Sales in times of Corona

Collaboration is a tricky issue, especially when we should all officially be avoiding each other. Sales representatives are particularly affected by physical distance from their customers, colleagues, and business partners – their whole job is about personal contact. They are the human link in business interaction. And they are present on site – normally…

But these are not normal times, and the question is: How can sales teams continue to fulfill their role successfully during a phase of no personal customer contact? How can they maintain, create, and strengthen contacts despite the current limitations?

Having a personal dialog is still essential. You can get to know new people and prospective clients pretty well on the phone. But telephone conversations alone are not enough in the long term. What you need is an online environment where you can meet and talk face-to-face. There is a hub for all communication processes that is really showing its worth in the current circumstances: Microsoft Teams.

• People can communicate face-to-face with one click of the mouse using audio and video calls in Microsoft Teams.
• In group chats, you can share your own screen and work on sales documents together with customers and colleagues.
• Prospective and existing customers can leave messages for sales employees via voicemail if they are not available.
• Meetings, for example, video conferences, can be recorded with mutual consent so that the sales potential of the discussion can be evaluated at a later date.

Microsoft Teams provides sales employees with a universal tool for direct communication with customers, partners, and colleagues. But this solution has even greater potential. In fact, Microsoft Teams could easily become the hub and linchpin for many other corporate processes that involve sales collaboration.

Its seamless integration into the Microsoft solution ecosystem allows, for example, files to be jointly edited in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in real time – for instance, in a group chat where you want to exchange information on the current work status of quotation documents or deadlines.

Sales representatives can also connect a Microsoft Teams channel to any Microsoft Dynamics 365 data set. This ensures that all members of the sales team stay up to date with their current cases.

The current crisis is a major challenge for all sales employees. However, the establishment and maintenance of personal contacts is just as important in times of crisis because there are lots of important details to discuss with regard to short-term issues and how to progress once the crisis is over. Microsoft Teams is able to fill the gap that has been created by a lack of direct contact. But as a hub and a linchpin for collaboration, Teams is more than just a tool to fill a gap. Those who take the opportunity to learn more about this tool now will find that they cannot do without it in the future.

Microsoft Teams can probably help your sales team stay in close contact with their customers. The right action plan for your company in the current situation depends on a lot of individual factors. If you would like to know more about how best to proceed, simply contact our experts.