2020 has been a year like none before—for everyone, but especially the salesperson! None of us are great at embracing change, but we need to accept the challenge and get to work to be successful salespeople. Let’s dive into some of the things that have changed and how to overcome these challenges.

The number one buying objective for all customers has never been health and safety. Like price, this objective has always been on the short list, but now it dominates buying decisions.  It is not only a priority, but an expectation. Ensuring your communication addresses this fundamental issue is paramount. Does your website communicate your attention to cleanliness and safety today? Before you make any sales calls, be sure that your communication effectively addresses this shift in customer expectation.

Besides buying behavior, your customer list may have changed. You may have known who your customers were pre-pandemic, but do you know who your customers are today? Have your competitors changed or remained the same? A weakness noted pre-pandemic could now be viewed a strength, and vice-versa. If you have different competitors, perhaps you face threats that you had not had to contemplate pre-pandemic. Performing a new SWOT analysis is vital in effort to address these considerations.

We also know that everything about how we communicate with our customers has changed. If your customer wore 2-3 hats pre-pandemic, they now may wear 20-30! Even if you are not working remotely, your customers likely are and you must be prepared to communicate with them accordingly. Are you prepared to develop relationships via Zoom? Do you have an email that generates a response, or are is your email deleted after the first sentence? Customers now have limited time. It’s important to recognize this to support your sales effort.

Your sales effort also has to focus on operations as well. Now more than ever, you cannot afford to deliver a poor experience. In many industries, the end-user is not the same as your customer, so communication internally is essential to ensure a great experience. Salespeople need to help operations team exceed customer expectations in EVERY way, every day. Embracing how our industry has changed and being positive will allow you to drive results in ANY economy!

If you want to learn more sales skills, discover the sales training program responsible for $7M in new business booked for Jacaruso Enterprises in the midst of a pandemic.

Visit  jacaruso.com/online-hotel-sales-training  to learn more.

Amanda Nicholas, VP, Business Development
October 15, 2020