The Covid-19 pandemic put a damper on face-to-face meetings, events, conferences, and other offline sales events that generate leads. Businesses that previously paid little attention to digital marketing were forced to turn to it when mandatory lockdowns were implemented. These companies struggled with poor technology infrastructure, limited digital marketing skills, and increased competition. They are still learning the hard way.

Even as we re-emerge from the pandemic, businesses must combine online and offline strategies if they want to remain relevant in their industries. Because it's likely business will not go back to what it was before 2020. Here are some sales prospecting strategies you can implement to keep revenue coming in:

Rethink Your Sales Model
There are two questions a business needs to ask itself. "How are our current operations aligning with our customers' changing needs?" Second, "How will we run our business going forward?" You'll need to take a fresh look at what your customers value post-Covid-19, then develop new use cases based on those experiences. You can go about this by pretending that your business is a start-up all over again.

Pay close attention to what customers and prospects are saying and structure your offerings accordingly. A good example is in the printing industry. With people working remotely, many businesses turned to cloud-based workflows rather than paper-based processes. They are likely to stick with this mode of operation.

How will the office printer supply companies survive? Identifying companies that require secure home printing solutions for their employees is one way to do it. Or, they can partner with other vendors such as laptop sellers to offer an office-in-a-bundle solution for businesses. Naturally, more research and thought are needed, but these are some ways businesses need to think along if they want to stay afloat.

Cold Calling
Cold calling is an effective technique that has endured through the years, mainly because it generates activity for sales teams to build pipelines. Does it still work in 2022? Yes, the basics remain, but you'll need to keep in mind that the business landscape has changed. Companies have let go of staff and cut expenses to keep from going under. Like you, they are also adapting to a new way of doing business.

If you want to make your cold calls effective, prepare. Research your prospects carefully. Go beyond the LinkedIn profiles and look at the challenges their industry is facing. If you know someone who can give you more information about your prospect, even better. Once you identify their challenges, look for ways that your business can add value to them.

You'll have around 20 seconds to make an impression on your prospect, probably less if your contact is still working from home. So make the call about them. Be clear on who you are and how you can help them achieve their goals.

Here's A Great Opening Script:
"Hey _______, it's _______ from XYZ, how have you been?" pause for response.

This tone is friendly, unlike most sales calls. It draws the listener into the conversation. "Thanks for taking my call. Can I tell you quickly why I'm calling then you can let me know if we can continue talking? In their mind, the prospect will think, well this is will be short so I can listen. You have a commitment right there. Now, wow them.

Add Video To Your Content Marketing Strategy
Video is popular, informative and attracts over 70 percent of the total internet traffic. If it feels awkward and unnatural being in front of the camera, practice, practice, and practice some more. Why am I insisting? Most people prefer video while learning about products or services. And no less than 69 percent of them. Here are some reasons video content marketing is so popular:

· It increases credibility as prospective B2B see your face and pick up nonverbal cues that can help build relationships· Helps prospects find you, widening your reach and increasing B2B engagements and sales

· Allows sales teams to personalize demos to target specific features that will benefit segmented audiences

Before you upload video content on any social platform, consider the preferred video length for each and tweak your video accordingly. Platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn recommend using videos that are 15-30 seconds long. Facebook and YouTube afford you five minutes and 15 minutes respectively, giving you more time to showcase your product/service. Limited video length shouldn't deter you from using social platforms. You can create short, punchy videos and invite viewers to visit your website to watch the full-length version.

Businesses that deal with tangible products or offer in-person services can't rely on being digitally savvy only

Video Conferencing & Live Chats
With in-person meetings out of the way, live chats and video conferencing have emerged as effective channels for B2B interactions. Sales teams can keep in touch with existing customers to know how the products/services are working and to propose additional beneficial solutions. Businesses can think of long-term benefits of using these platforms that will create value beyond selling. You can select emerging or common pain points for your audience then have `subject matter experts' or the customer support teams address it.

The team should empathize with the audience, then discuss in-depth the solutions you offer and how they can solve your audience's needs. The insights your team offers will help prospects recognize the issues they're experiencing and identify opportunities they had not considered previously. Further, adding live chat to your website can bump up your lead generation activities. Visitors searching for something can raise queries with the customer support rep and receive instant answers. Even if they don't buy immediately, you can grab the opportunity to nurture them and convert.

Leveraging The Physical Environment
Businesses that deal with tangible products or offer in-person services can't rely on being digitally savvy only. They will need to come up with creative ways to leverage their physical world while social distancing. If you sell tangible products, consider shipping samples to warm/hot leads then following up the prospect with a phone call.

Plan a virtual meeting to discuss the product and while you're at it, make things more pleasant by sending them a bag of coffee. You'll have some semblance of a normal meeting with a prospect who is more open and willing to converse with you. Not to mention they will have coffee for the rest of the week.

With companies urging staff to avoid the public commute to stay safe, taxi companies can partner with these companies to provide more hygienic means of transport for the staff. Providing a safer and socially distanced means of transport is an area they can leverage on. They will just need to prove they can do so.

Wrapping-Up
B2B sales prospecting techniques that worked in the past may not be as effective as they used to be. It's up to sales teams to rethink the way they do business and find creative ways to generate leads and close deals. We've shared some of the techniques that work wonders for businesses, which is your favourite one?