More time, more technology, yet are we losing touch with customers?

Recently, I facilitated a brainstorming session for the top management team of a mid-sized company. The CEO had some concerns about his sales in the post-Covid era.

The field sales team was used to being on the move through the day so that they could spend a couple of hours in face-to-face conversations with different customers. Now the challenge was to keep the team occupied productively for eight hours when there was virtually no possibility of travel.

The CEO was particularly concerned about two members of his sales team. In terms of qualifications and experience they were on par. Before the virus hit, they were both stars in terms of performance. Yet one was now slipping while the other was continuing to do well as per the CEO’s assessment.

At his request, I did a little digging. As I had suspected, the difference had nothing to do with the Covid-imposed situation or the use of technology (two prime excuses).

Respect, trust, and attitude

The one who was doing well had always maintained a good equation with his colleagues across functions. He took extra pains to keep abreast of the developments in the domain. He was always a keen student and quite eager to share information if that could help a customer or a colleague. For the customers, his was the trusted shoulder to lean on and the fertile brain to tap when they worried about how to cope with an uncertain future. As he was in touch with all functions, he could give his customers a well-rounded assessment, which helped strengthen their loyalty.

While the other professional was equally knowledgeable about the product, he believed that he was the bread winner for the rest of the company. That attitude left the rest of the team feeling cold towards him. He considered it a waste of time to listen to the whining of a customer who was unlikely to survive the economic downturn. He was always looking for those who were likely to survive or even emerge stronger. For him, numbers mattered, empathy was just a fancy word.

Empathy matters more now

There is quite a collection of virtual channels available now to stay in touch with customers. Yet, several members of the sales team are unable to make the transition. The same 30-60 minutes that they could once spend in uninterrupted conversation (possibly spread over a few visits) is now accomplished over multiple calls with all the inevitable distractions.

Think your field team has too much time in hand? Ask them to talk to every customer at least once a week. They are free to talk of anything—the fear they felt, the daily struggle, family achievements, how they expected things to be different, and so on. Keep the connection strong and humane.

Sales is empathy. Empathy is even more important when the entire world is suffering. You must tailor your conversation to suit what matters most to the customer now. Use technology to re-establish and reaffirm personal connections. Be grateful that so far, we have all escaped from a fire that is still raging. Let us appreciate the opportunity to be alive, healthy, and active so that we can all work together again.