Two months ago, amidst the pandemic, I decided to move from Miami to Seattle. I was still running a full-time employee stress-relief and wellness training business. Consumed by the packing and wrapping up things in Florida, there was little to no time to think about future sales efforts. “I will do it while on the road” was the decision.
Operating the company while on the road is challenging, but doable. Prospecting and growing the business at the same time showed nearly impossible and stressful. What could one do to sustain the sales efforts when driving 6-7 hours a day or being on the road with little to no internet connection?
Here are a few things that have helped me to sustain clarity of the mind, the consistency of the sales, and even book new appointments with minimum time investment.
- Reconnect
Driving across a vast country like the USA presented connectivity challenges. Despite the lack of internet and phone services, I decided to reconnect with some existing clients and prospects while on the road. Therefore, I planned my route around the major client areas to see and meet them in person, check-in, and say “hi.”
As you can imagine, our meetings did not start with mundane conversations. We talked about the adventure of driving across the country and recommendations for sites and points of interest that led to stronger bonding. As a result, I was able to renew the connection and secure more business.
- Automate.
Spending 6-7 hours a day behind the wheel leaves little time and energy for the computer work. Luckily, we have the technology, like MixMax, that allows email scheduling and automation. One morning I have spent 4-hours setting up an email campaign for 33 new prospects.
The outreach consisted of six emails spread over three weeks, including the original message and followups. Emails were sent while I was driving, hiking, and have zero internet connection in the national parks. As a result, I was able to secure discovery calls with minimum efforts.
- Learn
I also invested this time in sales education. Right before the trip, I enrolled in Sandler’s Sales Foundations training. I listened to the courses and videos, as well as attended live webinars while driving. It was in this course that I heard: “if you don’t prospect consistently every week – you are making two steps back whenever you break the efforts.” This one sentence made me rethink my whole prospecting strategy while on the road (and gave birth to this article).
- Stay in Grace
In one of the sales training calls, I have asked the group for advice on what to do when prospecting efforts are disrupted by traveling. For an overachiever, the answer was unexpected, and much needed. “Give yourself some grace”, – said Allie. Moving across the country is a massive task. It’s okay to reduce the prospecting and sales efforts while taking on other important life ventures.
It is easy to enter into a loop of always wanting to achieve more and do better. Traveling and driving gives lots of “think and strategy” time. I was able to learn, plan, and evaluate more clearly than if I was at the office, pushing the sales or taking care of the existing clients. Embracing the “be” versus “do” mindset has become part of the prospecting cycle and efforts.
Finally, doing your best in any given scenario will always pay off with the highest dividends. What always works is reaching out to new prospects through whatever means available, even if it’s a conversation at a gas station.
Drive safe and happy travels!