Let’s be open and honest; the recent Covid-19 pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty for us all! Especially businesses. We have entered a period that none of us could have prepared for and I have no doubt in my mind that no business plans had covered such an episode. One thing is for sure; however, now is the perfect time for any business to solidify their sales and marketing plans and to look ahead to the future. Sure, turnover has dropped and sales have slowed down, but if you own a business now is the perfect time for you to pick that chin up and push towards the future, says Rob Spence, author of ‘A Month To Improve Your Sales’
As a sales trainer and consultant, I work tirelessly to ensure my client’s businesses are well versed and trained ready for any scenario; and now is no different. In this short article, I want to share with you three activities that you can implement into your day to day operations which will help you to see an increase in your sales. These activities may not allow you to see a sudden surge in your sales due to the current climate, but by implementing these activities I have no doubt in my mind you will be ready to hit the ground running when the world reopens.
Maintain Relationships
It takes relationships to make sales. We all know that. We all buy from people we like and developing and nurturing relationships at this time this is more important than ever.
Use this quiet time to call your customers, your clients, your partners and suppliers. Engage in conversations with the people that matter to your business. These conversations don’t need to be sales pitches, nor should they be done to just tick a box. These conversations should be caring, thoughtful and as in-depth as possible. We all need support right now, and there is a sense of isolation going on in the world and you calling someone up out of the blue could most certainly make their day.
If you don’t have time to call through everyone, emails will certainly suffice. But please don’t blanket send out emails that have been copy and pasted. Be personal with your approach.
This current situation will end at some stage, and by developing and nurturing your business relationships during this period you will see your sales grow organically in the near future; no different to providing water to daffodil bulbs. Over time these bulbs will grow, showing off their beautiful spring flowers.
Communicate
In times like these, it can be very easy to bunker down and remain quiet until it is all over. However, this is the wrong approach.
No matter what business you own, there is value to be had in communicating with your audience about your business, your future plans, and what you are doing behind the scenes.
If you are a bespoke plant grower, tell your audience about the hard work you are undertaking behind the scenes. If you are a restaurant owner, tell your audience about the menu development you are working on. Whatever you are doing; talk about it! With the beauty of social media, video, and photos you can continue to share the story of your business. Sure, the chapter may have changed, but your audience still want to hear about it!
The sudden explosion of digital networking groups has been a wonderful addition too! You should try to join as many of these as possible and continue to talk about your business and develop relationships with new and potential customers.
Plan
If you are anything like me, you probably have a ‘to-do’ list that seems never ending, and I am sure there are certain tasks you have been putting off. Well let’s face it, now is the perfect time to get those jobs out of the way!
Now is also the perfect time to plan for the future. This period, as quiet as it is, will pass. So, sit down and put together your sales and marketing plan. You don’t have to be a sales or marketing whizz to put something together; as long as you have something. Hole yourself away for half a day, look over your current sales figures and ask yourself; am I happy with my last 6 months? My last 12 months? If the answer is no, why aren’t you happy? What things can you do differently moving forward?
Simple forecasting, goal setting and sales targets can truly make a difference to any business, and although you might not be able to action many of these targets right now, by doing the ground work now you will be well on the way to hit the ground running as and when the Country starts to return to normal.
So, use this time wisely to consider your target audience, your marketing reach, your marketing and sales activities, and what individuals in your team are responsible for, and get ready to press GO in due course!
Rob Spence is a popular sales trainer, consultant and overall sales nerd. As the MD of Paragon Sales Solutions, his team help businesses of any size to increase their sales.
Rob’s third sales and business book, A Month to Improve Your Sales is available to order from Amazon in both Paperback and Kindle formats.
