How do you effectively sell during a substantial global event like COVID-19? What is the best way to engage farmers when markets are chaotic and volatile? How do you forecast sales when some products have soft demand, and others are experiencing substantial pre-orders?
COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on our businesses. Marketing and sales teams are rapidly rewriting strategies to react to stay-at-home orders, unusual buying behaviors and consumer uncertainty.
It’s important to be flexible, nimble and willing to shift and adapt during these tumultuous times. Here’s a look at three steps to help your team be more successful:
- Pivot!
Thinking about a product launch? What about an in-person meeting planned for months? It’s important to reevaluate and decide if current strategies still fit. Know your customers and their situations, and then allocate your resources and actions accordingly.
- Innovate
Turn a canceled meeting into a video conference, a postponed event into a webinar, or take money budgeted for sponsorships and put it towards something important to your customer. This could be sending them a gift card or takeout from their favorite local restaurant or donating milk to their local food pantry.
- Be positive
There’s plenty of bad news. It seems each conversation, news story and social media post connected to COVID-19 brings negativity into our lives. Instead of dwelling on the unpleasant, invest in customer relationships, provide added value and build loyalty. Create positive, memorable brand interactions. It’s not only the right thing to do, it could also bring you to the top of the call list when things get back to normal.
Mark Schaefer, a globally-recognized keynote speaker, educator, business consultant and author, says it best: “Long-term relevance is more important than short-term sales.”
No matter the steps you take, consistent messaging is paramount, and it is crucial to be empathetic and understanding.
Watch this on-demand webinar, Navigating the Sales Process During a Crisis, for a more in-depth look at steps you can take to refine your sales process and build customer relationships.
