如何在流感期间继续赢得业务

今天，变化比稳定更普遍。除所有不确定因素外，销售专业人员在重建管道时面临着越来越高的需求。但是很明显，仍有生意要做。

在世界各地，销售团队都在尝试找出如何适应变化的趋势，并跟上变化的趋势。但是首先我们必须评估这种流行病带来的新现实。

以下是销售世界发生变化的五种方式，以及团队可以采取哪些措施来适应和繁荣。

1.创意交易包装

在过去的几个月中，付款条件已经发生了巨大变化。早在三月，由于公司预算缩减，30天的付款期限延长至60或90天。尽管我们已经开始看到恢复为12个月的更标准协议，但是付款条款的讨论远比COVID之前的要多。

越来越多的人要求更长的期限-虽然以前没有选择，但是按季度或按月支付的条款却有所增加。

这意味着许多企业被迫面对交易结构。曾经为客户服务的产品现在可能无法使用，因此我们必须评估可以更新的内容，以满足潜在客户的新需求和能力。

买家应认识并赞赏他们为在当前充满挑战的时代与他们相遇所做的任何努力。

2.制定有组织的发现电话，以充分了解潜在客户的需求

了解买家在其旅程中处于哪个阶段是销售过程中的关键。由于每个人的流程都以某种方式发生了变化，所以这个目标可能没有以前那么容易，因此您可能必须学习一些新知识。

最好的方法是通过有组织的深入发现调用直接调用“新购买过程”。它可能会要求您提早提出有关预算，时间，竞争对手，优先级等方面的问题。因此，请确保您的销售代表在信息传递方面得到了充分的指导，以导航这些项目。

3.需要新消息

应该考虑到，在购买过程中，您将必须使用新包装和新面孔来调整消息传递。假设您做的每一个销售推销都会达到C级服务台，这是一个很好的习惯。因此，如果您的消息传递不符合C级要求，那么该进行更改了。

请记住，与董事或高管相比，首席财务官的观点将完全不同。无论是谁在读，您的音调都应该回答的一件事是：为什么现在呢？鉴于当今的气候，回答您的服务如何为客户的业务带来直接收益的问题是一个紧迫的问题。

随时了解他们所在地区的最新动态。

许多销售代表对他们的潜在客户在工作中有一个大致的了解，但是没有人完全了解某人日常工作的内部情况。这种差距使销售或参与变得困难，大流行以外的问题使这一问题更加恶化。

当前，有许多因素影响我们工作以外的生活。知道可能会影响您的客户的因素可以作为潜在的谈话要点，以更人性化的方式进行联系，也可以作为争用点，避免在通话中提及。

具有这种意识也可以解释为什么您可能不会立即收到某人的回音。无论哪种方式，了解可能会影响您的客户并拥护同理心都是很重要的。

谈生意之前，先问问人们最近好吗。 在开展业务之前，在人际层面上建立联系并表现出对他人的同理心，可以在他们与您的公司之间建立更深刻的信心和信任感。个性化销售可以帮助企业脱颖而出，但是这些额外的步骤又增加了一个层次。

6sense销售开发高级总监Ernest Owusu认为，人们因通用推广 而被拒之门外，以至于良好的第一印象已成为人们的期望。他说：“在铁杆炙手可热的情况下进行罢工，需要超个人化的努力，这将引导潜在客户开会。”

4.抛开研究的新障碍

紧贴所有变化，这似乎是一项艰巨的任务，但它有其好处。留出时间研究这些东西可以极大地帮助您的销售工作。

查看潜在客户在LinkedIn上所说的话。 社交媒体平台使我们能够立即更新我们的联系。当您进行专业更新（例如宣布新职位或离开公司）时，LinkedIn是有用的工具。您也可以将其用作研究前景的重要途径，他们所关注的重点以及应对方式的另一种途径。这是一个在通话之前了解他们所在位置的机会。

这听起来像是在窥探或监视某些人，但实际上，它是在有效利用您的资源并确保您可以在第一个接触点获得同理心。

针对新挑战的市场研究。 问题已经改变，优先级发生了变化，但是最终，销售将成为解决问题的方法。我们正在出售某种产品​​来解决我们的前景问题。我们需要确保我们知道客户所面临的变化，以便我们知道在销售过程中要解决的问题。

5.拨出时间进行电话复查和辅导

由于许多人在家工作，因此并排培训可能不再是一种选择。但是您仍然希望能够确保销售代表采取适当的步骤完成交易。

在COVID-19之前，教练活动包括复查电话，评论和复核记分卡。您可以坐在某人旁边并立即给他们反馈。向远程方向的转变不需要阻碍教练的努力。

这一点尤其重要，因为销售电话正在吸引越来越多的高管人员参与。从销售方面看，他们在这些求助电话中的作用并不总是旨在达成交易，而是提供信心和真诚。从购买方来看，高管们可能会寻求以数据为依据的答案，以解决与ROI相关的问题。我们的数据显示，自1月以来：

• 买方领导者参加的会议增加了108％
• 卖方领导人参加了另外65％的会议
• 买方CFO参加的会议增加了92％
• 卖方首席执行官参加的会议增加了29％

这种参与表明了组织各个级别的奉献精神。

还必须告诉销售代表他们在做的事情很棒，而不仅仅是告诉他们需要改进的地方。士气可能很低，只有大约三分之一的评论是正面的和令人鼓舞的，而其余的则倾向于改进。即使人们不在办公桌旁，提供反馈和鼓励也很重要。

在这个不确定的市场中，最大的错误是假定没有任何企业要赢。您可能会发现COVID爆发期间的销售比平时更加​​困难，但是像这样的时期不仅奖励坚持不懈，而且还奖励有进取心的人。在您的销售团队中，没有哪个比这更真实。

得到教训

我们必须记住要相信在这空前的时期内我们所出售的产品。如果您有真正相信可以帮助人们的报价，您将不会停止销售。我们现在正在学习的课程将在将来应用，因为我们看到的许多变化都是对的。

为了确保我们不落后于我们，我们必须灵活地选择产品和交易结构，在包装方式上有创意，在买家那里与他们会面，并且不要让自己陷入困境。这也意味着我们必须进行更好的发现呼叫并调整消息传递。

只要记住以一种心态进入，您就可以帮助您的潜在客户，他们的公司将成为自己最好的版本。

Today, change feels more common than stability. On top of all the uncertainty, sales professionals face increased demands while rebuilding the pipeline. Yet it's clear that there is still business to be won.

Around the world, sales teams are trying to figure out how to adjust to what has changed and also keep up with what is still in flux. But first we must assess the new realities this pandemic has brought on.

Here are five ways the sales world has changed and what teams can do to adapt and prosper.

1. Creative Deal Packaging

Payment terms have faced a dramatic shift in the past few months. Back in March, 30-day payment terms were extended to 60 or 90 days as companies were shrinking budgets. Even though we have started to see a return to more standard agreements of 12-months, payment terms are up for discussion much more than they were pre-COVID.

Longer terms are being asked for more and more -- and while this wasn't an option before, there has been an increase of quarterly or monthly payment terms.

This means many businesses have been forced to confront their deal structures. What once worked for our customers may not work now, so we must evaluate what can be refreshed to meet the new needs and capabilities of our prospects.

Buyers should recognize and appreciate any efforts made to meet them where they are in these challenging times.

2. Develop Organized Discovery Calls to Fully Understand the Prospect's Needs

Understanding what stage your buyer is at in their journey is key in the sales process. That goal may not be as easy as it once was since everyone's process has shifted in some way, so you are likely going to have to learn something new.

Directly calling out the "new buying process" over an organized, in-depth discovery call is the best way to do this. It may call for questions to be asked early about budget, timing, competitors, priorities, etc. So ensure your reps are fully coached on messaging to navigate these items.

3. New Messaging Is Required

It should be a given that you will have to adjust your messaging with new packaging and new faces in the buying process. Assuming that every sales pitch you make is going to reach a C-level desk is a good habit to get into. So if your messaging doesn't speak to the C-level, it's time to change that.

Keep in mind, a CFO is going to have a completely different perspective when looking at a pitch than a director or executive. One thing that should be answered by your pitch no matter who is reading it is: why now? Answering how your service can provide an immediate benefit to your customer's business is a pressing question given today's climate.

Stay up to date with current events in their area.

Many sales reps have a general understanding of what their prospects do at work, but no one fully knows the inner workings of someone's day-to-day. This gap makes it difficult to sell or engage, and the problem is exacerbated by issues outside the pandemic.

Currently, there are many factors impacting our lives outside of work. Knowing what may be affecting your customers can serve as potential talking points to connect on a more human level or points of contention to avoid mentioning during calls.

Having this awareness could also explain why you may not hear back from someone right away. Either way, it's important to know what may be affecting your customers and embrace empathy.

Ask people how they're doing before talking business. Connecting on a human level and showing empathy for others before talking business can establish a deeper sense of confidence and trust between them and your company. Personalizing selling helps a business stand out from the noise but these extra steps add another level.

Ernest Owusu, senior director, sales development at 6sense, believes that people have become turned off by generic outreach so much that good first impressions have become the expectation. He says, "strike while the iron is hot here with hyper-personalized efforts that will guide the prospect toward a meeting."

4. Set Aside New Blocks for Research

Staying up to date with all the changes happening may seem like a daunting task, but it has its benefits. Setting aside blocks of time to research these few things can help your sales efforts tremendously.

Review what the prospect is saying on LinkedIn. Social media platforms give us ways to update our connections all at once. LinkedIn is a useful tool when you have a professional update such as announcing a new role or your departure from a company. You can also use this as another avenue to research what is important to the prospect, what they are focusing on, and how they are coping. It's an opportunity to get a sense of where they are at before a call.

This may feel like snooping or spying to some, but instead, it's effectively using your resources and ensuring you can lead with empathy on your first touch point.

Market research on new challenges. Problems have changed and priorities have shifted, but at the end of the day, sales is about being a problem solver. We are selling something to solve the problems of our prospects. We need to ensure we know what changes our customers are facing so we know what to address in the sales process.

5. Dedicate Time for Call Review and Coaching

Training side by side may no longer be an option as many are working from home. But you still want to be able to ensure reps are taking the proper steps to close deals.

Prior to COVID-19, coaching actions included reviewing calls, commenting, and reviewing scorecards. You could sit next to someone and give them immediate feedback. The shift to remote doesn't need to hinder coaching efforts.

This is especially important as sales calls are seeing increased executive participation. From the sales side, their role on these calls is not always intended to close deals but to provide confidence and good faith. From the buying-side, executives are likely seeking data-driven answers to their questions that tie back to ROI. Our data shows that since January:

• Buying-side Leaders join 108% more meetings
• Selling-side Leaders join 65% more meetings
• Buying-side CFOs join 92% more meetings
• Selling-side CEOs join 29% more meetings

This involvement shows a level of dedication on all levels of the organization.

It is also necessary to tell reps what they're doing great rather than just telling them where they need to improve. Morale may be low, and only around one-third of the comments are positive and encouraging, while the rest tend to be suggestions for improvement. Even while people are away from their desks, it's important to offer feedback and encouragement.

Presuming that there isn't any business to win is the biggest mistake to make in this uncertain market. You will likely find selling during the COVID outbreak more difficult than usual, but times like these not only reward persistence, they reward the progressive-minded, too. Nowhere is that truer than in your sales team.

Lessons Learned

We must remember to believe in what we sell during these unprecedented times. You won't stop selling if you have an offer you truly believe will help people. The lessons we're learning now will be applicable in the future because many of the changes we are seeing are here for good.

To ensure we don't fall behind, we must be flexible with our offerings and deal structures, creative in how we package them, meet buyers where they are, and not allow ourselves to get too caught up in terms. This also means we must conduct better discovery calls and adjust our messaging.

Just remember to enter with a mindset that you are there to help your prospect and their company be the best version of themselves.