Welcome to Your New Sales Routine

So, when was the last time you treated a client to a business lunch? Or challenged them to a round of golf? Before the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to work from home, salespeople had a plethora of fun, in-person ways to connect with prospective clients—that didn’t involve cold calling or spamming strangers. Those days may be on hold, but with a few tweaks to your pre-COVID sales routine, you can expand your network, follow up on, and convert business leads from the comfort of your home office.

Even if you’re no longer jet-setting around the world for business meetings, video chats on platforms, like Zoom can easily connect you to prospective clients from multiple times zones. But this can wreak havoc on your circadian rhythms. 

Unfamiliar with that term? I explore it in great detail in my upcoming book, The Art of Routine, to be published by Skyhorse on June 1. Like an internal clock, your circadian rhythms use information from the environment—such as changes in light and temperature—to let your body know when to stay awake and when it’s time to sleep. (Imagine how confused your body must be while you stare at a computer screen under the artificial light of your desk lamp when you should be in bed!)

A balanced circadian rhythm suggests the key to scheduling an online meeting is to find a time and day that works for everyone involved. What do I mean by that? Research suggests Monday mornings are the worst times to hold a meeting, usually because everyone is still recovering from the weekend. The optimal time? Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. “If you can’t schedule meetings for Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. on the dot, then mid-afternoon and mid-week meetings are the most ideal,” Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison told CNBC. As for the length of the meeting, he added, “Forty-five minutes is usually the sweet spot.”

Now that we better understand how our chronobiology affects prospecting, let’s discuss a new networking routine. What should you do if COVID has disrupted your usual in-person hobnobbing? There are solutions. 

In a time when many are seeking novel ways to grow their business, sharing your industry knowledge with others is a thoughtful way to network. Offering your expertise as a guest speaker at a virtual event can also help you establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. And if you’ve never done it before, now is the perfect time to try, since the demand for online content is growing as people continue working from home. 

Along these lines, Matthew Capala of Alphametic told Forbes, “Slack channels and LinkedIn channels are incredible places for finding events to pitch. I have had a lot of success as a speaker, and my engagements are only getting bigger.” If you have trouble booking a spot at someone else’s event right away, creating your own webinar is another way to draw in prospective clients. According to a LinkedIn survey, 76% of B2B buyers have used webinars to make purchase decisions in the last 12 months, so it is worth the effort.

Further, by leveraging your existing LinkedIn connections, you can find an audience for your webinar and search for new business opportunities. Beyond your immediate circle are so-called second-degree connections, or “friends of friends,” who might be interested in what you’re offering. (Tip: you can find new LinkedIn prospects by reading public conversations and targeting those who’ve expressed an interest in what you do, whether they respond to one of your posts or they create a post asking for a recommendation.)

For more assistance on this subject, let’s turn to Ted Prodromou, writing in Entrepreneur. “I see many members with more than 500 connections,” explained the author and internet business consultant. “When you view their profile, you will only see ‘500+ connections.’ Once you are connected with that person, you will be able to view a list of their connections and can connect with anyone on the list because you have a second-degree relationship with them. A great way to expand your network is by connecting with appropriate second-degree relationships.”

Ultimately, the time is soon coming when we’ll return to the real world. It’s easy to write off this past year as a big loss: lost connections, lost vacations, lost revenue, perhaps. However, if we transform our mindset from one of regret toward one of appreciation, we begin to recognize there is much collateral value to be gained from this crisis. Holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl whom I quote in my book, had this to say concerning tragedy: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Of course, this advice equally applies to women. What Frankl suggests is that we can transcend our circumstances—even the seemingly hopeless ones—by transforming our mindset. The best way I know to do so, is to establish a new routine, both in one’s personal and professional life, that brings you deeper meaning, fulfillment, and yes, joy. 

With preparation, persistence, and a strong, updated routine, all of us can emerge from quarantine with an assortment of new tricks to blend in with our traditional sales methods. For more tips on how changing your routine can help you adjust to life post-pandemic, please check out The Art of Routine.