Drive sales

Navigating recovery

How has COVID-19 affected your customers?

COVID-19 may have significantly changed customer priorities, buying patterns and distribution channel preferences.

Drive sales after COVID-19

No matter how quickly your business adapts to COVID-19, your reboot is only as good as the sales it generates.

Why it matters

All eyes will be on your sales and revenue. Investors, suppliers, customers and employees see revenue as an early indicator of a company’s ability to rebound.

Key question

How can you jump-start sales to get back in the game and find a path to long-term growth?

Embrace remote selling tools

Some customers may be waiting to hear from you before resuming business. One-on-one conversations may be the best way to get feedback on their needs and the status of their businesses. Direct contact—phone, email, text—lets them know you’re ready for their business.

Contact your customers

Actions to take

Video conferencing keeps you connected with customers, suppliers, partners and staff. Virtual sales can keep you pitching business and selling even if you can’t meet in person.

Set up a video conference with customers to discuss how you’re adapting to changing needs, and ask for input. Including some of your staff and salespeople in the call will help everyone understand what’s expected of you.

Make sure customers can find you

Use every form of digital marketing you can—regular emails, texts, updates to your web site and social media messages—to let customers know how you’re adjusting to serve them. Every method of communication should provide an easy way for customers to reply and buy.

Look for ways to boost sales

View our Drive Sales Checklist for 20 ideas to boost sales.

Get the workbook

With thoughtful step-by-step planning exercises and action items, the Small Business Recovery Workbook is the perfect companion to this guide.

Use it to organize all your ideas and goals in one place—so you can focus on the big picture and your next steps.

Download the Small Business Recovery Workbook (PDF)

Measures to consider

Solve problems

People stressed by the pandemic are anxious about the future. Extra handholding, encouragement and service can go a long way toward strengthening business relationships.

Identify additional distribution channels

Look at all your options, including those once deemed too expensive or complicated. Even less profitable channels can boost sales and contribute needed funds to your cash flow.

Be flexible on pricing

Everyone has been hit hard, and the value of what you deliver along with your customer’s ability to pay may have shifted. Being more flexible on pricing during the economic recovery builds both sales and customer loyalty.

Electronic transfers like PayPal can make payment easy and contactless. Make sure you’re using all the features of your merchant services to accept credit cards and offer the easiest and most flexible payment options.

BB&T merchant services

SunTrust merchant services

Study your competitors

This includes comparable businesses in other industries. How are they responding to the crisis? What are they doing well? Watch for how to avoid their failures. Look for changes in the competitive landscape.

How Truist can help

Merchant services

Merchant services offer your customers easy and flexible options.