We have a steady roll out of vaccines. The number of those inoculated rising, Covid cases declining, is normal in sight? Every Sales & Marketing person I speak with is asking the same thing. If not normal what will the future look like?

First the Good News, according to a recent webinar hosted by Fisher Investments the economy is stronger than most people think it is. As the vaccine is given to ever greater numbers of people the economy will rebound. They feel that despite volitility it is likely 2021 will be a good year for both the economy and stocks. The big beneficiaries will continue to be Tech Companies.

So good so far. A good economy is good for selling & marketing. How will sales & marketing be different? I believe that Business Travel will be down significantly and will stay down. Prospects & Customers have learned to buy remotely. The big question is have You learned to sell that way? See the Sandler Sales Pod Cast “How to Succeed at Video Selling” at the end of this article for some tips. The Economics Explained Vid at the bottom of this article suggests that Business Travel may be down 40%. As Corporations have managed to sell without travel, ask yourself why go back ? Travel is time consuming, expensive and limited in scope. In one web meeting any number of prospects can be sold. There are few of the limits and conflicting schedules, that travel brings, not to speak of jet lag. There is hidden savings as well, you are not limited to hiring sales people in a particular geography ie high cost markets like San Francisco, New York, London, Tokyo etc.

I was having a conversation with a Colleague in Europe about this topic, he shared an example of how his company is adapting. They manufacture sophisticated machines used to make electronics. A machine in Asia broke down and due to the lock down sending a Technician was impossible. In a moment of inspiration the Techs on both ends got Virtual Reality Goggles VR. The Tech on the European end walked the Tech in Asia through the process and got their machine fixed. Virtual Reality Tech has been commonly available for some years now, yet it took a crisis and creative thinking to push adoption. Ask yourself do you think management will take a serious look at the cost of VR vrs Travel? A trip to Asia from Europe is pushing nearly $10,000 when all is said and done.

Conclusion:

I believe that Sales & Marketing has changed and will not return to “Normal”. Many workers will resist going back to the office to work. This will have a major impact on Sales & Marketing. The only way to get all of the decision makers in one room will be a Zoom Room. You probably won’t be doing walk ins, road trips, trade shows as much as in the past. Invest in the future. Set up a home studio, with a good camera, a great mike and put a lock on the door. Get your best list up and running on your CRM and get to it.

How to Succeed at Video Selling https://www.sandler.com/blog/how-to-succeed-at-video-selling-podcast/