Modern Selling: 7 Things Salespeople Should Expect in 2021

This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention @SecBusinessMag on Twitter and Security Business magazine on LinkedIn.

As a consultant and trainer of a curious topic like sales, I always receive a ton of questions; however, the questions I am receiving about 2021 are more frequent and different than ever:

• Will we ever have networking events or trade shows again?
• Will we be doing virtual sales conference calls forever?
• How about in-person meetings – will they come back?
• And the most popular: Will we be back to normal in 2021?

While I think we will establish a normal again, I don’t think it is going to look like 2019. I think it is going to recoil back a bit from where we are, but it is not going all the way.

We have uncovered some cool ways to sell and more importantly, our customers have discovered some convenient methods of communicating that they may prefer. To help salespeople plan, here are seven things that salespeople should expect and do in 2021 as we work our way out of the pandemic and into whatever unfolds.

1. Virtual communication will continue (but it must improve). We will not be on virtual calls throughout every workday like 2020, but we are not going back to 2019 either. Virtual meetings are here to stay, and they are going to get a whole lot better. Instead of falling behind or waiting for the improvements to be the status quo, get ahead of the curve and begin to improve the quality of your virtual meetings.

2. Micromanaging will increase. The days of meeting in the office at 8:30 three times a week are over. We have seen how working remotely can be efficient and we will continue this pattern to some degree. This means that your bosses will feel less control and will naturally start to hold on tighter. Even some of the most empowering leaders will be tempted to micromanage in 2021. Get ahead of it by frequently communicating with leadership, updating your CRM, and completing all reports thoroughly and early.

3. Customers will need a guide through this maze. Your customers will be as confused as we will be. This is a unique opportunity for you to rise to becoming their trusted advisor. Be there for them. Deliver ongoing educational content to them about some of the newer ideas in the space. Help them with their 2021 and 2022 strategic planning for security.

4. Writing will become more critical to your success. Since we will be in front of our customers and prospects less, our communication will rely more on writing than it has in three generations. Embrace this change. Begin to write letters to key prospects, include masterful executive summaries on your proposals, and start checking for typos on emails and text messages. Your writing skills will become a much larger representation of you and the perception others have of you, so guard accordingly.

5. In-person meetings will be more meaningful. While our customers might have been bored with in-person meetings last year, they are going to appreciate the opportunity to work face-to-face again in 2021. As the newness wears off, in-person meetings are still going to be novel because we will not be conducting as many as we used to. Your customers will be engaged and ready for deep conversations, so be sure to prepare more than you used to.

6. Video will be expected. In 2019, sending videos about training, to explain a proposal in an email, or a 10-minute video of your company overview was considered over-the-top and maybe even sophomoric by some people in our industry. Today, video is accepted, and as we move through 2021, communicating with video will be expected.

7. Old-school cold calling techniques will be effective again. Yep, the old-fashioned personal cold call will become effective again in 2021. So will direct phone calls to your prospects’ office lines, and we already mentioned the idea of mailing letters. These 20^th century techniques will experience a rise in success in 2021, but unlike the other six ideas, success from old school cold calling will fade as we move into 2022 and beyond, so strike now!

Chris Peterson is the founder and president of Vector Firm (www.vectorfirm.com), a sales consulting and training company built specifically for the security industry. To request more info about the company, visit www.securityinfowatch.com/12361573.