One of my clients recently said, “Selling in the midst of this pandemic feels a lot like eating a bowl of spaghetti. Every once in a while, you get a meatball—a win here-and-there.”
When COVID-19 hit, a lot changed in the world of selling!
Of course, prior to the pandemic, selling wasn’t easy. But when times are good, lots of organizations and sellers get a bit complacent about going through the motions of the sales cycle—managing deals, easing-up on cultivating new business opportunities, treating every customer interaction the same, and losing their grasp on closing sales.
Complacency is an inherent flaw that prevents organizations and sellers from pushing beyond the status quo to achieve exceptional success. Complacency is the silent business killer that strikes without warning and can bring even the biggest and brightest companies and sellers to their knees.
The post-COVID business landscape will be way too competitive to settle for complacency or mediocrity.
To survive and thrive, businesses and sellers must take new and different strategic steps now to capture market share while keeping pace with constantly changing customer demands.
This is the perfect time to:
- Get to know your customers again; help them identify their evolving needs in this ever-changing virtual business environment
- Keep communication timely, relevant, reflective and tailored to each customer’s unique situation and needs
- Review your messaging and overall marketing strategy to ensure you’re telling the right story
- Show that you care and choose the right emotional response to meet the customer’s circumstances
- Pinpoint opportunities in the sales cycle to blend digital and virtual interactions to cultivate human connections with your customers
Your organization may have had a policy of putting the customer first, but what that means has evolved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations and sellers that display real integrity, transparency and empathy will maintain profitable customers and grow their businesses.
Each of us have been challenged in some way—coping with isolation, contending with health concerns, figuring out new day-care arrangements, or worrying about distant family members.
The pandemic forced sellers to take the perspective of buyers and to really think about where they’re at and the challenges they face. Buyers certainly don’t want scripted inauthentic “we care” messaging that sounds the same from every seller. They want sensitivity to current conditions, but also insight from sellers about how they can help.
This shift from a selling mode to a helping mode is something I’ve been advocating for some time.
In today’s business environment, selling really is a lot like eating a bowl of spaghetti, you can’t move one strand of spaghetti without touching a dozen other strands and perhaps jostling a meatball or two. Similarly, the lives of today’s buyers are convoluted and have intertwining threads of human experiences, thoughts and emotions that when triggered, catapult them into a state of heightened fear and uncertainty.
All business is ultimately the same, because all business boils down to humans dealing with humans. Businesses that position humanity first speak to the hearts and minds of people, help fulfill their hopes and dreams and ultimately foster meaningful human connections. Customers who feel this kind of engagement buy more, refer more and are more loyal.
Happy New Year.
Charlie Anderson is the founder and owner of Selling Skills Institute. He is the creator and author of the book Shift Thinking success acceleration method and Human Dynamic Selling, a unique human-to-human sales method that flips traditional selling on its ear and sparks extraordinary sales results.
Shift Thinking Success Acceleration Coaching Program.
If you’re looking to transform your sales potential into explosive revenue growth, success and greater happiness, reach out to me. You might be a good candidate for my Shift Thinking Success Acceleration Coaching Program. To inquire, call 339-927-2746 or email me at [email protected]
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