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In the last few years, the COVID pandemic has disrupted traditional sales strategies. In person networking and business events have been limited. This has changed the way we network, prospect, and build business relationships with potential clients and business partners. In this article, we will look at some of the current trends in selling that can help you put together sales strategies for your small business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a recent interview with Craig Elias<\/a>, a respected sales expert, Craig tells me that \u201c\u2026selling has never been easy and it\u2019s getting harder.\u201d So, during the pandemic \u201cpeople have been leaning into email, so you need to find ways to break through the noise\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, many businesspeople are recognizing that \u201c\u2026things are changing, and they need to do new things\u2026and people are stepping out of their comfort zone\u201d according to Craig Elias. The pandemic has forced businesspeople to pivot to find different ways to sell. Craig says, it is \u201cimportant to try new things and see what works, and not to be afraid to make mistakes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n One-way businesspeople have had to adjust their sales strategies, to reflect the new realities, is to attend online events. There are many online event opportunities for networking including events put on by Chambers of Commerce, business associations, learning events, etc. While it might be harder to break through the noise and avoid the \u201830 second commercial\u2019 style of online networking, its not impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Craig Elias has discovered a powerful technique that seems to work. He recommends that you put a short blurb of what you\u2019re doing or looking for in the chat along with a link to your LinkedIn profile. He also suggests looking for potential connections through the event and the breakout rooms and contact them via the event chat or LinkedIn to ask them to connect. If you\u2019re using a LinkedIn connection request, make sure you include which event you met them at to help jog their memory of where they met you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way businesspeople are adjusting their sales strategies is by hosting events on topics that might interest their prospects. For b2b firms, that might be hosting a live webinar on something to do with their expertise (e.g., an accountant discussing how to plan your cash flow). While many \u201cb2c firms are getting together to network at scale\u201d according to Craig Elias. They are \u201chelping other create communities of interest\u201d around a topic and working together to prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past, salespeople have outreached to potential customers by either phoning or visiting a potential client. This has been replaced by video calls. In a recent article<\/a>, Hub Spot\u2019s Sales Director Dan Tyre said \u201cI’m confident that video will stick\u2026The underlying statistics are undeniable \u2014 salespeople who use video will connect at three times the rate of those who don’t, reducing the inefficiency of the outreach process as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What seems to work is to ask for a short 15-minute video call to introduce yourself and to understand the potential client\u2019s or potential contact\u2019s needs. At the end of the call asking for what the next steps should be as a way to determine the next action(s) in the sales process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, there is more ways we can connect and maintain business connections than ever before. In the past, people exchanged business cards and those cards were held in a rolodex or CRM. That was fine if you had the time to enter the contact and keep track of it. But you might lose track of the contact if they change their contact info or changed jobs. Now with LinkedIn and other social networks you can keep up with business contacts over a much longer time allowing you to build richer relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, with many people working from home, Craig Elias says that when you meet them \u201cyour now in people\u2019s homes. So, every now and again someone\u2019s wife, kid, dog or cat comes into the picture.\u201d And then you can relate to that person on a more personal level. \u201cIn the past it was all a big fa\u00e7ade\u2026\u201d with people showing up in a suit and in their office whether now they can be more \u201c\u2026authentic or genuine and from a relationship perspective that\u2019s good.\u201d It provides the opportunity to use \u201cpropinquity\u201d (nearness such as age, likes and interests, cultural affinities, etc.) to help build the relationship as you can see people in their environment and relate to them on their level (e.g., Craig noticed my Scottish tartan coffee cup on our video call, so we chatted about my Scottish heritage during the interview).<\/p>\n\n\n\n One key trend in sales is to use more tools to automate and track the progression of potential clients and customers. Craig Elias recommends that you get an application that allows you to track when\/if someone opens an email. That way you are able to follow-up in a timely manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several tools available to help small business with their marketing and sales processes very simple to more complex. In a recent article, BDC<\/a> gives a good list of these tools, of which a few of them have free versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of identifying prospects, as mentioned in the article, using social media platforms such as LinkedIn are one way to prospect for sales prospects for outbound sales (see LinkedIn\u2019s email sales templates<\/a>). There are social media apps such as Hootsuite<\/a> that can help automate the engagement on social. In addition to social media, don\u2019t forget to use inbound marketing platforms such as such as Connect4Commerce’s<\/a> b2b marketplace as they are a good way to find inbound prospects. To track your effectiveness with inbound marketing and sales you can use an application such as Hubspot<\/a> to track inbound and outbound sales progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, to connect with customers either one on one or through online events there is of course Zoom, but Google and Microsoft 365 also have good video hosting tools available as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the COVID pandemic may have disrupted your traditional sales strategies it also represents an opportunity. According to Craig Elias \u201cnow is the time to try new things\u201d and \u201cif we get comfortable about trying new things now then I think we\u2019re open to take much bigger risks later.\u201d So don\u2019t be afraid to tap into the current sales trends and adjust your small business sales strategies to reflect these new realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connect4Commerce offers entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country a convenient and comprehensive place to connect, exchange goods and services, and advance their businesses. Be sure to check out further articles in our Small Business News blog<\/a> for additional resources. Also, find learning & event opportunities<\/a> for you employees on our site that can help you with providing ongoing training for your employees.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nUsing Online Events to Prospect<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hosting Online Events<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Phone Calls are Replaced by Video Calls<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Building and Keeping Business Relationships in New Ways<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Automating Selling Processes Using Business Tools and Templates<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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