Sales Appointment Setting in A WFH Environment

by | Jan 27, 2021 | Sales Strategy

Person holding out a phone scrolling on the screen

In March 2020, the way we do business drastically changed. As the novel COVID-19 coronavirus took hold of the world, organizations of all types were forced to move their operations to a primarily work from home (WFH) capacity, changing the game for sales appointment setting, among other operations.

According to Gartner, 88% of organizations worldwide made WFH “mandatory or encouraged” once the pandemic hit. Since then, almost 75% of CFOs surveyed said they plan to move at least 5% of their employees to permanent WFH, and 25% of those CFOs say they’ll move 10% to remote work. Global Workplace Analytics estimates up to 30% of the worldwide workforce will be WFH by the end of 2021, while they estimated only 4% would do so pre-pandemic.

Even if your locality or organization has moved back to in-person work, many of the people you’re trying to connect with could still be operating WFH and limiting in-person contact and meetings for the near future. With tradeshows on hold and many avoiding leaving home, how are you to fill your calendar without these in-person meetings? The key is to shift your strategy and focus on meeting the emerging needs of your contacts.

Start with a database assessment.

Before you pick up the phone, make sure your database has adjusted to the changes precipitated by the pandemic. People likely shifted roles, adjusted their best contact info, or decided to make career moves in response to the changing times. The last thing you want to do is call a cold lead or get lost using bad information. Use mobile phone and email validation to keep your information fresh and put quality lead scoring in place to ensure you’re concentrating where you need to at the moment.

Next, adjust your targets.

Gather as much information as you can about how the organizations you’re targeting have adjusted. The markets you focused on may not be viable at the moment – many businesses experienced spending holds due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Determine which markets are still good options and instigate new opportunities. The pandemic saw winners and losers, and you need to adjust your strategy to capitalize on those who gained and mitigate losses for those who lost.

Then, bolster your content.

Since in-person meeting is limited, you’ll want to provide contacts with more personal interactions in your content. Add elements like virtual tours or video walkthroughs of your products or services to your website. Include short video clips in your emails. Add more client stories with photos and attach your headshot to all your outgoing content. The more ways you can put a face to your content, the better.

And, adapt your outreach approach.

Just as you add personalization to your content, add empathy to all your outreach approaches. Something as simple as changing an email subject line or updating your contact cadence to different times of day can have a considerable impact. Adjust how you connect as well – add as many options as possible to make it most convenient for people to connect. Video, online chat, and texting are all viable options to add to your tools.

In all things, be transparent, honest, and understanding. Many businesses’ sales cycles may take longer than before, and individuals are more stressed than usual due to the pandemic’s disruptions. No matter how you connect, make your interactions human.

Get More Direction and Drive Results with NuGrowth

Since day one of the COVID-19 disruptions, the NuGrowth team has rapidly adjusted and adapted to support businesses continually amidst uncertainty. Our team’s focus on data and strategy equipped us to lead our clients through unpredictability to clarity and results.

Find out more about how our team can help you pivot to identify new markets and keep you moving forward. Get in touch at 614.304.3917 or fill out a simple contact form here.

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