The pandemic effect has changed a lot of routines for the world at large. People are in uncharted waters trying to understand and adapt to the situation at hand. In these grueling times, a section of sales has undoubtedly been hit the hardest- that section is your – “Field Sales.”
What is Field Sales?
“Field sales, or outside sales, is the process by which companies visit leads and sell to them in person.”
In today’s social distancing times, it’s almost impossible to meet someone in person, let alone sell to them. This issue can cause a strain to sales reps, managers and companies alike.
It becomes important to address these issues and retrain or reposition field sales to avoid impending losses at a time such as the present.
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Here are a couple of pointers to help your Field Sales team adapt to the current Covid-19 pandemic situation.
Help Them Transition to Inside Sales:
It’s mandatory for field sales to transition to more of an Inside sales role with the advent of the today’s social distancing norms. The normal lunch and learn and dinner meetings are slowly becoming a thing of the past (Although, to hopefully return again!). Now is the time for email and phone conversations to rake in the big bucks! Field sales reps should be trained on the methodologies that inside sales reps follow because it’s the prime way to do business in the current situation.
Emphasize Empathy:
It’s the need of the hour, as every sales leader has been specifying off late, not just for a field sales rep but for every sales person out there, it’s important that your field sales teams should also empathize with their prospects in the current scenario, even as they transition to an inside sales role.
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Help Them Get Their Email Etiquette Right
An average field sales rep doesn’t shoot out as many emails as a traditional Inside Sales Rep. It is important to train a field sales rep with the nuances and etiquette of an email or a sales cadence, as this can make or break the desired closure. (Appointment or Deal!)
Give Them a Chance to Embrace the Virtual World:
In today’s times the virtual world has become the new reality. Virtual Meeting software like Zoom, Hangout, Go to Meeting etc have become the need of the hour. It’s important for Field sales to now be friends with the virtual world and embrace everything online into their daily sales lives.
Prepare them for a Change in Duration in the Sales Cycle:
It’s a given in sales that the sales cycle for every process is different. The same stands true when you compare field and inside sales. Depending upon the vertical and industry your company caters to, the sales cycles is going to be different. Field sales should be trained to adapt to new sales cycles accordingly.
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Feedback on Progress:
It’s important to track the progress of a rep once he is trained. In this case, a field rep who is in uncharted waters should be regularly analyzed and given feedback to.
Monitoring Software like Hubstaff, Ringcentral Engage, Teramonitor, etc go a long way to ensure the progress of a sales rep through constant monitoring and feedback.
Planning for Normalcy or The ”New” Normal post the pandemic:
Nothing is constant. The current Covid-19 situation would eventually be a thing of the past and hopefully normalcy will return. However, things wouldn’t be perceived to be the same post this pandemic. It’s important to plan things accordingly. It becomes important to carry business as usual within the social distancing norms. Also, the adaptability patterns and their training should somehow be inculcated as a practice for every future Field Sales Team member in such a way, so as to prepare them for an evolving future.
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Tough times do not last forever but tough people do, as the saying goes! It’s important to tackle challenges when they arrive. The Covid-19 pandemic gives us an opportunity to get more used to the virtual selling route. This bane could in turn be a blessing for all the field sales reps out there, to prepare them for a new future.
Just remember, this too shall pass!
Looking for some inspiration during these uncertain times? Listen to an episode of the SalesStar Podcast to catch some interesting conversations on the evolving sales and salestech landscape!