How to Help Your Sales Team Weather the COVID-19 Crisis
Experiencing highs and lows is normal for every sales team, but it’s nothing compared to the situation the world is facing at the moment. The COVID-19 outbreak has upended businesses, big and small, across varying industries. Small businesses feel the impact the most, as 75 percent of small business owners in the US have reported fewer sales since the crisis struck. There’s no doubt about it—the global pandemic has adversely affected everyone, not just you.
If you want your business to stay afloat, you might need to change your approach to sales. The responsibility is put on the manager not to induce panic within the team but also devising ways to generate revenue. To ensure the steady flow of sales while instilling positivity and confidence within your team at the same time, here are some tips you may want to consider.
Stay calm and don’t induce panic
Given the situation, converting sales may seem impossible right now, but trying is better than giving up right away. It’s important to stay calm and get your head on straight instead of giving in to feelings of panic. If you have team members feeling extra anxious, try your best to alleviate their worries and concerns. Should you find that they’re constantly nudging you for assistance, now’s the time to exercise patience. Do your best to listen to them and provide support where necessary. You should all be in this together.
Keep your team motivated and engaged
Since we’re about to experience yet another recession, it’s crucial to motivate your sales team even more. Don’t let negativity cloud your judgment and steer you away from your goals. Even if everyone in your group is unable to meet prospects and are finding difficulty in closing sales over calls and teleconferences, it’s important that you motivate them now more than ever.
Encourage them with empowering words and make yourself more available so that they know they have someone to rely on should they encounter any more trouble. Conduct frequent check-ins and one-on-one meetings. Remind them of their exceptional skills and capabilities, and use creative approaches to help them deal with current sales challenges.
Avoid lowering your standards
Despite the pandemic, it’s still vital that you reach your sales goals. Then again, you should set realistic targets that people in your team can actually meet given the situation. Since mostly everyone is at home, encourage them to introduce more sales activities into their schedules like ramping up the calling and following up on prospects. It would also help to track their performance to ensure that they’re putting in 100 percent of their efforts into reaching the goals. If you find gaps in their performance, discuss it with them.
Encourage collaboration
Instead of pursuing individualistic pursuits, encourage your team to work as one unified body so that you can all achieve your sales goals together. There is strength in unity, and collaborating and brainstorming together allows everyone to perform better.
This situation is not ideal for any business, but as long as you stay resilient and don’t veer off your goals, there is a high chance that you can come out of this pandemic stronger than ever.
We offer proven sales techniques that can help elevate value and increase your revenue. If you’re having trouble closing deals successfully, get in touch with us today to learn more!
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We understand it can be difficult to know where to start when building a framework for sales conversations, so we’ve developed a Sales Conversation “Cheat Sheet” you can download HERE.