by Karen van Zyl, Founder & CEO, VA Connect and SnappSales
The world is a-changing and at a rapid pace too! A few short months ago you were putting your New Year’s Resolutions in place and gearing for an exciting year. And then everything changed. It’s so surreal and those that I have spoken to say they feel like they are in a movie. The Corona Virus has hit and has hit us hard. Nothing could have prepared us for what is about to unfold.
And for all Small Business Owner’s across the African continent as each day passes we feel the impact of this pandemic. Some of us are scared and worried sick as we feel the future has become uncertain. And for others they are pivoting their businesses as I write this, determined to move with the times.
Reassurance in a time of need
Before I get into the really exciting part of sales, I want to take a moment to reassure you that with this time comes a bright silver lining. We call it having ‘opportunity eyes’. If you look back to the 2008 recession you’ll be well reminded that the likes of Airbnb come from what was deemed a terrible time globally. And so you should remind yourself daily that not only will this pass, that great things will come from it, great opportunities will arise, it’s up to you to spot the opportunity and make something of it. See this time as a change of season if you will. Winter has passed, the cold is slowly moving away, the bare trees are starting to show the first signs of spring. A change of season isn’t always comfortable, yet change will come. With each transition in nature the trees either shed leaves or grow them, and with each shift in season there is a level of discomfort, yet the tree always makes it through.
Sales of Tomorrow
I’ve been so privileged to be involved in sales for more than a decade. I’ve had the opportunity of hosting many sales masterclasses, both on TV and in workshops, and to say that sales has changed dramatically is an understatement. We now need to look at what the future will be and bring those sales techniques of tomorrow into our lives today.
Human-to-Human business: we have become so pre-occupied with technology and screens that we have forgotten a critical part to life and business, that at the end of the day, we are dealing with another human being. 2020 will become the year of human-to-human everything. You will need to get really comfortable with H2H.
Compassionate business: as we evolve in business and bear more responsibility you’ll notice that compassion keeps rearing her lovely head. We will have to become more compassionate in dealing with staff, suppliers and clients than ever before.
Consider the following approaches to help you fill your sales pipeline:
Real Relationships : to succeed in the new world of sales, real quality relationships are crucial to success. You have to become a master at establishing and nurturing quality personal and business relationships. Relationship building will be your number one sales outreach activity for 2020. This kind of relationship building can take place on a platform like LinkedIn (see below) or even an unlikely place like Instagram. If you understand your target market and use social media smartly, you can connect with the likes of Miss Universe or the founder of Twitter. It will take time, as any sound relationship does and it will require patience from you. You can do activities like commenting on posts of those you see yourself doing business with in future, offer advice or tips, share their content if it’s relevant to your target market. Start a conversation with an influencer on Instagram DM, follow relevant hashtags, share great content and incredible stories that others want to engage with. Start building relationships, locally and globally, be human (read be authentic) and connect with other humans that you might do business with in the future.
LinkedIn : such a marvellous platform to connect us with business people the world over. And the great thing about this is, you get to speak with people you wouldn’t usually think of approaching at a typical networking event. With LinkedIn you can connect and start building a meaningful business relationship with a prospective client. Remember, the deal is not to go in fast and hard to make a quick buck, but rather to engage in conversation, to like and engage with your prospects content. Keep in mind, it now takes up to 11 appearances of your brand in front of your prospect before they will sit up and take note.
Don’t follow up : Say what? Back in the day, especially when selling photocopiers like I did, you hounded the prospect with follow up calls and emails until you go the yes you were seeking. Nowadays, prospects do not want you to follow up. And when you do, you need to do it in such a strategic manner that you make the prospect feel that they are the ones who reached out to you :-D Tricky? Yes! Do-able? Absolutely! To follow up in a non-follow up way, I usually send the prospect a link to one of our latest blogs or touch base on how their most recent project is going. I don’t ask about the quote that I previously sent. Don’t ask and they will tell you all you need to know ☺
Bringing it together
So, is it business un-usual for you? Are you going to make impact in this world and use this time to build amazing content, to do online outreach, network online and discover ways that work for you to do great sales?
With challenges come opportunities, in difficult times greatness is born. In uncertain times there is still a certainty that if you position your business correctly and you create content with great stamina, you have a fighting chance to get to the other side, richer as a person and better at business. You’ve got this!
Karen van Zyl is the co-founder and COO of VA Connect, a South African virtual assistant platform that provides outsourced administrative support; and is also the co-founder of SnappSales, a company that generates quality sales leads for its clients. Prior to establishing both her companies, Karen spent over 10 years in different sales, marketing & admin support roles. This experience has equipped her with the invaluable skills required to run her two successful business ventures. Follow Karen on her Personal Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+
More articles by Karen
