Remote Selling: Help Your Sales Team Hit Quota While Working From Home, with Chad Olds, Episode #141

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One of the most dramatic changes the sales community is having to make due to COVID-19 is the switch to remote selling VS an in-office role. Working from home is not easy for many people and even worse for those who thrive on the collaboration and energy of a corporate work environment. To address this pressing topic I invited Chad Olds, VP of Worldwide Sales at Anchore to discuss the issue with me on this episode of the #ModernSelling podcast. Chad’s experience and advice are timely and beneficial so I encourage you to equip yourself for the move to a home-based office by listening to this episode!

This episode is sponsored by XANT, the enterprise leader in sales engagement. Xant has authored the Definitive Guide to Sales Cadence. Get your copy at www.SalesCadenceGuide.com

Two Powerful Approaches To Selling From Home

I hope that making the transition to remote selling will be one where you find great success. But I know from personal experience that it’s not an easy transition to make. That’s why I asked Chad to share his advice about making the transition happen smoothly and successfully. He had two insightful approaches that I know will help most people.

ONE: Tackle the hardest or most important tasks of your day first.

Chad has discovered that there is something motivating and empowering about getting his head around his most daunting tasks right off the bat each day. He says once it’s organized in his head he feels much more capable of productively taking on the rest of the challenges of the day.

TWO: Don’t let work push out your family time.

It’s almost a guarantee, if you’re remote selling from your home office, you’re going to be putting in more than 40 hours per week. But don’t let that push your family out of its rightful place of priority. Chad schedules time each day to have lunch with his kids and three times a week he takes care of the kids during the day so his wife can get out of the house. These are just examples. What could you do to integrate work and life now that you’re selling remotely from home?

Use Home-Based Interruptions To Your Advantage When Remote Selling

I’ve worked from home now for a while. The Vengreso team is entirely remote. I’ve learned that the interruptions that come from being at home don’t have to be embarrassing. They can be endearing and positive for both you and your customers. Chad and I agree that you should learn to use the home-based distractions and interruptions to your advantage.

How do you do that? Embrace them when they happen. If you’re on a video call and your kids burst into the room, don’t apologize, laugh about it with your customer. It’s a situation we are all dealing with these days and it helps to humanize you to your buyers. When they see you confidently and calmly handling the unplanned circumstances of your situation they’ll develop trust that you can handle their concerns with the same tact and poise.

Sales Leaders: Don’t Assume Your Team Will Stay Connected

If you are a sales leader who’s managing a remote selling team for the first time, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Some of the necessary things that happen more easily and more naturally when your entire sales team goes to work at a central location will not happen automatically in a remote selling situation. You’re going to have to dedicate time to think through what’s needed and figure out ways to make it happen.

Do you need to schedule weekly update or collaboration calls? Is there a need for on-the-spot interaction between team members throughout the day? These are just examples you may face. Your team’s unique needs must be addressed to make the switch to working from home a positive experience. Don’t assume your team will communicate as they should. Don’t assume they’ll stay connected to you or each other. Make it happen for them.

How To Negotiate With Your Employer If Your Job Is On The Line

The financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt in companies of all sizes. Sales is one of the hardest hit departments because every company is cutting back to ensure essential operations can continue, making prospects in your pipeline less likely to buy during this time. That means many sellers are being furloughed and others are being laid off. If that’s you, put your prospecting and negotiating skills to work for yourself.

Chad points out that in some cases it’s possible to negotiate a temporarily lower compensation package to stay employed. You can also suggest benefits your employer could give you instead of your normal compensation that could cost them next to nothing. Get creative. You may find that you can salvage your position. If you do find yourself out of work, get started searching for a new role immediately. Set up a search in LinkedIn just like you would if you were prospecting. Make a list of the companies and roles you could fill, note the people you know in those companies, and reach out. The sooner you get on their radar, the better. And don’t be afraid of taking a “lesser” position if you need to. Demonstrating a consistent habit of diligence to be employed is better than having a gap in employment.

Listen to hear Chad’s additional tips and how the two of us recommend you make the most of your LinkedIn profile to be more attractive to potential recruiters and employers.

This episode is sponsored by XANT, the enterprise leader in sales engagement. Xant has authored the Definitive Guide to Sales Cadence. Get your copy at www.SalesCadenceGuide.com

Outline of This Episode [2:23] Chad: BDR turned Inside Sales turned AE turned Head of Sales [8:59] The important things you need to sell from home [11:40] The importance of using video as a tool for selling and relationships [13:50] Be careful to focus on work-life integration [15:31] Leading a team virtually in a remote working context [24:10] How to handle disruptions during at home sales meetings [30:55] The story behind Chad’s popular video regarding family priorities [37:41] What if the remote selling trend causes you to lose your job?  Resources Mentioned Follow Chad on LinkedIn Follow Chat on Twitter: @ChadOlds Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook OnTwitter OnYouTube OnLinkedIn

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