The One Thing Sales Leaders Need to Do in a Post-Pandemic World.

I know, the pandemic isn’t over yet.  Still, management sees the improved economy as the reason your sales goals are back to 2019, or higher.  One sales manager said it best when he told me, “I look out my window, it looks better, but it’s not back to normal.”

The pandemic brought many changes, some that will stick, some that will pass.  Commuting to the office has been changed; perhaps forever.  Shortages of computer chips, lumber, employees, and rising prices have changed the shopping and buying patterns of all consumers.

Yet, your sales team should deliver as if it’s 2019, at least according to the ‘suits’ at corporate. What’s a sales leader to do?

I don’t have all the answers, but I think you need to start with empathy.  Empathy for the situation of many businesses who are struggling to recover, get product and hire employees.  You also need empathy for your sales teams.

Your sellers may have made less money in 2020.  They struggled to get prospects engaged and through the sales funnel in a remote work world.  They may have had cancellations and many of their sales patterns and approaches may have been disrupted.  Those changes are continuing today.

The first step in building a sales recovery plan should be a “Roadblock” meeting.

A two-hour minimum time block where you brainstorm a large list of today’s roadblocks.  What are the challenges your sellers face today?  This should include your entire sales team including your SDR reps who are on the front lines of setting appointments.  Not a top down or small group discussion, engage everyone.  Show them you care, show them you are listening.

Do it in management groups or business units.  Make a list of all the roadblocks to identifying prospects, retaining customers, identifying customer problems, moving prospects through the funnel, and closing.  Any problem they have, you have as a sales leader.

Yes, it’s can be a complaint or ‘whine’ list.  Collect them all.  In person if you can.  White board them.  .Turns out one persons whining might just be a real problem you can help solve for them. Remember, your success depends upon their success.

Write them all down.  Don’t judge.

Then use the group to rank them.  Identify by consensus the top three to five issues in your sales or business unit or your business.  It might include how you are paying or how much they make.  Write it down. 

Then in subsequent meetings create a problem-solving meeting for each of the key issues, where you brainstorm solutions.   Solutions might be to look at quotas in the real world, or your comp plan.  It might be to create new sales enablement tools or create new categories to focus on.

Many senior managers think the problem with sales is that sellers don’t work hard enough. I know, I was a senior manager.   The real issue is often aligning the real needs of the field in tools and training to what the company provides.  It’s caring about the opinion of your sales team, and providing them with the tools and training they need to accomplish your shared goals. 

A roadblock meeting is the first step in creating alignment and showing you care.

I can provide a free outline for a roadblock meeting if you email mdoyle@TheSalesMD.com and put “Roadblock” in the subject line.