Thriving Through the Coronavirus: Six Tips for Retaining and Developing Strong Relationships
I've seen a lot of articles recently focused on how to sell during a pandemic or recession. They all have great tips but at the end of the day, this is new territory for us all. No one alive has experienced something like this so who am I to tell you how to keep your sales up through this time of uncertainty.
There's a very high chance your sales are dropping but every industry is different right now. Some are thriving with more inbound inquiries then they know what to do with, while others have halted completely so it’s hard to write a "one-size fits all" type of post with tips to fit the needs of every salesperson in every industry. There is one thing that pretty much every salesperson should have in common right now, a focus on retaining and developing relationships with their potential and existing customers.
Relationships are extremely important and how you and your company handle things right now will define you for some time. The last thing you want is to be so pushy that you lose the relationship and miss out on the future opportunity when things start to turn around. Relationships translate to sales so if you focus on growing the relationship, the sales will follow.
Here are six tips on keeping your relationships and growing them even stronger through this pandemic.
LISTEN BUT VERIFY
You can learn a lot about what's happening through the media however we can't always trust that we're getting the full picture. It’s great that you're staying informed but don't forget to research your specific industry in detail and listen to what your customers are saying, which matters much more than what everyone else is saying. Its important to really listen to the problems and roadblocks your customer is going through right now because they're likely issues they didn't have a few weeks ago and they weren't expecting to face.
NARROW YOUR TARGET CUSTOMER
Now isn't the time to cold call every lead you've ever received. It can be tempting to do this because logic tells us the more people we reach out too, the more likely we are to make a connection. Get more niche and separate your customers into buckets depending on how this is impacting them. For example, those in the hospitality industry are likely to be impacted negatively so you want to find ways to stay connected with them while not coming off as pushy.
STRUCTURE YOUR OUTREACH
You've determined your target customer and how they're being impacted. Now create an outreach strategy based on that. Going back to our example of the hospitality industry, create some valuable content for them and send them via email every week or two. You don't have to create this content, you can easily share valuable articles that you're finding helpful. They may not respond right away but doing this keeps you top of mind. Showing empathy and patience here is also imperative during this time.
PERSONALIZE AND HYPER-FOCUS YOUR PITCHES
You were likely already doing this but now is the time to show your customers exactly how your product/service is the answer to their specific problem. If you will save them money, show them exactly how much they'll save each month. Decisions are still being made but it’s likely it will take a little longer so you want to make your offering as clear as possible to help make the decision easier.
BE VISABLE AND SHARE BEST PRACTICES
Now is the perfect time to step up your social media game as well as create more valuable content. Find your customers and prospects on LinkedIn or Twitter and connect with them. Once they're a connection or follow you, they will see the valuable information you're sharing without you reaching out to them directly, another great way to stay top of mind while not being pushy.
SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS AND GET ORGANIZED
Go back to basics and freshen up on your sales skills, read books or even take online courses. If you're experiencing downtime during quarantine, this is a great and productive way to pass the time. Things may never fully go back to normal, hopefully, they will but use this time to prepare so you're better equipped to sell in a new type of market.