Across the world, the pandemic has affected B2B business sales differently as companies try to find a new normal. So you wonder, is COVID-19 making you miss your sales targets this year, or is your sales team underperforming? According to Zdnet.com, “Four out of five businesses lost their biggest client during the pandemic.” Just like the virus affects different industries differently. ZDNet further went on to say that 14% of business decision-makers said their company lost between 50% and 59% of overall revenue. So how do you tell if the pandemic is causing the slowdown or lack of performance from your sales team? The truth is that in this pandemic environment, the answer is not simple. Many businesses have struggled to maintain their B2B sales team, and many have let them go. And for the employees that have stayed on, many have been forced to work from home, which has taken time to adjust to.
So what can a company do? First off, they need to realize that doing business the old way is no longer viable because strategies for cultivating sales have changed. The first thing the decision-makers have to come up with is a strategy to reach your B2B sales targets and connect with potential customers in this COVID-19 environment, create a formula for your team to build relationships with prospects, and develop targeted scripts to sell your product or services. This is also when you might find it feasible to hire a professional B2B sales support team like Grindstone, but we will get to that later on.
We’ve developed a four-way strategy that will help your business during the pandemic by reconfiguring your B2B sales team.
3 Strategies To Reach Your B2B Sales Targets …
Strategy One: Always make sales your main focus
So, you ask yourself, what has changed the most regarding how businesses make sales throughout the pandemic? The answer is the entire process. Almost all companies have had to shift online. Have you been slow to adapt to these changes? If so, then it is time to step up and make the shift—evolve or perish.
Most corporate strategy models have either ignored the purpose of their sales teams entirely or only address them marginally, focusing instead on how the pandemic is affecting the markets and the lessening need for their products, capabilities, initiatives, and so forth. In a good economy, most industries developed strategies that enabled them to reach their goals. But in this tight market, these same companies need to adjust and rethink their plans and strategies.
Give your sales team the tools they need to be an effective force
Develop a goal and back it up with a clear and concise, doable strategy
Remember that with the pandemic, there is less business to be won
Rethink not only what you are selling but how you are selling it
If you are at a loss and need help, then hire a professional B2B lead generation company
Strategy Two: Consider what products or services are more popular
Products or services that were popular before COVID-19 may not be in demand for the time being, so it is essential that the company leverage sales to determine what new customers are looking for. The pandemic brings new opportunities as well as new sales for those that are will to shift. According to Forbes, many industries have thrived during the pandemic, such as cleaning services, delivery, grocery stores, gaming, fitness, as well as sales of RVs that have shot up across America.
Look to your B2B sales team or hire an expert lead generation company to gain keen insight on products or services in your industry that are doing well. Create a feedback loop for insights into your customers’ changing needs. These experts are uniquely positioned to help you understand what customers want now and how your company differs from the competition.
Strategy Three: Improve the customer experience
Moving your sales strategy can add many ups and many, many downs to a customer’s experience of a sales presentation. While video conferencing has been a god sent during the pandemic, it does come with glitches—But everyone has had to deal with issues and has a story to tell. So we will look on the bright side. These digital tools allow your team to reach more people and, in many ways, for less money. Yes, face-to-face transactions are a great way to close a deal, but these days not many people want that kind of interaction.
Strategies To Reach Your B2B Sales Targets!
It is essential that your team develop an online B2B sales strategy and sales presentation to cater to the digital world. Developing PowerPoint or google presentations, videos, blog posts, virtual meeting rooms—Anything that will create a virtual world for your business to be effective to potential clients/customers. Design a sales experience where your customers will gain insight about your company, products, and most of all, why your B2B organization is better than your competitors.
Lastly, during this time, when everything is upside down, choosing a professional B2B Sales Support Agency like Grindstone can be just what your team needs to jumpstart your sales. A professional B2B lead generation company will work with you to develop a sales strategy, create phone calling scripts, gathering sales leads lists, determining methods of contact, create performance indicators, monitor performances, and creating reports.
Happy Sales!
Want to learn more about other business marketing strategies? Call Grindstone 1-888-724-7463.
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To learn more about B2B lead generation techniques please visit www.b2bleadexperts.com for more industry information.