ForceWorks
Helping Veterans Stay Informed
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Selling through a Pandemic
Everyone on the planet has been touched and affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a homestay father I have students that I have hosted all over the globe, and I have spent a great deal of time everyday checking on the pandemic across the world.
Here in North America I have been contacted a lot over the past few months to help companies out with filling their sales funnels in the after shock of self quarantine and work from home.
For those of us in marketing and sales this “new normal” has presented us with a few challenges. Firstly with people having lost their jobs through lay offs corporations are tightening their belts and watching every dollar that they have. How does someone continue to generate leads (especially qualified leads) knowing that companies are hurting financially and have reduced staff? We get back to basics.
The Sales Funnel During a Pandemic
Awareness (Responding to a customer’s needs) – We know that during the pandemic there has been an increase in internet use by almost every household in North America. That tells those of use in sales and marketing that we have to be seen where the customer is looking. Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, Blogs etc. The customer has to be aware that your company understands the current situation and is here to help solve their problems. I have personally found that a nicely worded email to customers in your database to check on them during this pandemic has had positive results in engaging clients and quickly move them down the lead generation funnel. There are still customer needs out there in every vertical; the key is in how the customer is engaged, and how quickly they can be moved to converting into a potential sale.
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Awareness (Responding to a customer’s needs) – We know that during the pandemic there has been an increase in internet use by almost every household in North America. That tells those of use in sales and marketing that we have to be seen where the customer is looking. Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, Blogs etc. The customer has to be aware that your company understands the current situation and is here to help solve their problems. I have personally found that a nicely worded email to customers in your database to check on them during this pandemic has had positive results in engaging clients and quickly move them down the lead generation funnel. There are still customer needs out there in every vertical; the key is in how the customer is engaged, and how quickly they can be moved to converting into a potential sale.
Request relevant data and prompt further call to action- Now it is time for the follow up call or email. Keeping in mind that we are all still living in the time of a pandemic, so the need for soft
selling (being the trusted advisor who just wants to help) is critical. The last thing that anyone dealing with the pandemic wants is to be sold too and have to make a big financial decision. They need to make a solution solving decision.
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Evaluate data and direct the customer to the appropriate solution- Now that you have all the data required to formulate a quote it is time to give the client several options. I personally prefer giving them only three options. Knowing that funds are tight I provide one basic solution quote, one mid range quote (where I can upgrade them to a longer running solution), and one
solution for down the road. At this point your customer is your champion and as a trusted
advisor you are there to help make a qualified buying decision. Given the pandemic, as sales person really needs to illustrate how the purchase of the solution will improve the chances of
getting their company back to normal and improve their bottom line.
Offer a demonstration, consultation (via Zoom) and work the hard sell if required- Your
customer may have to include a supervisor or someone with signing authority in a demo or
consultation. During the pandemic a hard sell has to be done tactfully, tastefully, and illustrate
the value of the solution to solve your customer’s problem. Reinforcing the solution is critical. If
the customer is still not ready then follow-up is the key. Never give up. Some of my best sales
took almost a year of follow-up and on occasion have led to the sale of a totally different
solution. This occurred because the client trusted me as an advisor who helps and not a
salesperson who closes. Emotions run high during a pandemic, and it’s easy to lose a customer
to factors that you can’t control. Follow up no matter what.
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Close- This is the ideal situation where your client signs off on the deal and you get to provide a solution where you can continue to groom a repeat client.
I have been working with these tactics for the past month and my funnel is filling up fast. So is my summer for training and consulting. Making yourself the answer to someone’s problem during a pandemic is a great way to become a trusted advisor. After reading this article you should ask yourself
“What’s in your Funnel?”