“Everyone has a vantage point right now and not all are infected, but everyone is affected. So it’s very important to figure out where can you add value during this time for the other people that you touch.” – Carson Heady in today’s Tip 450
How can you help your clients and customers during this time?
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Carson Heady. Carson is an author and territory leader in the health & life sciences division of Microsoft and is also a previous guest of mine on the Sales Success Stories podcast back in episode 54. Here he is on what’s really working right now:
Carson Heady: Hi, this is Carson Heady. I’m an author and a territory leader at Microsoft. First off, hope you are staying safe in this challenging time. This for a seller is definitely a time when network relationships, brand, and responsiveness matter a great deal. Things that are really working right now. Non-sales outreach, checking in on folks, being concerned, be available, reach out it matters a lot to make the personal connection. We can’t see them face to face, but we can certainly be checking up on our colleagues and on our customers.
Second deals that are in flight. Obviously these are very sensitive. We’ve got to send through respectful communication that reiterates the established timelines, outlining what proceeding might look like and gauging what questions still exist. I’ve written some of the most passive quote-unquote sales communications in my life during this time. And it’s working. It’s what we have to do to reiterate where we agreed we’d go. But also if we change parameters, what that might look like just from an informational standpoint and then figure out where they need to go, what they need from us to be successful.
Third, be a resource, you know, share insights that are helpful. Help your team, you know, look internally, look to your colleagues. I look to your leaders. How can you help them during this time? Be empathetic. Everyone has a vantage point right now and not all are infected, but everyone is affected. So it’s very important to figure out where can you add value during this time for the other people that you touch.
And then finally look for ways to repurpose or add new value in light of what’s going on. Companies now more than ever, need ways to communicate, to collaborate, to endure. They’re going through challenges if they’ve never been through before. Homeschooling children at home while they’re working full time. Challenge yourself and your suite of solutions to be timely and relevant in this environment. And then poise folks for the rebound that’s to come. The best way for a company to position for rebound is to be strong in a downturn and to be prepared coming out of it, to have those solutions in place so that you’re ready when that time comes.
Here’s some real examples. I’m in technology today and I worked with a litany of different partners, so I’ve spent a lot of time scouring for different projects, different things that people could do to repurpose solutions that they have today. Current projects are being modified to account for how to address coronavirus. Data is exceptionally valuable. How can you enact and make available a realtime data that can be helpful for your customer organizations? Organizations are shifting to remote work. How can we help empower them? Organizations are working to stay connected to clients and customers. How can we help them do that?
And I personally constructed informational newsletters with solutions that I’ve seen or found. Webinars and demos of solutions that directly address customer needs around COVID 19 and then I’ve worked to find every way possible to advocate for clients new needs amidst available programs. If as a seller, you’re an effective, available, respectful, and resourceful leader during this time for both your colleagues and your customers, you’re going to emerge stronger.
This is a perspective shaping and molding experience. It’s full of opportunities to make you better as a professional and as a human. Stay safe.
Scott Ingram: For more about Carson, including a link to his Birth of a Salesman ebook that you can get free for a limited time. Just click over to DailySales.Tips/450 and reach out to Carson He’s glad to connect to discuss selling/strategies/leadership and how we can add value for each other.
Then be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!