The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for businesses and seen sales and marketing teams doing everything they can to reach their quarter targets. Amid the uncertainty of markets, it is more important than ever to build your sales pipeline.

Let's discuss how this can be done with the limited time and resources during these tough times.

Make Impactful Efforts

Segment your efforts to focus on industries that are performing or thriving during the current climate. You can identify them by using indicators such as funding rounds, growth rates and product launches. This will also help you identify and eradicate those accounts that are not in the best position to be engaged.

Using this information you can target accounts with possible expanded offerings and segmented value propositions.

• Utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence to know when companies are searching your products and when they will want to buy.
• Offer more free content for short and long term growth and use retargeting and suggested content to keep customers engaged.
• Use your brand rapport to up-sell and cross-sell to your existing customers.
• Create more discounted and custom offers to bring in more business.

Expand Your Reach

People are using their devices for business purposes more than ever because of current situations. You can take advantage of this in a few ways.

• Give your sales teams access to more contacts to make more connections. 
• Ease prospect's concerns by creating a call script that takes the current conditions into account.
• Ensure your team is calling prospects at the right times by investing in a tool that will help them manage time zones.

Funnel more effort and resources to campaigns that bring more opportunities. Use marketing to bring back previously lost customers and even put up custom sales presentations if needed.

Stay Connected

Work from home should be encouraged as the new normal to increase productivity in your employees. Create an environment that allows your employees to overcome work from home burnout. You can reflect on the following guidelines to see what suits your team better.

• Determine a strict time for working and ensure that your team respects those working hours.
• Encourage regular and collaborative meetings through Zoom, Slack or Messenger to stay in touch and avoid your team feeling out of touch with each other. This will help with adjustments and keep your team focused on their goals.
• Continue office traditions through video calls as you would in your normal office settings. Celebrate success and encourage employees to use their webcams. This will help them feel connected and maintain a sense of camaraderie.

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We are in the middle of a strange, new, exhausting era, which is why it is important to allow for people's sensitivities and keep in mind that not every outreach will bring immediate success. Focus your efforts where they are most impactful and remember your short and long term goals. Build your sales pipeline, close deals and hit your targets.

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