ANCHORING SUCCESSFUL

VIRTUAL IT SALES IN VUCA TIMES

- Forward thinking for sales teams to traverse the tides

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

INTRODUCTION
The IT sales realm is best described as one with key parameters involving juggling
of multiple stakeholders, managing their different asks, and fluctuating mindsets over
the long cycle time. Agile changes in the fast-paced environment seem to be the only
paradoxical constant.

In this fast-evolving backdrop, the recent pandemic has introduced what can be called
a geometric multiple of change and disruption – leaving stakeholders befuddled with
limited ability to diagnose and respond to the peculiarities.

In essence, the spread of the novel coronavirus as a health crisis has brought about sharp
economic impacts across all industries globally. Specifically, for the IT sales landscape, it
has sharply rendered the historical best practices involving physical meetings, wine and
dine, or event hospitalities redundant almost overnight with a shift to primarily virtual
operations.

In this White Paper, we will explore the buzzing terminology VUCA, its relevance, and
impact under the lens of the current IT sales realm. Along with that, we attempt to arrive
at productive lines of thought to traverse its impact and thrive.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

© 2020 All rights reserved by TalSmart.
VUCA – MEANING, ORIGIN
1.
AND RELEVANCE
The term VUCA is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity.
As per an article titled “What VUCA Really Means for You”, published in the Harvard
Business Review Magazine, the four dimensions of VUCA can be best explained as:

VOLATILITY - Frequent, rapid and significant change for an unknown duration

UNCERTAINTY - Lack of future predictability for both events and outcomes
COMPLEXITY - Convoluted nature with several interconnected aspects, resulting
in information overload
AMBIGUITY - General lack of clarity accompanied by multiple possible
interpretations for situations.

The origin of the terminology can be traced back to the US Military at the time of the Cold
War. It was first coined by the US Army War College while it was preparing its officers to
lead in the extreme and dangerous conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, over the years, the term has been seized by the business world and is often seen as
a practical code for situational awareness and readiness.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

An elegant description of the current reality, the relevance of VUCA emerges quite
significant in the wake of the black swan event - COVID-19, with no similar prior
prescription of a health crisis impacting the economy to this level.

As per forecast from Statista, there is a sharp negative change expected in IT and Business
Services Spending starting 2020, post the pandemic hit the world.

Impact of COVID-19 on IT & Business Service Spending (Source: Statista)

Goes without saying, there is little evidence to believe in any expiry date of the current
health crisis and arrive at an estimate as to when things could restore to normal.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

 2.
CURRENT VUCA FACTORS
IMPACTING THE IT SALES
WORLD
So far, speaking of the general backdrop that has been put together by COVID-19 for the
IT sales teams, the present situation can be described as one that has brought about –

 Volatility in revenue streams derailing smooth conduct of business

Since the pandemic has affected all aspects of the economy globally, naturally the
customers of IT businesses have not been spared from their own fight against the situation

As per a quantitative study conducted by Contemsa, nearly 74% B2B representatives

expressed that their sales opportunities have decreased post COVID-19. Moreover, they
also claimed that they lost nearly 65.2% of their deals due to the pandemic.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

 Uncertainty and confusion amidst the new modus operandi

Along side the volatility introduced, another significant change has been the urgent
need to shift to “virtual communication” to ensure social distancing. This means that
the sales arsenal has been forced to undergo an overnight change, with little
preparedness in place for the new virtual methods.

Moreover, in this time, B2B buyers have developed a tendency to engage in much more
research and rely on online mediums against traditional channels for that homework.

Statistically speaking, as per a study published in Forbes titled ‘How To Turn B2B
Buyers Into Sales Leads, According To Data’ as many as 89 percent of B2B buyers report
relying heavily on the Internet now for their B2B product research process.

 Complexity in purchase decision making

Further, COVID-19 has introduced significant complexity to the erstwhile dimensions

that are significantly impacting the sales numbers.

Due to the pandemic, additional constraints are now influencing the already
multi-dimensional purchase function of B2B buyers.

As budgets are tighter, there is a landscape tendency across industries to cut down on
discretionary expenditure, delay “not so urgent” purchases, and stick to only
necessities for the time being. As a natural implication, the sample size of hot prospects
has reduced and further increased the cycle time of typical IT deal closure for an
unprecedented time period.
As per Gartner Research, 77 percent of B2B buyers have suggested that arriving at a
buying decision in this current environment is turning out to be very complex or
difficult for them.
© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.
 Dipping morale amidst the Ambiguity

Finally, keeping with the external uncertainty, coupled with general threats of job
security, there has been an implicit dip in the morale of sales professionals across
industries as they struggle to close sales and fear their future at the same time.

Statistically speaking, as per an article published in The New York Times titled How Bad
Is Unemployment? ‘Literally Off the Charts’, nearly 20.5 million jobs were lost in the
United States by April, making the COVID-led situation the worst devastation since the
Great Depression.

Such national news statistics have been creating a tremendous negative impact on the
workforce, creating an unparalleled fear psychosis amidst the ambiguity about the future.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

FIGHTING THE STORM:
3.
THOUGHTS TO SUCCESSFULLY
NAVIGATE VIRTUAL IT SALES
As a sales leader, battling with these sharp unprecedented VUCA changes can be an
overwhelming situation to be in. In order to lead the conduct of sales, it is important to
establish a firm ground in place and empower the team members and end customers
who’re themselves struggling in the current scenario.

The primary requirement for that is to first find your own footing and then help the
connected internal and external stakeholders to achieve their goals. To that end, here are
some tangible directions to take inspiration from -

 Advocate a culture of resilience

Accepting and adapting to radical changes in historical patterns can be naturally

disorienting. Especially at a time when everything seems to go haywire!

Whether it is shifting to the virtual modes of operation, focusing more on a different

segment in the existing target group, or re-prioritizing the product mix to sell, it can
initially feel quite difficult to suddenly let go of the status quo and step into new shoes
and paths both.
© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.
 However, if you consciously demonstrate the resilience to learn, experiment, and show
openness to embrace the change, it can make the path much easier than it seems for
yourself and the team.

As per statistics compiled by HubSpot, 70 percent of sales managers are of the view that
the role of the sales leaders to navigate change is more relevant today than it was five
years ago.

 Focus, measure, and strategize – iteratively & collectively

As someone leading the sales ship, it is a must to have undeterred focus at all
times. There must be continued sharp alertness to constantly observe, strategize,
and re-orient as and when needed.

Since the present times are unprecedented, with absolutely no similar prescription
of a health-led crisis to take inspiration from, observing hard facts along the way and
course-correcting is the only way to keep moving ahead.

Data driven planning and iterations are a must. As per an article published on Forbes
titled “Rewriting Your Business Scenario To Get Through Critical Situations
Successfully”, enterprises stand the risk of losing up to 10 percent annual sales due
to a lack of objective data-driven approach to their strategies.

Having said that, along with relying on data, it is also imperative to engage in regular
dialogues with the team, hearing their concerns and ongoing feedback and accordingly
reframing the call to action.

 Prioritize nurturing of internal security

As a sales leader, working towards establishing a sense of trust and connectedness

internally is a must during turbulent times. More so at a time when the physical
exchange of vibes is almost cut out due to remote working.

In order to ensure that the sales team is motivated and they’re putting their best foot
forward, it is essential to instill a sense of security, and the confidence of having
organizational support within them. If they’re shaky inside, they can have only little
positive influence on the buyers who’re themselves plagued by their own uncertainties
from the situational reality. After all, buyers don’t just invest in product features, but in
the confidence they feel when they interact with the sales team.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

 Develop real human connection with buyers

In order to establish trust and a true connection with the buyer fraternity, what is
essential is a solid display of dependability and the nurturing of human connectedness.

In the virtual world, with limited scope to meet, this can be achieved by exchanging
honest dialogue and undertaking measures to establish credibility and connection.
As such, these are earned only from actions – by delivering the promises made and also
going an extra mile in terms of adding value!

Solid ways of achieving that in the virtual world could be by communicating and adding
tangible value regularly.

Instead of just going around selling IT services, refining the human touch and being
consultative by offering tangible help in the form of solutions to existing problems.
Ways to do that can be by sharing useful information across multiple touch points in a
language that resonates with the target group, and is not dotted with sales asks or
‘intrusions’ in return. As per data, as many as 93 percent of buyers report that they any
day prefer communication that’s less of a sales pitch, and instead educates and informs.

 Foster a culture that perceives outcomes as experience

While it is important to not be frail to fail, it is equally imperative to establish

this mentality as an internal culture. Unless the sales teams themselves feel confident
in spite of facing failure (which they could initially), little will they be able to
experiment, innovate, and display the tenacity to improve outcomes over time.

As per the results of a study published in Marketing Donut, 92 percent of salespeople

tend to quit after being rejected by a prospect four times. On the contrary, as many as
80 percent of prospects tend to say “no” four times before they say a “yes”

Hence, being patient, looking at the bigger picture, and encouraging sales teams to do
the same is the right way to adapt to the VUCA scenario. After all, a prospect that
doesn’t convert today may convert or assist in a future conversion due to a seed that is
planted today.

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…
4.
While it is true that the current scenario aggravated by the ongoing pandemic has brought about
quite an upheaval in the IT sales landscape - surviving and thriving is all about reinventing the
traditional approach to sales as leaders and collectively working as a team amidst virtual methods
of operation.

With huge changes in buying behavior, the only way forward to is ‘prioritize’ finding new,
innovative ways to adapt to what can be called the new normal. In short, focus more and
more on value and problem solving than selling – while keeping nurturing confidence
internally and externally as a top priority.

Now is truly a time to take ownership as sales leaders and seize the opportunities the new
normal offers!

© 2021 All rights reserved by TalSmart.

 Talsmart is a global player that
imparts industry relevant practical
sales competency using industry
experts, and principles of
neuroscience. Our training is highly
contextual, extremely sticky and
enables the development of muscle
memory that creates lasting changes
in key sales person attributes of
courage, compassion and
commitment. TalSmart is
headquartered in Dallas, TX.

TALSMART
Dallas, Texas, United States
MAIL : contact@talsmart.com
PHONE : 214 556 5988

www.talsmart.com