Diana May-Jennings Here’s what other companies are seeing and doing during COVID-19:
We know you’ve probably gotten an earful about Covid-19 already and it can be frustrating to have so much information thrown your way. What we’re trying to do instead is share some actual insights into several companies’ experiences. These companies have personally told us what’s been happening with their business and their experiences may help you feel less alone and give you a better sense of how to handle these times.
What Other Companies are Experiencing
A lot of people assume that sales companies cannot operate under these circumstances, but we’ve talked to at least half a dozen companies doing very well in this circumstance. Most of them have been finding success because everyone is available at home. Caliber is an example of a company that has mostly shutdown their operations, but they still have a few reps out selling and those reps are killing it. One of their reasons for success is having all of their leads at home all day.
Before quarantine, it was pretty hit or miss whether a lead would be home or not. Usually you’d just have a three-hour window (usually 5:30-8:30pm) where people might be home. But now, you can basically find people home throughout the entire day. This makes a huge difference because you’re able to fill your funnel much more effectively and see more deals down the road.
It’s also not news to anyone that quarantine has been boring for all of us. We’ve heard from other companies that people are getting bored and looking for something to change up their routine. So when there’s a knock on the door, it’s a refreshing surprise and more welcomed than it otherwise would be. You could get more answers and people willing to talk because of boredom. Don’t take their boredom for granted, though. Make sure your conversations are still providing value and increasing interest in your product.
Strategies from Other Companies
Pre-quarantine, companies were trying to track specific territories by google mapping each address individually. This takes a lot of time and isn’t entirely accurate. However, now companies are finding success using our datagrid feature as well as email campaigns and then sending reps out to the territories that they hit with the calls and emails. These companies wanted to be able to track their coverage maps against the leads they’re purchasing from a third party to make sure they’re getting a high percentage within their territories and that’s what datagrid provides.
Another company with 25-40 reps normally had thirty percent of their sales come from direct canvassing efforts. But since Covid-19, they’ve seen a big enough decline in their other marketing that they can’t rely on that as much. Because of this, they’ve had to invest more into their door-to-door efforts because it’s been the only consistent funnel for them in this past month.
This is also a great time to be recruiting. Mike Hammond, owner of Caliber, has said they are killing it with recruiting because people are sitting around and have time to recruit other people that are also just sitting around. A lot of these people are looking for employment and are happy to hear about your offering. Now’s the time to build your dream team with people that wouldn’t have been available otherwise.
Ideas for Pitching While Being Socially Distant
Being socially distant doesn’t mean you can’t still pitch to customers. Here’s an example of a structured and relevant pitch for any industry that can help you continue working door-to-door. Remember to step 6-10 feet back and say:
“Hi there, I’m from xyz company. We are donating money to your choice of 3 organizations fighting covid-19 when you use our service…”
In the roofing industry specifically, people are finding success by knocking on the door and standing back about fifteen feet, then the rep asks for the customer’s number and Facetimes them. The rep then asks permission to climb on the roof and then has the customer on a Facetime call while he walks around and shows them the damages. The rep who tried this said it’s been a nice change that’s more interactive than bringing a bunch of pictures back down to the clients and showing them their roof. This new method was so successful that he said he’s going to be doing Facetime calls during the inspection even after Covid-19 because there’s something different about showing the customer the damage live that gets them more engaged.
For more information about selling while staying socially distant, check our most recent blog post.
Keep in Mind
We understand that this time can be very scary for many reasons. A lot of people fear for job security and now have financial stress, but we had a client say that they don’t spend time worrying whether or not they will keep their jobs. Instead, they keep all their focus on creating value for their company and their clients, and if they do that, they believe that the “job-keeping” part will take care of itself.
We know it can be difficult to ignore possible job loss or changes to your career goals, but if you take this advice and focus more on creating value in your company and value to yourself personally, then everything else will fall into place.
