The fundamentals haven’t changed.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread globally, the sales process has been significantly impacted – or has it?
While it may seem like COVID-19 has transformed every aspect of business as you know it, the fundamentals of the sales process remain the same. While you may be handshaking virtually now, many aspects of sales have remained constant.
- Prospecting techniques remain unchanged. In order to successfully identify potential customers, you still need to establish well-defined target markets.
- Unless you were going door-to-door approaching clients, the fundamentals of contacting potential clients are unaltered.
- While virtual calls make it crucial to present clearly and precisely, successful salespeople have always known clear articulation and proper pauses are essential to a perfect presentation. Proper preparation remains fundamental in order to have a rewarding sales call.
- While demos may be a challenge, nothing is insurmountable with a little creativity.
Keep these fundamentals in mind and uphold the elementary principles of the sales process:
- Understand what you are selling – not the product or service you are pitching, but rather the reason a customer is giving you money instead of your competition.
- Develop a clearly defined target market and have the discipline to stick to it.
- Stick to a well-defined qualification process – given the challenging environment. It is more important than ever to not waste a moment on an opportunity you won’t ultimately close.
- Brush up on your Value-Based Sales concepts and principles – you can download an introductory presentation here.
Now is also a great time to review your overall business plan and strategy. Choose Growth highly recommends utilizing a third party as you may be stuck in the day-to-day, and a third party will not make any assumptions. While we, of course, would like to be that party, please do yourself a favor and choose a reputable firm to assist in the review and revision process.
