With the country in lockdown, how can sales teams seek out new leads – and is it even worth trying? Matt Comber, digital guru and Strategy Director at Volcanic, explains what businesses need to do now:
- Carry on prospecting – seeking out new opportunities is the most important thing we can do at times like this. While there is a tendency to focus on closing existing leads, successful companies need to be generating opportunities in good times and bad.
- Rethink your value proposition – even if it was strong two months ago, you may need to adapt it now. The landscape is already getting more competitive. Make your value proposition as tight as possible as it will form the backbone of your marketing.
- Review your marketing material – rewrite your sales pitch if necessary, check all your collateral from websites to presentations, and create new content where appropriate.
- Use account-based marketing – at times of crisis it pays to have a targeted approach. Focus on your top 100 prospects, they may not be buying at the moment, but you will see the benefits when the crisis is over.
- Train your staff – sales is a discipline and leaders should always be looking to develop their teams. Now is the ideal time for training and there are plenty of free courses online. Persuade others to learn too – everyone in the business should understand prospecting!
- Use digital to replace the channels you have lost – with no events and trade shows, no opportunity to meet prospects, or cold call their office, sales teams need to find new ways to reach their audience. Digital tools such as webinars and online meetings can help you take back control.
Review Matt’s key techniques and technologies that will support business development in the short-term and leverage your digital footprint for future growth.
About Matt – Matt was instrumental in taking Volcanic from a small business located above a coffee shop, post recession, to becoming a globally leading SaaS business in the recruitment technology industry, purchased in February 2019 by one of the biggest players in the UK tech market. 10+ years experience in SaaS, recruitment, tech, commercial operations and problem-solving, Matt has always been a digital evangelist and one of the few that has been able to use digital to achieve audacious commercial objectives.