SELLING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

While #COVID-19 changes the way you work and where you work, your need to sell and get results hasn’t changed. We have gone from meeting clients and cranking calls to finding ways to keep our toddlers entertained so we can send out those emails, and hunting for a quiet room to escape that loud conference call your father or spouse is on. Everything has changed. The old rules no longer apply. 

So at a time like this, how do we sell? How do we realign our marketing strategy? Here’s what you can do.

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I had a few people reach out to me in the last few days after I launched my FREE COMMUNICATIONS RESOURCE LIBRARY, asking me if I had any templates that might help them sell and generate leads. And that got me thinking about what kind of resource I could share with them and how to help sell ethically during these difficult and confusing times. Those requests triggered this blog post.

Now, some of us go from paycheck to paycheck. Some of us are dependent on our sales commissions. Some of us don’t know how to pivot our pitch. I feel your pain. And while the whole world is reeling after the COVID-19 takeover, you don’t need to sit back and let your business collapse.

But selling in times like this has to be intentional. Empathetic. Sensitive. It’s not the time to exploit the existing fear to drive panic buying. It’s probably also not the time to continue to sell like you used to, because the value you provided last week might be irrelevant.

Here are some ideas you can try to sell during the pandemic.

TIP 1: Change/Expand your Communications & Sales Channels

In my first article of the COVID-19 & Content series, I mentioned that it’s time to Re-evaluate your content strategy and shared some tips on how you can do that as well.

If you’ve re-evaluated your content strategy, you might have also looked into your communication channels. It’s likely that your buyers are just starting to work from home, or the lockdown was so sudden that they may have not have set up call forwarding from their business phone to their mobile phones. Or they don’t have a sophisticated setup. If you’ve been constantly transferred to voicemail, then maybe it’s time to limit calling for now.

Consider expanding to other communications channels, such as socials like LinkedIn or move to emails, maybe set up a chat application. You know your business best, so relook at the options that might work best for you.

Explore other sales channels to add to your operation.

• Are you selling on your website? Try adding Amazon or eBay to the mix, or even extending through a delivery provider.

Bairaha collaborating with PickMe to expand its sales channels in Sri Lanka is one example.

If you’re experiencing a downturn in sales thanks to the current pandemic, now might be as good a time as any to explore adding extra sales channels to your operation.

There’s a great variety of marketplaces and channels to choose from around the world and locally. These may be a source of customers your business was missing out on previously.

TIP 2: Change Up your Angle

Collaborate, don’t pitch. Your buyers’ attention is more divided than ever. Give them value.

This entire pandemic is plain heartbreaking. People are stuck indoors. Businesses are closing. Jobs are being lost. People are dying. At the same time, it has sparked a streak of generosity and appreciation. So look at your business and see if it can genuinely help others.

Freshwavelk a local recipe developer launched a #PantryChallenge to help those with limited grocery essentials to curate meals and create some brand awareness at the same time.

Yoho Bed, a hospitality company directly affected through the pandemic completely transformed their platform by scaling their technology to rise up to the occasion and deliver essentials.

If you do find a way to help, through your brand, there’s nothing stopping you gaining some exposure through:

• – Posting on your social media channels.
• – Sharing Social media Stories of your good deeds.

Note: Just try to avoid a flat out sales plug in any of these. But do everything under the guise of your brand and the exposure will inevitably result in click-throughs to your website and product pages.

TIP 3: Offer Incentives and Button-Up Your Processes

At a time when your entire supply chain seems to be struggling, try to tap into your list of past customers and existing vendors. Look at alternative methods to button-up your processes and ensure you can build and protect revenue where possible.

• Outbound sales shut down? Focus on inbound lead handling and direct them through clear communication to ensure conversions remain stable.
• Offer referral incentives to past and existing customers/vendors for helping you connect with potential customers (I’ve added email templates into the resource library you can use to connect with your vendors for this purpose)

We’ve seen sales of some eCommerce stores have gone through the roof since everyone’s asked to stay at home. Take action to make sure this influx of new customers isn’t a one-time thing. Subscriptions could be a great way to do this.

You’ve probably seen them used on a lot of Amazon products:

TIP 4: Focus on Content Creation & Marketing

If immediate sales are something you can’t achieve right now, spend that time on activities that can pay off on the long run. And content marketing is a great way to build your future pipeline if you’re unable to prospect now.

Work on your website content, or your blog content. Share your stories and help others. You can subtly connect to your brand’s offerings within the content. Remember, consistent blog traffic and SEO takes time. Pouring all your efforts into it now will play out in a big way in the long run.

And more than ever, protecting your base and staying connected to your customers is key. A well-thought-out sequence strategy can help you communicate COVID-19 updates with customers, schedule critical meetings like business reviews, and manage your upcoming renewals. (I’ve added email templates into the resource library you can use to connect with your customers)

Have you already implemented any of these ideas? What’s working for you right now? Let me know in the comments below so others can benefit too!