How do I keep my sales team engaged and productive while working remotely?

Your business might not have been struck directly – like Captain Sullenberger’s plane was hit by a flock of geese – but the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis has hit us all directly or indirectly creating challenges, like keeping your sales team engaged, sales fit and productive while working remotely. The opportunity during what might be a more quiet time is to adjust and improve your sales and service operations to be ready when we can go back to (the new) normal.

We have remote solutions in place to help you:

The opportunities beyond COVID-19: What will the world look like after the pandemic? What will your business and teams look like in the future? What will you be selling to whom and how will you sell? This Scenario Planning Exercise is an excellent way to explore a range of options and get people thinking about ‘What If’ scenarios. Underpinned by a purposefully optimistic approach this helps you and your people plan and pivot your business for what lies ahead. This process is done in 3 x 2 hour remote group sessions plus homework in between.
Find new viable sales market segments and opportunities: Your current target markets might not be in a condition to operate as they used to do – they may be in hibernation or might need time to recover. How do you find the hidden opportunities in your existing market or other viable markets in which to operate, and customers to sell to? These 3 x 2 hour group sessions over Zoom will help you and your sales and marketing teams uncover hidden sales market segments in the supply chain of supply chains.
Customer communication & messaging during COVID-19: The needs of people and businesses have changed as a result of COVID-19. The style, tone and type of communications that your customers need now might be completely different to what your team has been used to conveying. We can coach your sales and service teams to communicate with your customers during the COVID-19 crisis and be alert to new opportunities as the new reality emerges. Besides online training content we also provide remote small group training sessions to practice and implement how to communicate during difficult times. Session setup and duration are planned and scaled according to your team size and needs.
Continue to train and up-skill your sales and service teams: with a combination of online education and remote classroom setting (you can go anywhere between 100% online to 100% remote classroom; we can adjust the dial to your preference and priorities) across a whole range of sales subjects.
Retain and grow Key Accounts during COVID-19 and beyond. We can help you set up the tools and means necessary to strategise, manage and communicate with key stakeholders within your key accounts during the period of “business as unusual”. We can facilitate remote Key Account strategy sessions, coach KAMs as to how to communicate with stakeholders, and more.
Customer care, retention and new opportunities during COVID-19: Your customers are also going through unprecedented changes in their circumstances. Train your customer service teams so they can provide the support and care needed to respond to the changed landscape. Help them spot and see new opportunities so the business can act on emerging trends and client intel. We can apply a similar combination of online training and remote group classroom sessions as above.
The emergency sales manager: During this crisis you might need some additional sales management and coaching support to help your sales team with the specific challenges and opportunities that arise during COIVD-19. We can set this up remotely in the most efficient way for you and your team.
Your business needs your clients to stay in business. Helping your clients stay in business by providing them with tips and advice on how to sell better and stay in business can make a crucial difference – for them now, and for their loyalty to you later. We can customise and host webinars to your and your clients’ specific needs so you can help your clients stay in business too.
Fire brigade sessions: Fast and efficiently deal with immediate issues and opportunities on your marketplace. These are short and succinct remote workshop sessions for you, your leadership and sales and service teams on selected specific topics to cater for your most urgent needs
Crises can bring out the best in people: We have two sayings that resonate here ‘It’s all about opportunity’ and ‘There’s no such word as can’t’. A team with a positive ‘can do’ mindset who is open to opportunity will make a real difference to their own wellbeing and resilience, and the business’ bottom line. We can deliver online modules and remote coaching support to train your sales managers and teams on how to adapt and deal with the new sales situation, unearth opportunities, master personal challenges, and keep a healthy ’can do’ mindset.
Do you need to quickly recruit and induct staff? We have a range of off-the-shelf and customisable tools and templates to help you recruit and induct efficiently from behavioural interviews and psychometric assessments to sales process and training.
Turn product information into client friendly sellable content: We call this fitting out your ‘Product Wardrobe’ to sell the way the client wants to buy: the aim is to build a ‘product assets register’ that speaks about your products/services from the client’s perspective – how they see it, feel it, experience it. This way salespeople and others can access and curate the right information when providing the right solutions for their clients making sure it is always in context of their clients’ perspective, priorities and business goals – how they will benefit from buying from and working you.