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2 Ways COVID-19 has Changed the Face of building product Sales

2 Ways COVID-19 has Changed the Face of building product Sales

It’s no doubt that a lot has changed in the past few months. The COVID-19 outbreak has shaken the B2B sales force – with unprecedented speed and scale – across the globe.

However, as with most things,

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

In other words, times of great challenge often create amazing opportunities to transform the way we, as sales leaders, do things. Many within building products and construction would argue that this is exactly what the industry needed to give it a push towards a more digital future.

One example of how we’re adapting is the new dynamics that virtual selling has brought to the table – in the form of video interactions.

But, more specifically,

How is the COVID-19 crisis changing the future of sales within building products and construction as we know it?

Today we’ll be exploring two ways that this pandemic has accelerated the future of sales within the industry. Read on to find out more…

Sales Professionals Need New & Fresh Skills

A recent study highlighted that digital interactions are expected to be two to three times more important to their customers than traditional sales interactions.

With this in mind, a shift to digital will prompt sales leaders within construction to think carefully about the skills their reps need to succeed.

In order to master the digital sales environment, we have highlighted the following soft skills – as identified in an article from Impact:

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For sales leaders, this will mean investing your time and money in building your team’s skills. Remote selling is here to stay so it is imperative that you focus your reps’ skills on digital technologies.

Priorities Amongst Buyers Are Changing

The stringent social distancing measures in place and a shift towards a more remote workforce has sparked a sudden drop in demand.

As a sales leader myself, this certainly led to an initial feeling of frustration and deflation: how could we still reach our customers?

Local authorities, contractors, managing directors and so on have had to reprioritise, rethink and – in many cases – re-strategise.

In other words, purchasing from you just may not be on the top of mind right now.

Therefore, sales professionals must help their clients solve problems.

But, how can this be done?

You should be proactive. Reach out with empathy. Customise your message to your audience. Make concerted efforts to change customer needs into value-driven solutions.

Prospects are slower to make decisions right now, especially on large, non-essential purchases. That’s why you should treat every interaction like an early-stage opportunity. Keep them interested by hosting webinars , CPDs, customised sales emails (that are helpful) and video testimonials.

Conclusion: Preparation is Key

Whether you’re a sales leader or a one-man-band, you must champion innovation. You must keep a pulse on trends and new technologies.

Remember, the organisations that you’re selling to are also navigating in this same environment; one of unpredictability and uncertainty. So, how can your solutions help your customer’s organisations produce better outcomes?

Want to talk more about some of the strategies you can utilise during this time of change and uncertainty? Click the link below to schedule a no-obligation call with me. I’m great at giving virtual hugs!

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About Insynth

Insynth Marketing is a leading UK construction marketing agency based in Shifnal in the West Midlands. 

They use the latest inbound marketing techniques such as construction inbound marketing, to support building product companies to grow their business by proactively driving sales lead generation activity. 

As the only HubSpot certified agency to major on construction marketing, we bring together construction marketing strategy, digital strategy, website designSEOcontent marketingemail marketing, sales automation, marketing automation and HubSpot CRM implementation to produce successful campaigns and great results for our clients.

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