Post Pandemic Sales Hesitancy

After fifteen months of being cooped up in our homes adjusting to the new normal of visiting with our clients and prospects via Zoom all while trying to keep our families safe and our children educated, the time has come for some of us to put the petal to the metal and hit the road again. 

In 2020, there were a few necessary trips taken here and there (with face shields no less), but for the most part, most of our time was spent at makeshift offices in the comfort or discomfort of our homes. While there were sales professionals lucky enough to have had a home workspace equipped with an ergonomic chair and drawers for stuff, many were working from a kitchen table beside what was left of breakfast and head-phoned children who were doing their best to learn online.

At the beginning of the covid shutdowns, I experienced conversations with friends in high level sales positions bragging about doing their jobs in three or four hours. I cautioned them that this lack of focus and inability to pivot would catch up with them, they laughed and went on a midday run or suited up and went to the grocery store.

After a couple of months, businesses began to open and essential travel commenced. In a world of uncertainty, guidelines and protocols were put in place. Our of concern our teams, we created lists of supplies longer than our arms as well as worryting about them while they were out there.

 Bag to hold all supplies, check. 

 Disinfectant wipes or spray disinfectant, check. 

 Paper towels, check. Disinfectant spray. 

 Masks (at least 2), check. 

 Face shield (if flying), check. 

 Goggles (if they made you feel better)

 Latex gloves (purchase a box), check. 

 Hand sanitizer – both pocket size and pump bottle, check. 

 Ziplock bags, check. 

 Bottled water, check. 

 Healthy snacks, check. 

The first trip was described by many as surreal and scary. Navigating through an empty airport or stopping at a rest stop/gas station was eerie, that is if you could find one that was open to the public. We lurked about in our Hazmat gear, wiping down everything we touched while drenching ourselves in hand sanitizer. I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t much of a hand sanitizer person, but I become one, which makes me believe the theory that after doing a task for 21 days, that it truly becomes a habit. There was a sense of distrust in every person we encountered as we could never be sure they weren’t the person to give us the virus. We learned the life skill of reading peoples eyes to see a smile or a look of concern or sadness.

Leaving the safety of a kitchen table to explore the unknown was chancy, and what about if you brought something home to your family. It was simply safer not to leave. 

Most of us turned our computer cameras on and used Zoom and TEAMS and WebX to connect. We purchased special lighting and read books on how to better communicate virtually. Companies used their creativity in planning training, networking events and even holiday parties virtually. 

For some, scheduling virtual appointments was difficult while others made the transition with ease. The sales excuses started to fly.

“There’s nothing like the face to face connection.” “I’m going to ride this out and concentrate on the customers I have.”

“I don’t like turning my camera on.” 

The complainers simply couldn’t make the shift. I realized early on that the dreaded virtual is not going to go away any time soon just like offices aren’t going to be loaded with bodies any longer. And I also knew that some were not going to make it through this transition. If you are in sales and you weren’t filling your pipeline during the shutdown, you wasted a lot of valuable time.

The vaccinations began to roll out and the positivity levels began to drop. It was time to get back out there. But for many, face to face meetings and travel still seemed unsafe and besides, that kitchen chair had taken the shape of your butt and the little pillow that used to be on the couch just for show and now used to support your back, was doing a fine job. 

Working from home didn’t seem so bad anymore. Face to face was not as important. Salespeople began to justify their lack of activity by filling their day with service issues and grumbled about unavailability of clients. Yet others were making more calls than ever while strategizing their next move. 

If the new standard had become making a few calls and then mowing the lawn or cleaning the pool, dropping off the dog at the groomer, fitting in nine holes of golf around sales calls, driving kids, solving a service issue, and making personal appointments during precious calling hours, the transition back to real sales hours was going to be difficult. For many, this became the new normal. The result is that they will appear to be the last player out of the dugout and out onto the field. They will be noticed, but not in a positive manner. The other players are running out onto the field and they were walking. No one likes the player who doesn’t hustle.

What you need to know is that most companies were gracious during the pandemic and gave their employees the benefit of the doubt. Some have even agreed to continue with flexible hybrid schedules where accountants crunch numbers after work hours or analysts build spreadsheets before their kids wake up, but in sales, you only have a certain number of hours to reach your clients and prospects who also might be doing flexible. The window of opportunity has lessened, and I don’t expect that to change any time soon either.

As I see it, a truly professional salesperson doesn’t slack off, ever. They are wired for success and they’re always in the game. They realize the game offers only a certain number of minutes to play and they use those minutes wisely. A sports team doesn’t get to play when they want, they play when the other team is there. Now sales people need to figure out when the other team is playing as they go on with their flex time.

How do you swivel back to the world of real sales? Read, listen to inspiring podcasts, talk to your mentor or the person who leads your team and ask for their assistance. And for the sake of success, use your calendar and stop scheduling your own stuff during the sales ‘window of opportunity’ hours. This is not about cheating the company, it’s about you cheating yourself. As a sales professional, if you're not using your window of opportunity hours during your day to create success for yourself, you’re sure to arrive at poor results and possibly even sent back to the minors.

Would like to hear your thoughts, please comment, or message me.