Thriving Through the Coronavirus: Eight Tips for The Leadership Team
The times are changing and they're changing fast. People across every industry are being forced into remote working situations who have never experienced this before. Not only are you dealing with the uncertainty of a pandemic but you're also managing a group of salespeople who are struggling with how to sell in this type of turbulent market.
I don’t have experience selling in this exact type of environment, no one does. Now is not the time to slow down but it is time to change the way things are done.
Here are some tips on keeping your sales team motivated while managing their behaviors to still drive towards your goals in a turbulent market.
SET UP A CLEAR COMMUNICATION PLAN
Schedule daily meetings, this can be done one-on-one or a team check-in, whichever is best for your team. I think a morning, mid-day and end of the day check-in is most effective. This may seem excessive so at the minimum, you want to schedule a check-in at the start and end of each day. Plan these ahead of time with a calendar event to ensure no one misses the meeting.
ENSURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PLATFORMS AND EVERYONE IS PRESENT
Start at the top and ensure everyone in your team is present on the various platforms you're using. Slack, the CRM, and others are all helpful in tracking the behaviors of your team outside of the office and as an added benefit they all aid in team communication and collaboration.
ENSURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS HOW AND WHEN TO USE THOSE PLATFORMS
Many sales teams have a CRM but in most cases, everyone uses the platform differently. For example, one rep may document a call under the "notes" section while another logs the information under the "calls" or "activities" section. This can cause confusion when your team is remote so it’s important that everyone understands how to properly use this tool.
EMBRACE THE CHANGES WHILE REINFORCING YOUR COMPANIES MISSION & VALUES
Your culture is going to change. Moving from seeing people in person every day to a digital world will take some adjusting but it is doable. You can keep the same great culture you already have by almost creating that same environment virtually. You must create a virtual water cooler where employees can run into each other and play out their personal and human sides, Slack channels are a great way to do this.
BE OPEN, AVAILABLE AND AUTHENTIC
Be there if and when your team needs you. Stay present and available online throughout the day and try to respond immediately. Under normal circumstances, your team can walk to your desk and ask a question quickly but when you’re separated, questions can take longer. It’s important that they know you’re there when they need you, you don’t want to be another thing slowing them down. Always remember to respond with empathy, show compassion and trust what they’re saying.
INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT
This is some of the best advice I’ve been given as a sales leader. It’s important for all managers to clearly lay out what’s expected from the team. If you’re not checking to ensure those expectations are being fulfilled, eventually, you will fail. You should always trust your team and if you have the rights systems in place, you can monitor those behaviors without micro-managing them.
FOCUS ON PROVIDING VALUE
Your team is likely frustrated right now, their pipelines are shrinking and deals are getting canceled with the uncertainty of everything going on. Teach your team to communicate proactively but don’t be overly aggressive. One of the key elements that will cause companies to choose one company over another is trust so actively listen to your customer’s needs and be patient.
REENGINEER YOUR SALES SOLUTIONS TO HELP WITH CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS
Work with your team to re-think and change the angle on the key benefits of your products and services in a way that is relevant to coronavirus concerns. This is impacting every type of company across pretty much every industry. Listen to what your existing customers are saying and use that during this re-design.