177: Selling To Clients In These Covid-19 Times

<p>Selling To Clients On-Line In These Covid-19 Times</p> <p> </p> <p>Covid-19 might actually be good for sales.  It might short circuit some of the dumb things salespeople do, when meeting face to face with buyers.  With clients reluctant to hold business meetings because of their fears of the contagion from Covid-19, we need to connect to buyers through either phone calls or video calls.  With more people working from home, it might be easier to get hold of buyers than normal.  They are bound to be in less meetings and will have ample time on their hands because few buyers in Japan yet know how to work properly from home.  A lot of people will have not much to do everyday, but avoid colleagues and the other virus bearing individuals.</p> <p> </p> <p>Cold calling can make a great comeback.  There are bound to be companies you wish to make customers, but have never been able to pull it off because you couldn’t connect with the decision-maker.  That buyer is now home alone and undefended.  Their stalwart junior office lady who normally answers the phone and swiftly and efficiently dispatches you to the badlands of contact oblivion, isn’t in the office, because she is working from home.  Or she may be valiantly defending the office from salespeople like you, but her boss is at home.  Either way, the drawbridge has been lowered, so time to start cold calling.</p> <p> </p> <p>Don’t make the call empty handed.  Think of something that you can offer the buyer during these straitened times.  It might be on-line industry training or joint advertising or some free services.  When you make your cold call, it will be to the company general number.  You won’t have the decision maker’s direct number, in fact, you probably won’t even have their name.  The person taking the call needs a strong reason from you to pass your number to the buyer or to transfer you to them.</p> <p> </p> <p>They may not be in a position to do anything at the moment when you do make contact, but you have achieved a contact with the decision maker.  Ho