Sales Leadership, Sales Mindset, Sales Motivation, Sales Process, Sales Prospecting

Selling In a Pandemic 10 Steps

May 13, 2020
By Mark Hunter

Whether you like it or not, the pandemic we find ourselves in is not going away any time soon. You can achieve far more success than you realize by just sticking to a proven set of actions. I’ve laid these actions out in 10 steps. Let’s go through right now all 10 steps to successful selling in a pandemic.

Video: Selling in a Pandemic, 10 Steps to Success:

1. Uncover the short-term need

Customers are currently zeroed in on the short-term need. You do not want to be out there selling the long-term solution. It’s all about the short-term. Keep things dialed-in.

2. Keep it simple

This is not the time to sell the complex solution or the master plan that’s going to solve everything. What you want to do is provide them with the very simple solution. Make it an easy, small sale that they can digest quickly and digest right now.

3. Involve the least number of people possible

Again, the last thing you want is this thing having to go to committee and involving a bunch of other people. If you do that, it’s just going to involve too many things, and it’s going to slow down the entire process. You want speed. Speed sells now more than ever.

4. Ensure availability

Surprisingly enough, the supply chain is broken in many industries. And yes, it may be broken in your supply chain too. That being said, it’s important to give the customer confidence that when they place their order no matter what the product, that it will happen when you say it’s going to happen. Again, this is important because everybody’s timeline is extremely short right now as states and communities begin to reopen. There are so many variables in play right now; therefore, you have to make sure it happens when they need it.

5. Flexible implementation but with urgency

This step builds upon the preceding one of ensuring availability. So, what do I mean by flexible implementation? The customer may say, “Hey, we can put this in place here now, but we’ve got to wait on this.” That’s okay. Yes, it’s okay. But what you don’t want them saying is, “Well, you know what? Let’s go ahead and buy it, but we can’t really do anything for 90 days…120 days.” No! You must create urgency, so it has to come back to really, truly understanding their short-term need. Remember number one: short-term need that correlates to a sense of urgency of why they need to do business with you right at this moment.

6. Think long-term engagement

Now, this doesn’t contradict what I’ve been saying. Trust me, no. By creating a sense of urgency now, we are keeping it simple and making it flexible; however, my whole plan is to establish long-term engagement with the customer. I might be looking to help you today, yet my vision is to help set us up for the next meeting. Remember one of the lines I love to use that also wrote in my new book, A Mind For Sales: “there’s no such sale as a good sale unless it leads to the next one.” That is what you’re doing right now.

7. Treat prospects the same way that you treat your customers

Now, you may have prospects that are just not in a position to buy. They just can’t do it, but you know what? Keep them informed. Keep them engaged, and continue treating them the exact same way you treat your customers. That way when they are ready to move, they will move with you.

8. Keep to a routine, don’t give up

It is very easy to develop bad habits, as we move our way through this pandemic. You have to stick to a routine. You may say, “Hey, this just isn’t working.” No, no. Don’t give up! Focus on your sales plan now more than ever. It’s absolutely essential. This is why I say prospecting is essential now more than ever. It’s easy to sit there and say, “I don’t have…, prospecting isn’t…” No, because you never know how quickly things change. You need to be the player, you need to be the company, you need to be the solution; because you are your customers’ R&D department. It’s your job to be there for them.

9. Earn trust and confidence in everything that you do

One of the easiest ways to do this is during conferences, because you can say: “Hey, we’ve helped many other companies just like you work their way through this situation. Now granted, we’re in new territory. Totally get it, but…” You’ve seen this before in other situations in other times, and again, what you’re doing is gathering your collective wisdom for the current situation. Let the customer know that. And not by bragging or being arrogant, but simply saying, “We’ve seen this with other customers in other forms. Here’s how we help people through this.” That gives them confidence. This is crucial with both customers and prospects. It’s all about trust. Trust is absolutely paramount to everything. Think about what’s going on out there in the world today in terms of politics, in terms of medical/health, in terms of economics. What voices do you respect? It’s the ones you trust, right? You have to be the one to trust; how do you create trust? Because you’re empathetic, you’re listening to the other person. You’re hearing what they’re saying and you’re conveying your confidence in your ability to say and do what you say and do, what you’re going to do.

10. Your attitude drives your results!

Let me tell you something, your attitude is the foundation of everything. That’s why I put this one as number 10. It’s the big reason that goes along with all other 9 steps. This final and most important step is the reason for my book, A Mind for Sales, because your attitude drives your results. If you have a bad attitude, you’ll never see opportunities. You will never see what’s happening out there. If you have a good attitude, it is amazing what you’ll discover. Ok, so how do you have a good attitude? You begin each day by being thankful, thankful for the opportunities that will come before you. Be thankful that you have people to reach out to, be thankful for the people you’ve been able to help, and you know what? It’s incredible how that one simple activity changes your view.

You can’t change what’s going on out there. You can’t. All you can do is change how you respond to what’s happening around you and to you. That’s your objective. Stay focused, and your focus is to stay focused on your focus. What is your focus? You! Don’t try to change the world, because let’s be real, you can’t change the world; although, you can change those you come in contact with by having the best attitude.

I hope these 10 things have helped you! It really is a great opportunity to be in sales. I’ve never been more enthused about sales because sales will be what drives the economy and drives us back up to being an economic powerhouse, the economic machine that you know we’re all capable of having. We’ll get there, and it all starts with you in sales. Go pick up a copy of my book I mentioned, A Mind For Sales. It will help you start doing these 10 steps right now!

I’d like to take a second to extend a special invitation to you! As one of my loyal subscribers, I am offering you an investment in your skills! In this opportunity, we will together take today’s challenges and turn them into once in a lifetime opportunities. Consider this quote that I wrote in my new book, A Mind For Sales and say often:

When challenges arise we don’t rise to the occasion, we sink to the level of our training.

Are you ready? Watch this video, and come be apart of the continued conversation as we all become masters in our fields and passions. My new program, The Sales Hunter University, is where you’ll find it all – unlimited personal growth, hands-on learning, quick tips, abundant resources, and an amazing community. Join me today to get all of the membership benefits and more! Click here for more information and to join now.