Editor's Note: Enjoy this special encore post, which was one of our readers' favorites in 2020. It originally published on March 13, 2020.
We’re all trying to figure out how to maneuver through unprecedented change by understanding how to navigate work and the coronavirus. Although many of you might be spending less time (or no time) in an office and it might be harder (or not possible at all) to get face-time with customers, we know that business continues.
Whether it’s coronavirus or uncertainty of the economic environment, right now it’s not easy and there are a lot of questions. In connecting with you and other people in sales, we’ve heard some common questions centered on how to stay:
- Connected to both buyers and your sales organization
- Productive in a new work setup
- Informed about coronavirus (COVID-19)
We don’t have all the answers, but we are here to share resources and tips that can help.
How to Stay Connected
Whether it’s teammates, customers or prospective buyers, staying connected can feel challenging when you are limited to only picking up the phone or connecting through a screen. But, the good news is that it's easier than ever to build and maintain meaningful relationships at scale digitally.
When it comes to staying connected with your buyers, it is more important than ever to not overlook the human element of the relationship. Just like you, the buyer might be trying to balance shifting priorities, juggle personal changes, and determine how to adapt to a world that looks much different than it did a month ago. Staying close to them via virtual meetings and phone calls, while also paying attention to the world around them — economic changes to their business, news announcements in their region, etc. — is essential. Sharing advice or lessons learned with one another is a great way to stay focused on solving current challenges, together.
As you consider virtual meetings with your customers, check out this recent article from Harvard Business Review that offers some great insights on how to conduct an effective virtual meeting, including:
- Stick to a clear and simplified meeting structure
- Minimize presentation length
- Use video, but provide an audio dial-in option
- Test the technology you’re using ahead of time
In addition to staying connected with buyers, it’s important to stay connected to your own sales organization. In the spirit of sharing, we wanted pass along a few ways we are working to keep our team connected:
- Scheduling regular manager and sales rep one-on-one check-ins
- Coordinating virtual team chats through Microsoft Teams (or a similar solution)
- Scheduling daily virtual standup meetings (sometimes multiple times per day) to align on goals and answer questions
When you are in a traditional office, you make time to grab lunch together, walk to get coffee, and cheer on your colleague when they close a deal. Don’t overlook the power and importance of still making time to be social and connected with your teammates, managers, and mentors. Find time for a quick message, video chat, or virtual celebration when a deal closes — it’s important to feel seen and heard, even if it’s virtually!
How to Stay Productive in Your New Setup
Working remotely can feel isolating, but it doesn’t need to. If you’re new to working from home, you can find some great tips here on how to “ace” the experience, including setting your schedule and working within those hours. And, we invite you to check out any one of our 16 free LinkedIn Learning courses where you can learn everything from how to master productivity while maintaining your work/life balance to managing remote team members.
How to Stay Informed
Staying informed is paramount, and it’s why LinkedIn is dedicated to ensuring we are a source of trusted news and updates. You can follow and share our Coronavirus: Official updates and sources feed, curated by a team of LinkedIn editors, to stay on top of the latest developments from organizations like the WHO and the CDC.
In the coming weeks we plan to share additional resources that address some of the additional questions you have shared, including how to work together with buyers to help them grow their business in times of uncertainty.
Through it all, our team at LinkedIn is here to support you however we can.
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