According to CRN’s Covid-19 survey, over 60% of reseller respondents have reported heightened demand. It’s no surprise - staying connected to colleagues, staff and customers is the first priority for business continuity.
Clearly the lockdown is creating opportunity, but it’s also posing a big challenge. Sales teams are used to face-to-face selling and networking, but they are now having to create a whole new sales process, which is entirely online. Here are our top 5 tips for “virtual selling”:
- Goal setting and timetable: We can only affect what we can control. As we don’t know how long this new way of working will last, it’s important not to just ‘wait it out’ but thoroughly embrace a new working style. Set yourself realistic goals for the week – how many calls you want to schedule, how many follow ups, how many quotes etc. Put a reward system in place that aligns with being at home, such as a coffee break, for when you hit a milestone. Having a timetable is also key, that way if you don’t like a particular task, like admin, you can schedule it first thing in the morning to get it over and done with.
- Start with existing customers: The best place to start with sales is always with existing customers. The average repeat customer spends 67% more than their first sale. 61% of SMEs report that more than half of their revenue comes from repeat customers. It makes perfect sense – you already have a relationship and you know they rate your product and service. It’s highly likely they will have increased IT and comms requirements, so they should definitely be your first point of call.
- Lock down current prospects: Let’s not forget, just as you are at home, so are your prospect customers. If you had got to a stage where you were going to schedule a meeting, well, you both have oodles of time now! Use the opportunity to chase up any leads that had gone cold and lock down anyone who had shown interest in the past. You’re both in the same boat, so chances are they may be quite receptive!
- Keep it visual: Email and phone are great, but it’s much easier to build a relationship when you can see them. That’s why video is so much better for selling. You can much more easily judge someone’s thoughts and responses, handle objections and sense whether you have scope to move ahead and close.
- Customer service is king: Never forget, 89% of customers begin business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. Whether it’s following up when you say you will, a like on a LinkedIn article, a thank you after a sale, or remembering a birthday – all these small gestures contribute to customer-centric sales, which mean that you’ll not be able to retain your customer, you can likely grow them as well.