If your business is down and your enthusiasm is waning during COVID-19, here’s a tip proven to boost revenues and put more spring in your step.
Let me start by saying I’ve never been a fan of pseudo-science theories like “The Secret” where - by simply visualizing things you want, they begin to manifest themselves.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m an avid proponent and practitioner of writing goals and taking steps to accomplish them. I don’t however, think putting a picture of a Maserati on your fridge is going to do a single thing to make it appear in your driveway. On the contrary, I think having a picture of a car we can’t yet afford insinuates to our psyche that the aging Corolla we drive is depressing.
When obstacles occur (like a freakin’ pandemic!) that sports car staring at us from our wall becomes an accusation; a reminder of what we are lacking.
What if we took the
opposite approach?
What if instead, we embraced the single strategy that Dave Lacusta attributed to his becoming one of the top sales performers of Xeva Mortgage? It was January, 2019 at Xeva’s Las Vegas awards conference. I was scheduled to share my Trusted Advisor message as the closing keynote. So over the course of the day leading up to my session, I listened as the top 10% of sales reps shared tips that made their results so much higher than the average.
Dave explained the one action he executed was beginning his workday by jotting down in a journal the things he was grateful for. He said that the single activity of practicing gratitude made all the difference. Coincidentally, at dinner that evening I was chatting with Colin Dreyer, enormously successful founder of Verico Mortgages and inductee into the Insurance Hall of Fame.
Colin said that the one anchor that kept him grounded and focused over the years was beginning his day with an attitude of gratitude. That was good enough for me. Ever since
that conference, I’ve started my workday spending five minutes writing a few things for which I’m grateful. Yes, even my vehicle that isn’t new, but still runs well. Writing in a gratitude log gets me focused on opportunities and blessings
rather than obstacles and shortages.
It’s been especially helpful during COVID-19.
It costs nothing and only takes five minutes. Perhaps it will work for you and your business through these difficult days and beyond.
Stay well.
Communicating with customers during COVID-19During this pandemic you may feel inclined to cancel or postpone your customer meetings. Ironically, I’d encourage you to do the opposite and move ahead with customer communications, opting for video conferencing.
Once this health crisis passes, our economy will desperately need businesses to either have kept operating, or to bounce back quickly. Now is the time to stay in touch and discuss ways to help customers during and immediately after the crisis.
Keep in mind you’re not making a sales call. You’re scheduling a courtesy check-in
to see how they’re doing
and provide 2-3 ways you
might assist.
If they are an industry in crisis, do not try to sell them anything. Explore ways you can help them ride this out. The wonderful benefit of a video meeting is your customers who are isolated will likely welcome the ‘face to face’ conversation. Don’t worry about video chatting from home with each person’s kitchen in the background. It makes you real and authentic. And it leads to conversations on a personal level. They’ll remember you as someone who was there for them when the chips were down.
This article is based on the bestselling book, Influence with Ease by Hall of Fame business speaker, Jeff Mowatt. To obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit www.jeffmowatt.com.
