There’s no doubt that times are changing – that includes sales as much as any other profession. Offices are closed, and workforces are distributed across remote setups. In-person interaction has been taken off the table for the time being, with the new normal living online and through video chats and emails. Sellers have already been adapting to changing buyer expectations, and to a more tech-savvy business landscape. So now, it’s time to adapt to becoming a remote workforce, almost overnight. To continue to achieve sales excellence, it is going to take adjustment. And our microapp in partnership with Tiled and Winning by Design is full of modules and tips focused on continuing to achieve sales excellence remotely.
Staying productive
Staying productive during remote work is one of the biggest adjustments for people who are not used to working from home. Luckily, there are numerous tools that sellers can be leveraging during remote work to continue to stay on task and continue to efficiently connect with teammates and prospects.
Video conference apps such as Zoom have obviously seen a major boost in usage and popularity. But as the microapp points out, valuable online tools go beyond video chat. In our microapp, Winning by Design recommends use of in-meeting quizzes and polls, whiteboard capabilities, and more.
Online coaching
For sales leaders, having to coach and manage exclusively online also provides challenges. Gone are the days of desk drop-bys and weekly in-person meetings. Instead, sales leaders will need to find ways to provide value to their teams and keep everybody on the same page.
Many teams at Seismic have moved to a ‘daily standup’ model to keep teams informed coupled with active learning and contests from our internal enablement team. The microapp also recommends expanding peer-to-peer coaching. With employees needing to become more self-sufficient while working remotely, continuing to leverage the entire team as a resource will keep that camaraderie and have everybody building skills at once.
Connecting with prospects
Most critically, sellers will need to adapt to connecting with prospects in-person, as that is not doable for the foreseeable future. Sellers who are used to connecting in-person with prospects will also need to adjust to finding methods to replicate those conversations remotely.
The first step is obviously finding your way into a conversation. Losing the ability to connect in-person means that finding the right language and subtleties is even more important. Being personal, and ensuring your initial outreach is relevant, shows that you are starting a conversation and not overbearing with a sales pitch.
It is also about ensuring relevance and telling the right story. The microapp points out the importance of finding a provocative, important message to leverage, which is something that we at Seismic feel passionate about. Finding the right materials and the right story to communicate to a prospect is going to make sure that conversations are always relevant to the prospect’s needs, no matter where that conversation is taking place. Utilizing content analytics, personalized content, and sales enablement to effectively reach a prospect with a resonant story will keep the positive momentum of building a relationship rolling as you seek to connect with more stakeholders and advance the conversation.
While moving work to exclusively online has a significant adjustment period, the core is still the same – bring value to the buyer, provide a relevant, resonant story, and ensure you focus on the most important information. Mastering all of the tips and tools available to truly excel at selling online will separate top sellers from the pack in the weeks and months to come.
Interested in learning more? Explore the full How to Sell Online microapp experience, in partnership with Tiled and Winning by Design.
