As a Sales Director you get very comfortable in what feels like a constant circle of change. You develop a solid strategic plan that has preparation for change if needed. Then change happens but not as expected, you redirect the plan, help your team through the change and begin again. Any Sales Director would tell you that being nimble and open to change is how you stay relevant in the market and most importantly, how you meet and exceed your quota.
2020 came in strong! The stock market was booming, companies were growing at abnormally fast rates. Companies were spending more and more money on marketing and exploring new avenues for further growth. The unemployment rate was at an all time low. But, by the end of Q1 2020 the world had almost stopped. Sales pipelines disappeared, some of the most stable businesses began to struggle to the point of failure. Trade shows, concerts, fairs and festivals all cancelled or rescheduled to next year. This type of change was unheard of, definitely nothing that even the best Sales Director could have ever anticipated.
Now, almost 4 months later the world continues to be uncertain. Sales Directors are now forced to once again create a solid strategic plan for growth, anticipating further change and preparing to adapt. Or are they?
As the world continues to be in this state of uncertainty it’s important to see what some leaders are doing well and how they are pulling their businesses through. Let’s evaluate some enduring trends in sales and marketing and evaluate how you can apply those to your business.
#1 - Relationships
Relationships are and always have been the spine of every company. 88% of buyers agree that the salesperson they ultimately do business with are “trusted advisors”, according to a LinkedIn report. Active recovery in this economy means leveraging every relationship you have and continuing to nurture it.
The digital space that we knew as noisy before is only going to get worse with businesses being forced to move marketing efforts online. With all this noise relying on the very first rule of business is going to be the difference between open and closed for many. Here are my go to tips:
* Stay in touch.
* Ask your connections how business is going in a sincere way.
* Be prepared to ask how you can support them and be prepared to follow through.
#2 - Technology
The single most lazy person in the company about customer data is the sales person. It seems strange that the person tasked with maintaining the customer relationship relies so heavily on their mind to hold all this precious data, but their minds are trained to “make the sale” not to log the data. Well, the new normal is driving companies working apart to be more dependent on data to stay connected. Companies are rapidly evaluating their Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM’s). This is due to several factors including new operations processes, cost, and support. LinkedIn reports that 43% of salespeople say they are using sales intelligence tools, a 54% increase over 2018 data. The change is fueled by leadership's need to have the business forecast at their fingertips at all times.
#3 - Skill
Managers are seeking to build sales teams with the right people with the right skills for the current market. But are they actually seeking the people with the right skills? Sales people are notoriously hunters, they are aggressive. LinkedIn reports the #1 attribute a buyer seeks in a salesperson is an active listener. This trait doesn’t even rank top 5 in what a sales manager looks for in a candidate. Those traits include problem solving, relationship building, critical thinking, and confidence. Oral communications and active listening came in shortly after.
The top attributes a buyer seeks from a seller are active listening, problem solving, confidence, relationship building and oral communication. In a world where almost 100% of business is done via video chat, telephone or email vs in person meetings you must be an excellent communicator. I’ll say it again...it’s all about relationships!
So here’s the take away. If you are looking to improve the state of your sales operations it might be a good idea to take a deeper look into your internal team and processes along with the long term strategic plan. Seek to evaluate who and what are assets that have the required skills to continue to build your business. Finally, reward them so they stay.
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BLU Marketing Concepts staff has over 50 combined years of working in sales and marketing within a variety of industries and economies. We are able to work with our customers to evaluate their existing sales and marketing structures and assist in working towards developing a team and plans to take your business into the next 3-5 years.
Send us a note on the contact us form to request a free 20 minute phone or video evaluation.