HARDISON’S TIPS – NOVEMBER 24, 2020 – SELLING IN A COVID 19 WORLD (PT. 2)
Outreach Administrators: Create Content that Supports Your Team
We collaborated with our sales and marketing teams to create new content for approaching decision makers that are facing the new challenge of an unplanned, fully remote sales team. We cloned some of our best performing sequences, edited the messaging and structure, tagged them with COVID-19, and shared them with our team to start using as they initiate new conversations. Here are some new pieces of content we developed:
- Sequences targeted towards our “updated” value proposition of rapid productivity and our messaging supporting remote teams and enabling managers to coach remotely.
- Objection handling templates to arm the reps when they get anticipated pushback, for example “My team is all remote right now” or “We’re not purchasing anything new.” Huge disclaimer here: objection handling needs to be done with nuance and empathy. This is all the more reason to templetize and share approved messages so that reps are saying the right thing to build the relationship, not damage it.
- Snippets highlighting successful customer stories and reference points for the team to use.
Sellers: Put Yourself In Your Customer’s Shoes
Above all, empathy, transparency, and vulnerability are more important than ever. Remember that some industries, like hospitality, travel, and emergency medicine, or areas like NYC or Seattle, have been deeply affected by COVID-19. Think about where your prospect is located, the market they serve, and the industry they are in before reaching out. That Chief Customer Officer? Probably pretty preoccupied supporting his own customers. Head of HR? Most likely focused on figuring out how to support hundreds of first-time WFH employees. Sometimes the best thing is *not* to contact someone immediately. So take the time now to slow down and research your prospects before you initiate conversations.
If you really need to write that email now, consider scheduling it to go out in the future so that you give your prospect breathing room during this time of uncertainty (Outlook info, Gmail info). Remember, trust and the strongest relationships are built in the most difficult times.
Re-Evaluate Your Content
Now that you’ve thought about the value your solution provides in a COVID-19 world and updated your personas, it’s time to update your Sequences. The good news is that it’s simple to update and share your content in Outreach so that your team is consistently sending the right messaging beginning today. Here are some things to keep in mind when updating your Sequence content:
Sales Leadership: Change Your Communications Channel
It’s likely that your buyers in EMEA and the US are just starting to work from home and are undergoing a period of initial shock. Based on what we’re hearing from customers, the feedback is mixed with regard to what channel(s) are most effective when connecting with prospects right now.
A good example: should we be making calls right now? Given that many people are suddenly working from home, some may or may not have set up call forwarding from their business phone to their personal cell phones. Others may have a sophisticated phone setup and may still be getting emails when you leave a voicemail, so keep at it! If you’re worried that your team will just be calling into corporate 1-800 numbers, maybe limit call steps for now.
Consider expanding to other channels, like social touches through LinkedIn, or utilizing an integrated chat application to support inbound or e-gifts built into Sequences for late stage deals. Check out the Outreach Galaxy to review all our integration partners, and start to explore options to expand your strategy beyond email and phone (To name a few: Drift, Sendoso, Alyce, Vidyard, and Bomb Bomb).
Regardless, re-evaluate the mix of steps in your Sequence and think about the channel that may work best in your situation. This will likely evolve over time so researching different channels or constantly testing will be important.
Make It A Champion Day!
