Since mid-March, face-to-face encounters for B2B sales have been prohibited in Quebec. This situation has made it difficult for many sales representatives to do their jobs because they’ve had to come up with new ways to manage meetings with prospects, take advantage of opportunities and keep business moving. Below are a few tips to help sales reps work remotely during this challenging time.
1.Do a self-evaluation
After several weeks of working remotely and doing sales from a distance, you’ve probably figured out some of your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to working from home. It’s a good idea to take a moment and reflect on if you need more support from your manager and to clarify in what way they can help you.
The major elements that will define your capacity to work in sales remotely are:
A. The level of responsibility
Depending on a person’s level of responsibility, they may have a tendency to make excuses and blame external factors (competitors, the boss, the company, the market, colleagues…) for their lack of success.
In your case, do you say:
- No matter the circumstances, I’ll do everything I can to achieve my objectives.
OR
- Considering the current situation, there isn’t much I can do.
B. The capacity to work independently
Certain people would rather work as part of a team than by themselves. When these people find themselves working alone and remotely, it can sometimes be difficult to establish the plan of action and steps needed to be taken to achieve their objectives.
C. The capacity to motivate oneself
In the context of remote work, it’s essential to be able to take action and start the workday without anyone’s help. This capacity helps avoid lost time and overcome procrastination.
D. The capacity to regularly seek out prospects
Ongoing prospecting is key to success when you work in sales, whether in a remote work setting or not. Despite the economic slowdown due to the pandemic, sales reps need to be proactive, make calls and create opportunities consistently.
If you feel you need help to make sales while working remotely, your manager can guide you. Some things that might help include:
- A quick morning meeting (daily huddle) to start the day and set your priorities
- More-regular communication with your director
- A step-by-step action plan
2. Bring a good vibe to your calls with clients and prospects
In the current context, a positive approach is more important than ever. You don’t want to come across as an opportunist trying to sell during a crisis. When offering solutions to prospects of existing clients, it’s important to understand the distinction between a need and a problem.
If the current crisis is creating new problems, these will be tied directly to the liquidity of businesses, and how they will address to the changes that need to be made in order for work to resume while respecting physical distancing measures. Only a small handful of businesses will be able to help other businesses with these specific problems.
On the other hand, the challenges businesses faced before the pandemic are still there; your market hasn’t disappeared. Take an empathetic approach and open your discussion by aiming to identify the problems your prospects have by asking questions.
3. Prepare virtual meetings
If you’re not used to conducting sales meetings remotely, you need to prepare yourself and also prepare your prospect, who may also be new to the concept.
- Lay out expectations before the meeting: how long it will be, the technology that will be used, how to use the webcam, and what the meeting will be about (it should be a conversation, not a presentation)
- Use the webcam and ask prospects to do the same. Several studies have shown that eye contact is essential to a successful virtual sales meeting. A study from Gong.io found that using webcam for virtual pitches increased sales by 41 percent.
- Adapt to the environment: unlike face-to-face meetings where you enter prospects’ environments, in a virtual meeting your environment is visible to your prospects. Make sure your background looks professional, is well-lit and that your working area is tidy.
- Tools to help with virtual meetings: In a virtual setting, you have a unique opportunity to have your CRM software open in front of you, which will help you keep track of the sales process. You can also have a list of questions to ask at the ready. Prepare your tools before the meeting starts.
It will be up to you to experiment and determine what is most helpful for you when it comes to making sales when working remotely. The quicker you’re able to replicate your successes and eliminate your work-from-home issues, the more success you’ll have. It goes without saying that the more you exchange tips and tricks with colleagues and managers, the faster you will achieve your goals.
Here’s a link to a webinar I created specifically for sales reps, with the goal of helping prepare and adapt for making sales while working remotely: https://www.primaressource.com/webinaire-vendre-a-distance-b2b
Good luck and stay safe!
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