtual selling will exist side by side with in-person selling in the future and that this will create new challenges for Sales Managers.”

Experience tells me that he is spot on in his assessment: sales will not go back to the way it was pre- Covid, at least not in the near future and probably not ever. Given these changes in the way your team will need to sell, how will you prepare them for this new reality? Will their existing skill sets be adequate for this new selling environment? What new skills will they need to learn?

Doorstepping or drop ins, a very common way of selling in the past, will be less effective as prospective clients may be working remotely, either full time or on the day you drop in. Even when businesses have reopened, there may well be a continued resistance to in-person meetings, especially if they are unscheduled and the benefit to the meeting not agreed upon in advance.  While this has always been an issue to some extent, it will likely be exacerbated in the post-Covid reality. Fewer meetings translate to lower sales volume and, therefore, a higher cost per sale.

In the B2B environment, many busy decision-makers will view Zoom sales meetings as less intrusive and easier to limit their time spent with the salesperson. Therefore, the salesperson will have to engage the prospect more quickly, read their reactions without the aid of body language and adjust accordingly while working in a remote environment.

Active listening skills will become even more important and messaging will need to be concise and compelling. When was the last time you trained your team on that skill?  Have you updated your messaging to reflect the new concerns and needs of target companies?  Are you prepared to use technology to expand your target market to foreign businesses?  Have you planned for new objections?  Can you differentiate from your competition and justify investing in your offering?

Another area for consideration is the sales cycle.  In some cases, where the offering may help the prospect reopen or address safety concerns, the sales cycle may be considerably shorter. Your sales representative must be ready to move more rapidly to lock down the business. In other situations, the sales cycle may be extended due to problems with cash flow or lower volume of business. In such a scenario, the sales representative must quickly recognise the concern, show empathy and adjust the conversation to best position themselves.

Personal connection is at the heart of sales. Learning how to forge those connections while not meeting face to face, will be a real challenge for a large portion of the sales team. How will you make sure they are succeeding and flourishing in this new environment?

Your team will need to be more agile and effective both when in front of a prospect as well as when selling remotely. They will need to be more attuned to the prospect than ever before. Upskilling to prepare them for these new challenges is more of an imperative in order to be successful. Now is the time to invest in your team in order to reap the rewards.