The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the very fiber of our being. Due to the threat and ease of spreading this self-replicating virus in-person sales have changed drastically.
With a large number of businesses temporarily closed and millions of employees fired or furloughed it’s even harder to get your foot in the door to pitch your product or service to prospective customers.
If by chance you are able to make a sales call in person, you now must practice social distancing which requires frequent hand washing and wearing a mask. Both these methods were introduced by the CDC as a means to avoid spreading the disease if you have contracted or preventing you from contracting the disease if don’t.
So, what is the proper etiquette for person-to-person sales calls? Well when you arrive all donned in your mask and gloves, the proper thing to do is ask if they would prefer you remove your mask and gloves once inside their sanitized building. If directed to do so, check to see if they have provided trash receptacles for you to dispose of your protective gear inside or outside the door. If not, as a precaution, you might want to carry along with you a small garbage bag and a paper bag for your reusable face covering (mask).
Make sure you’re armed with your own hand sanitizer to clean your hands, but don’t expect to shake hands with your prospect or client because it will most likely be shunned.
As a note, those gloves so many are wearing are helping to transport the virus from contact surface to contact surface and need to be changed frequently anyway. And if you’ve tried to talk through a mask, you’ll find it difficult to say the least.
The one rule of thumb to practice during social distancing whether wearing a mask or not is make sure you maintain at least 6 feet distance between you and another person. Although some studies have shown the virus when aerosolized through a cough or sneeze can actually travel up to 13 feet (Yikes).
These are serious times! And serious times call for serious measures. So, make sure you protect yourself and your client by practicing social distancing at a minimum and protection through face covering (medical masks) or face shield (now being used by retailers) and gloves.
Make sure you keep your visit/presentation short. And be sure to gather all the contact info you will need to follow up. That way you know who your decision makers are and keep the dialogue going at a safer distance for both of you. Your prospects will respect you for it as we all adjust to this new normal.
How PromoMojo is helping during this new era of social distancing?
We scoured through our suppliers and found some great deals to offer businesses on hand sanitizers which can bear your sales message and logo, medical face coverings (masks) and shields for retailers such as cashiers and tellers. Click Here to see what we are currently offering to aid our clients. They also make great gifts for your prospects as well. Especially hand sanitizer…what a thoughtful gift to leave behind on your sales calls.
