Question
What strategies does Janice Gordon recommend for adapting sales operations post-pandemic?
Answer
Based on the content I have, Janice Gordon suggests several strategies for adapting sales operations in a post-pandemic world:
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Adopt a Digital Mindset: The pandemic has accelerated digital adoption. Sales professionals need to adapt to this socially connected commercial world and leverage digital platforms for sales and networking.
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Service as Unusual: Businesses should not expect to operate as usual during these times. They need to manage and set expectations for business as unusual, being mindful of what others are going through as they transition to remote working.
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Empathy and Relationship Building: Salespeople should empathize with their customers' pain points. They should use platforms like LinkedIn to build relationships online and understand their customers as humans rather than just clients.
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Master Virtual Business Development: With the absence of in-person networking, sellers must master the art of developing business in a virtual world.
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Keep in Touch and Be of Service: The pandemic is not so much a time to sell but a time to keep in touch and be of service. Remember the clients that gave you business when they had money and help them along when they do not.
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Revisit, Refocus, and Re-script: Look at your automatic messages and ask if the message is still relevant now.
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Empathy is a Consistent Theme: Empathy is a human and individual thing. It takes effort, time, discipline, and commitment to develop it.
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Change Your Approach: Lead with empathy and authenticity. Focus on what you have that can help their urgent problem. If you do not have anything to improve your customer's current climate, then now is the time to focus on relationship building.
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Understand the Impact of the Pandemic: Understand what the impact of the pandemic has been, how to adapt and flex to be able to continue to present value and solve customers' problems.
These strategies can help sales professionals navigate the challenges presented by the pandemic and come out stronger.
