OK. So we did experiment a while back, placing solitary individuals in-house with clients and also working remotely...
But something was always missing. You miss having people around you on the same mission. Talking, interrupting and sharing quick-fire information in real-time. Light and shade. Making noise, getting the joke, enjoying the success - it’s lively, it has immediacy, it’s an experience.
So how can a highly productive sales culture be replicated in this new upside-down reality? As co-founder and owner of Pearlfinders and Rainmaker, two SMEs largely made up of new business professionals - which both reconfigured to be 100% remote working this week - I wanted to share how we're staying on track. How we're tackling new business in isolation.
1. BEING PRACTICAL
Good CRM is absolutely fundamental. Yes there are times when I have laughed at the invoice, but, last Tuesday it really did come into its own. Any member of our teams can work remotely in real-time with no technical hitches; no problems whatsoever. OK not every sales team can have something as sophisticated. At times I have thought what we have is way over the top for our needs, but those new business people out there with access to our product, Pearlfinders, can export our data and contacts to most other CRM systems, and if you happen to have Salesforce, we have an app that will integrate seamlessly into it.
Structure comes next. All new business teams, certainly 3 or more people, need a structured routine. This can quickly evaporate when working on your own, and in unusual times like this, there's a temptation to abandon it. Of course, some flexibility is needed, but we've found that it's both reassuring and motivating for everyone to know what they're looking to achieve at any given moment - who they should be connecting with, the campaign messages and the talking points. Assess targets and goals daily, or even on shorter timescales, and it can be measured live on CRM with people managed via a host of video conference options.
At Rainmaker, much like a law firm or management consultancy, our execs have client paid time slots, one-to-ones with their account director, whole-team meetings, planning sessions etc. We've simply replicated this structure and timetable remotely.
And I should say that at the heart of any new business programme is, of course, building relationships with your prospects. I know you’ll hear this a lot, but there’s no avoiding it. So insights for credible reasons to connect, done in a human, empathetic way becomes water to the desert for unsupervised home working teams. And with all companies just beginning to get used to the new reality and knowing they still need to deliver forward-looking programmes and to function with suppliers, sustaining connections may not always be welcome, but it is logical.
Inspirational reasons to connect are what your new business people need to keep going. It’s what they need to maintain the will power to perform alone, day in, day out.
2. TUNING INTO THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
Practically speaking then, it’s not a problem to set up a sales team remotely. But how do you create a culture that you can only really achieve with everyone together in a buzzing shared space, and with team spirit and a feeling of unity towards a common goal?
Well, we’ll be experimenting with various techniques and initiatives to see what works. These include ambient office noise recordings, sounds of success for our clients over our social – currently use gongs and bells - and our usual Friday round-up with drinks and announcements that will have a different dimension that we’re working on right now.
But whatever you do, it needs to be beyond the typical pixelated people on screens wearing home clothes and sitting on a sofa. Some real creativity is needed. Which reminds me, we’re ‘curating’ our video conference backdrops with awards for the best – I have no idea what we’ll get….
3. FACING THE UNKNOWN
From Day 1 to Day 3 of our new normal we have got into a kind of routine. We have ups and downs, but in reality, no one knows what’s going to happen and how long this will go on. It is scary. At its most productive, the new virtual culture will make you question why you need the environmental constructs of an office.
But as the novelty wears off, we’re all going to come out of this knowing we really do need physical proximity with each other. I can tell you that new business work can be very lonely at the best of times. And as the initial, exciting sense of liberty to be working from home fades over the next few days and weeks, and despite well managed social media presentation, many across our industry will be struggling to remain productive, motivated and connected. And what would the human race do without office romances? Where we’re at needs to work, but it also needs to be temporary. In business, we need to be together.
So right now we’re still just working things out; trying to make sense of it all. What can we do? I think the best we can all do is speak to clients and prospects regularly. Let them know you’re tuned in to what's going on in their world and how you can help. Drink plenty of water. Stay connected.
