This post is short. But it is important. Please read it. Because it will help you manage through – with positive results – what may be the most challenging period of your sales career. With clients and prospects in a holding pattern – cancelled, indefinitely postponed, no funding for new initiatives – many of you are thinking, “Nobody wants to hear from me right now.” And you are correct. Nobody wants to hear from overzealous sales people, pushing products and services deemed unnecessary, unusable or irrelevant given the current conditions.
But wait…there is good news.
You know that prospects notice, and respond to, sales pros who have something of high relevant value to contribute. Value by the client’s definition. That’s the baseline even in times of normality. At this point in history, that mindset of relevant value and contribution needs to be on steroids.
Please do not give up on communicating out to your prospects. This inactive time is your time to be active. I mean active in the right way. Use this luxury of unanticipated quiet time to think deeply and empathetically about what your VIPs (Very Important Prospects) need from you right now. It’s about using everything you know about these individuals and their organizations, professionally and personally, to regularly drip* personalized messages that provide high value under the current circumstances.
Perhaps you’ve found a thought-provoking video on “bolstering employee moral” that would be invaluable to an HR contact faced with the challenge of motivating teams operating in isolation. Maybe the inspirational story of one client company’s success at moving business forward in the face of massive shutdowns is relevant to others in a similar situation. Your message may have nothing to do with your services, but it must have everything to do with supporting your client. Vary your content. Business related. Human related. And include some lighthearted elements. Perhaps your best client is a chocoholic. Receiving a decadent recipe for a triple-chocolate brownie may be a welcome light in these dark days. The common thread is relevance. Get proactive and look for distinct approaches to drip relevant value on specific prospects. Equally important, and assuming you want your messages to get noticed, always Lead* with why you thought about this client at this moment and clearly Connect* the direct value of your message.
We will get through this dark tunnel. It is simply a matter of time. And when we start to see the light at the other end, you want to be remembered by your prospects for the right reasons. Never lose sight of the fact that the fundamental purpose of prospecting is to be favorably positioned on your clients’ and prospects’ radar before they are ready to make their important buying decision. Use this inactive time to guarantee your #1 position at the most important stage of the sales process.
Good selling!
Jill
*For more information on how to create impactful “drip” campaigns and assure your messages land, using the LCBS framework, get your nose back into your copy of UNCOMMON SENSE: Shift Your Thinking. Take New Action. Boost Your Sales. Specifically pages 57-64 and 43-48.
Using Technology to Support Your Success
What would we do without technology at a time like this? All of my family is in the UK and I just cancelled my trip home this month. But I can see that everyone is safe and well, in real time, thanks to Zoom and FaceTime. Using these platforms to schedule lunch dates and cocktail hours with friends, both locally and around the globe, is also proving to be a sanity-saver.
Most importantly, technology assures I can continue to offer live coaching and mentoring services to my clients, many of whom now have the bandwidth to focus on upgrading specific skills and assuring ongoing professional growth.
Knowing the impact of the virus on your business, I have been developing both individual and group sales mentoring programs in a variety of virtual formats and delivery options to meet your different needs and funding availability. If you would like to schedule a call to explore the options for you personally, or for your team – at no obligation – I would be delighted to find a way to support your success through these difficult times.
Keep healthy, keep safe. And stay sane!
