2023 is here. 2020 turned everything upside down, but it also opened the way for many growth opportunities.
The conversations I have had with colleagues over the last couple of years have really surfaced the various challenges sales organizations continue to deal with on a daily basis.
As companies figure out how much they will maintain their WFH strategy or move back to the office, it affects productivity when there are a lot of unknowns.
Here are some tips to consider that apply in any remote circumstances and provide consistent results.
Understanding your prospect while in a remote setting.
With the current situation, entire sales cycles are happening in a remote environment. Organizations have worked with vendors for years and in some cases rarely meet in person, yet maintain a strong connection because the vendor will pay attention to what is happening with them.
The preparation that makes meetings highly effective.
There is no reason to join a meeting and not know who you are speaking to with the huge amount of data in the public domain--some of it created by your prospect. Even late-adopters of LinkedIn were forced by necessity to promote themselves and have a presence. Wasting time in meetings discussing things you could have found with 10 minutes of preparation isn't a good use of the access you have with prospects.
Meaningful engagement with your prospects.
Some simple actions can help you keep a pulse on what is happening with your prospect. You should connect with them on LinkedIn and stay engaged. Share meaningful information that builds credibility and depth to the connection you have. You can learn more about the types of content that makes a difference to them through their activity online, that helps you narrow the focus to topics they are interested in.
Filling in the "white space" between conversations.
People are often more available digitally via social platforms. They may publish articles, share content, or various other activities you can engage with and extend the reach of your live engagements. Also, you can demonstrate a level of sincerity by genuinely caring about what they are working on. Many B2B deals have long and complicated sales cycles, the relationship you build will make a difference in the long-term.
Stay in the "know" of their company.
Setting yourself up for success means putting what is in the public domain to work for you. Have alerts set up for press releases, news, updates, etc. about your prospects. It enables you have meaningful engagement vs. the "just checking in" exchange. You can reach out to acknowledge awards, announcements, etc. It shows you care about your prospects and makes a difference how prospects perceive you.
Connect the dots.
Staying engaged with your prospects enabled you to also see activities that can prompt you to reconnect sooner. For example, let's say you see they recently connected with a rep from a competing company--that is a flag to see what is going on in there and if it makes sense to reengage sooner vs. later. Social Selling doesn't require being a power-user of social media nor does it take tons of time, but it does pay off when you invest in yourself to make sure you are as informed as possible and continually monitor your prospects and pipeline.
