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If you perform any corporate sales function, I don\u2019t have to tell you that in the pandemic everything has changed. As a former corporate sales person myself, I valued meeting face-to-face with my clients. That is currently not possible. Sales people have had to re-focus their strategies.<\/p>\n
The Change Begins with You<\/strong><\/p>\n If corporate sales teams are trying to understand how to manage change, their customers are in the same boat as well.<\/p>\n David Ash, senior vice president of FLMH, an agricultural sales and marketing firm, gave this advice to sales teams attempting to adjust to the changes brought about by COVID:<\/p>\n \u201cMany people are frozen in place right now and don\u2019t know what to do with themselves. But it\u2019s important to get up every morning, create a plan, set goals and focus on how you can best serve your customers<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n This thought was echoed by FLMH executive vice president Mitch Van Kampen:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to get creative<\/em> about problem solving…it\u2019s the salesperson\u2019s business to be asking the right questions and finding proactive solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n These solutions don\u2019t come by magic, they require an intentional vision to develop strategy to implement that change. Sales consultant Tamara Schenk concluded the following regarding sales team management during periods of change.<\/p>\n Do you have the determination to see that change begins with you? Your sales team may have a good idea of what they want to accomplish, they may be clear on those goals, but unless they have the daily grit to get things done, managing change will be an impossible, uphill battle.<\/p>\n See Yourself as Successful<\/strong><\/p>\n Tamara Schenk makes an important sales change observation:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>The key for success is you being the example for the change you want to see in your organization. <\/em>That means that you should be the first to use and apply the new methods, processes, tools, content assets, etc. You should be amongst the first to use new content, including the sharing functions, with your clients. If it\u2019s about training or coaching, you should be the first one attending the class, even if it\u2019s an online training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n