AS A SALES LEADER, HOW RECEPTIVE ARE YOU TO CHANGE?
Historically most companies have a handle on forecasting the expected sales revenue and what they are likely to achieve.
It is generally based on the markets they are servicing, the number of out-bound calls, marketing effort, lead generation and conversions. This often comes down to a well-worn maths number, simply looking at the input and outputs.
With COVID-19 however, all these numbers are skewed.
It has become almost impossible to predict what the outcomes are going to be, based on the market, the number of out-bound calls, marketing effort, lead generation and eventual conversions.
Why? Well because of all the disruption that COVID-19 has created, the fact that people are not in the office, the communication layer has changed. This has had an impact on how we now do things, the ‘Old Normal’ is gone, we are trying to find a ‘New’ or a ‘Better Normal’ but this takes time.
New Territory & routes to market
Many companies are having to find new routes to market and even new markets, not because the established ones are no longer valid but because they have slowed down so much. They are having to find more markets, new routes to replace the lack of sales revenue flowing out of the old establish markets to maintain the sales volumes.
Revenues are dropping, now is the time to do something about it, now is a good time to get ready for 2021. This, in some cases has meant moving into or opening out new territories. Not something anyone does lightly as it takes time to open a new market, but many people are already thinking about 2021 and 2022. They cannot take the risk of the needle dropping, they must keep the needle running high.
It is not that traditional establish markets are failing it is the fact that so many people are working from home (WFH) and the normal communication channels have changed. We need to re-establish the links to make it work but also need to increase the traffic in existing and new markets.
New markets
For many, Social Media has stepped in and has had a huge impact, increasing sales since the beginning of the pandemic, it was already rising over recent years even before the pandemic, but this has lifted the wave to tsunami levels now. Not everyone is embracing it yet but those that have, are already gaining the benefits.
It has become part of the established, ‘New’ or ‘Better Normal’ that everyone has been talking about. It is not just a social thing anymore but is fast becoming the, ‘New’ or ‘Better Normal’ for the business world as well, especially for business to business, (B2B).
In the recent past
Remember when we saw many ‘High Street Retailers’ moving ‘Online’ a few years ago, in some cases it even spawned new retailers that sprung up overnight, while many older traditional retailers who did not adopt and gain online presence have now simply disappeared or become ghosts.
A whole portion of the B2B communication channel has moved into the social media space and is now creating a ‘Superhighway’ across the social media space, this has greatly been accelerated by COVID-19 while we have all been WFH. They predicted an additional .2 Billion people would move into Social Media in 2020, but with COVID-19 that’s likely to have dramatically increased even further.
Some organisations have been doing sales exclusively online for years and some started online from day one, companies like HubSpot, who transact everything online and have never met a customer face to face.
Habits
Other companies have recently embraced Social Media, initially as an extra route to market but during COVID-19 it has accelerated and become a force to be reckoned with as more people have increased their bandwidth on Social Media during the Pandemic to stay connected. For many over this time Social Media has become a habit and the amount of time they denote to it has increased, it is here to stay.
We embrace it is partly due to our ability to consume content socially and are now consuming content on a business level, habits once established are hard to break. It is also the strong influence that the Millennials and Gen Z are having in the corporate structures as they gain influence that is clearly leading the way.
SO, AS A SALES LEADER, HOW RECEPTIVE ARE YOU TO CHANGE?
Should it be a choice, swipe left, jumping onto the ‘Social Media’ bus, or swiping right and opening out another country or territory to help protect the revenues that you need in 2021.
OR CAN WE DO BOTH?
About the Author
Howard Longstaff has over 25 years of experience delivering people within the talent acquisition arena.
He has worked extensively across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada as well as in South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Over the last 20 years he has specialised in two fundamental areas, although he often covers a wider remit due to his thirst and understanding of technology. The first area which he has a real passion for, building ‘Sales Teams’, pulling together the very best ‘A Players’ and creating something very special for his clients.
To do that, he needs to have a clear understanding of what his client wants, so establishing clear communication with the client is paramount, understanding the nuances of what they are looking for and documenting this. Understanding the technology, the opportunity, and the growth potential all help to find the ‘right fit, first time’. He is one of the few head-hunters that is willing to guarantee his work, offering 12 months free replacement.
The second area he loves getting involved in, is the leadership team, the C-Suite, helping to get the balance right, cover the gaps in knowledge, skills and experience, working on the assumption that ‘No one is perfect but a team can be’?
Howard is someone who thinks outside the box, has an eye for detail, but is perceptive, looking beyond the surface of just skills and experience. He wants to know and understand the candidate behaviour as well as the emotional intelligence, the motives that drive the candidates he interviews. He is looking for the best fit for his client but also looking to ensure it is a fit for the candidate as well.
In the last 25 years he has also built his own companies and opened offices in New Zealand, Los Angeles, New York and most recently several companies in London. Specialising in technology companies, he has delivered permanent resources across practically every department. This has predominantly been for technology start-ups (Enterprise Software Co’s) but also for many leading management consulting and enterprise clients.
Howard is someone that uses technology to enhance the hiring process, to save time, money and effort and take the pain out of the process, but to find those ‘Exceptional People, who are so hard to find’. He operates a ‘Private Client Video Portal’ keeping everything together, the video, as well as psychrometric behavioural assessments on candidates and interviewing on an emotional intelligence level. He has repeatedly built teams across three continents, so has a good breadth of knowledge across the talent acquisition arena.