Selling in a Crisis

1. Mind Your Mindset: Embrace Adversity and Stay Positive

You cannot be successful and delusional at the same time.

Embrace reality. In a crisis, it's crucial to acknowledge the truth and connect to reality. Things will get worse before they get better, and there will be winners and losers. However, this doesn't mean you should wallow in negativity. Instead, focus on what you can control: your actions, reactions, and mindset.

Gratitude is key. Adversity is inescapable, but it's also our most important teacher. Cultivate a spirit of gratitude, even in challenging times. This mindset shift will help you:

• Stay motivated and driven
• Overcome obstacles more easily
• Find opportunities where others see only problems
• Build resilience and emotional strength

Control your input. Be intentional about what you allow into your mind. Limit exposure to negative news and social media. Instead, focus on:

• Professional reading and learning
• Positive podcasts and audiobooks
• Inspirational content and uplifting music
• Surrounding yourself with supportive, optimistic people

2. The Pipe Is Life: Prospect Relentlessly and Persistently

Persistence always finds a way to win.

Embrace fanatical prospecting. In a crisis, nobody is going to call you. You must become a relentless, unstoppable prospector who is obsessive about keeping your pipeline full of qualified prospects. This means:

• Prospecting day and night, anywhere and anytime
• Using multiple channels: phone, email, social media, video, text, in-person
• Making "one more call" even when you're tired or discouraged

Develop effective sequences. Create a systematic approach to prospecting that improves your chances of compelling prospects to engage. Key elements include:

• Targeted lists of no more than 25 prospects at a time
• Multi-channel approach (phone, email, social media, video, etc.)
• Carefully planned cadence and timing of touches
• Compelling, interconnected messaging across channels

Message matters. Craft relevant, prospect-centered messages that address their current challenges and emotions. Avoid self-centered statements and focus on:

• Learning about their business and unique situation
• Sharing insights and best practices that have helped similar clients
• Demonstrating understanding of their problems and potential solutions

3. Time Discipline: Protect Golden Hours and Work Smarter

Eat that frog!

Protect prime selling time. Your most precious resource is time, and you only have 6 to 8 "Golden Hours" each day for sales activities. Fiercely guard this time from non-sales activities and distractions. Prioritize:

• Prospecting
• Advancing pipeline opportunities
• Closing deals

Work harder, longer, and smarter. In a crisis, you can't afford to coast. Put in longer hours and work harder than before. However, also focus on working smarter:

• Organize your day with time blocking
• Use high-intensity activity sprints for increased productivity
• Leverage technology and techniques to maximize efficiency

Eat the frog. Start each day with your most challenging or important task – usually prospecting. By tackling this "frog" first:

• You overcome procrastination
• Your energy and confidence are at their peak
• You set a positive tone for the rest of the day

4. Sell Better: Execute the Sales Process Flawlessly

It's the sales process, stupid.

Master the fundamentals. In a crisis, there's no margin for error. You must execute each step of the sales process faithfully and flawlessly:

1. Prospecting
2. Qualifying
3. Setting first-time appointments
4. Advancing with micro-commitments
5. Discovery
6. Presenting your business case and selling outcomes
7. Asking for buying commitments and handling objections

Qualify better. Time is money, and you can't afford to waste it on unqualified prospects. Focus on three types of qualifiers:

• Technical qualifiers: Quantifiable facts and figures
• Stakeholder qualifiers: Roles, authority, and motivations of decision-makers
• Fit qualifiers: Overall alignment with your sales process and offerings

Deal with decision-makers. In a crisis, decision-making authority often shifts upward. To avoid wasting time with non-decision-makers:

• Ask about the buying process and keep asking throughout the sales cycle
• Use clarifying questions to understand the true decision-making structure
• Be prepared to engage with higher-level stakeholders who may be less accessible

5. Listen Actively: Discover Deeper to Close More Deals

Influencing buying behavior is derived from what you hear, not what you say.

Make discovery a priority. Effective discovery is the most crucial step in the sales process. It's where you should spend 80% or more of your time. Use this stage to:

• Challenge the status quo and shake stakeholders from comfort zones
• Uncover desired personal, emotional, and business outcomes
• Build trust through genuine interest and understanding

Practice active listening. To truly hear and understand your prospects:

• Prepare discovery questions in advance
• Focus on listening rather than formulating responses
• Use pauses and silence to allow for deeper reflection
• Observe non-verbal cues and emotional nuances
• Ask clarifying questions to ensure understanding

Sell outcomes, not features. People buy when they believe the value exceeds the price. Focus on articulating how your solutions help stakeholders realize their desired:

• Emotional outcomes (e.g., peace of mind, reduced stress)
• Personal outcomes (e.g., promotions, time savings)
• Business outcomes (e.g., increased revenue, improved efficiency)

6. Manage Emotions: Stay Confident and Control Disruptive Feelings

The person who exerts the greatest emotional control has the highest probability of achieving their desired outcomes.

Recognize disruptive emotions. Seven emotions can weaken your ability to sell effectively in a crisis:

1. Fear
2. Desperation
3. Insecurity
4. Need for significance
5. Attachment
6. Eagerness
7. Worry

Cultivate emotional intelligence. While you can't choose your emotions, you can choose your response. Develop the ability to:

• Monitor and evaluate your emotional state
• Modulate your responses to align with your objectives
• Project relaxed, assertive confidence, even when stressed

Be bigger on the inside. Like working with horses, interacting with buyers requires projecting confidence, even when you're nervous. Remember:

• Emotions are contagious
• Buyers subconsciously scan for emotional cues
• Relaxed, assertive confidence is the most powerful emotional state in sales

7. Protect Your Turf: Retain Accounts and Defend Your Prices

Every customer and every relationship is at risk. Protect your turf.

Proactively manage accounts. Don't take customers for granted. Instead:

• Conduct regular account reviews
• Build risk profiles and retention plans
• Initiate ongoing communication
• Uncover and solve problems
• Fix service and quality issues
• Deepen relationships across the organization

Analyze retention risk. Use a 9-box system to assess each account's risk level:

• High risk (Red): Any indicators in the high-risk row
• Medium risk (Yellow): Indicators in medium-risk row, none in high-risk
• Low risk (Green): All indicators in low-risk row

Protect your prices. When customers demand price reductions:

• Respond quickly and calmly
• Listen and discover their true objectives
• Present a compelling case for your value
• Offer "funny money" concessions (low-cost to you, high-value to them)
• Make it personal by sharing the impact of their business on you

8. Be Proactive: Anticipate Customer Needs and Provide Solutions

Getting ahead of the curve and investing in whatever it takes to retain your current customer base right now is like putting money in an annuity that will pay back a return on that investment for years to come.

Anticipate customer challenges. In a crisis, your customers face numerous problems. By proactively addressing these issues, you make it harder for them to leave you. Take action by:

• Analyzing each customer's situation objectively
• Developing tailored solutions to help them navigate the crisis
• Offering value-added services, flexible payment terms, or other accommodations

Demonstrate your value as a partner. Show customers that you care and are committed to their success:

• Deliver exceptional service and quick issue resolution
• Invest in building and maintaining strong relationships
• Provide insights and support beyond your core offerings

Think long-term. Remember that retaining customers now will pay dividends in the future:

• It's more cost-effective to keep existing customers than acquire new ones
• Loyal customers are more likely to increase their business with you post-crisis
• Your efforts during tough times will be remembered and rewarded when conditions improve

By being proactive and customer-centric, you not only protect your current business but also position yourself for growth and success when the crisis subsides.

Last updated: October 15, 2024