Adjusting the Way We Sell in the Time of a Global Pandemic
After nine months, we are finally adjusting to our new normal. There have absolutely been challenges - plenty of challenges. However, we have seen successes and signs of hope that should not be ignored. Life and work will not be like this forever, but we may never fully return to a pre-pandemic way of life AND THAT IS OK.
In late March of 2020, everyone’s lives were flipped upside down as COVID-19 began to move into the United States. Travel bans were enacted, stay-at-home orders were announced, schools closed, and businesses transitioned as much of their workforce to home offices as feasible. In April, everyone took a deep breath and evaluated how to move forward. Webcams, laptops, wireless routers, and computer monitors were sold out everywhere. Childcare was completely up in the air. Determining who qualifies as an essential work was a hot topic. However, once we weathered the initial shock of the massive change, we settled in to our new normal. That is not to say everything was OK. The service industry has been devastated and many of the small business that are still open are just holding on as best they can. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives and many more have been heavily affected by this pandemic.
As a Technical Sales Representative, who historically spends most of his time on the road, the change was significant. I am fortunate to have had a home office set up prior to COVID, but adjusting to working from home 24/7 was not as simple as putting the car in park. Ironically, my webcam stopped working in January and finding a replacement once I was home was difficult. Having my two young children home with me was rough for everyone. My girls viewed this time as a break from school, as they simply could not, nor should they, understand the magnitude of what was happening. I know my girls have enjoyed Daddy not being on the road, but they also miss their school and friends.
Regardless, we all settled in and made the appropriate adjustments. Since late April, it has been fascinating to see how we operate and conduct business change. I have seen some positive changes that I hope carry over once COVID is a distant memory. Instead of onsite demos of our GPS equipment and solutions, I have been conducting virtual demos via WebEx, Facetime, or a simple phone call. I have virtually invited my customers into my home, and they have likewise invited me into theirs. Although we are not meeting in person, it feels as if relationships being developed are more personal. I find that I am spending more time speaking and listening to my customers than I did in 2019. Where do I have to rush off to? Everyone has seen newscasters interrupted while on live TV by a curious child or pet. The same holds true for those working from home with small children. I have customers who now know my children’s names and have enjoyed the random “hello” in the middle of a meeting. It can be distracting, but it also humanizes us and serves as an ice breaker.
I have been pleasantly surprised with my customer’s willingness to accept a web-based demo.Traditionally I would show my customers our products and explain how they function. We would spend 15 minutes outside with the equipment, then I would answer any questions and depart for the next demo. This model did not allow for customers to truly experience our equipment’s functionality. Being able to ship a GPS unit to our customers to use for a day or two has allowed them to become far more familiar with the equipment than they could with the old way. I am spending the same amount of time with the customer, but they are walking away much more comfortable with their decision. I hope this new way of doing demos continues in our new normal and can supplement traditional demos.
We have also adjusted how we get information out to our customers. Our company started a webinar series, with great success, in which all our sales reps have participated. This allows us to get in front of our customer base and showcase a product that they may have not been previously familiar. We foresee this series continuing well into the future.
The challenges of this pandemic are real and so many people are hurting and struggling. Life is not normal, and no one wants things to remain as they have since March. But there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines should be available any day now, and hopefully by this time next year we will have returned to something that looks more normal. With that being said, we should not abandon everything we learned during this time. I hope to leverage what I have learned well into the future.