I was on a call today (Tuesday, October 5) with a high school friend, David Moses. David and I share a birthday, although he is two years younger. We get together right about this time of year to catch up and celebrate.
David sold his company recently and has been looking for something to fill his time. That means a lot of networking and business conversations.
Thus, the call.
One of his recent conversations was with a print buyer of a large pharmaceutical company in Boston who shared the following:
“While we are busy, we are not talking to any new vendors about any new projects until at least the middle of 2022.”
Right across the board with all of my coaching clients, I am hearing two things very consistently. First, they are crazy-busy. Second, no one wants to talk about anything new; not existing customers and certainly not new customers.
One of the harder parts about being in sales— especially if you work remotely— is wondering if what you are going through is unique. I crank out this quick blog to answer that question.
If you are swimming in orders, you are not alone.
If you are struggling to find paper, label stock, or any other component of a project, you are not alone.
If you can’t get anyone on the phone, you are not alone.
If you are feeling defeated, you are not alone.
Does this mean you should stop prospecting for new business? Absolutely not! Economists believe Q4 of 2021 and Q1 of 2022 will see explosive growth at best and positive reopening business numbers at worst.
Don’t make the assumption no one wants to buy from you. Make the assumption they are listening to your messages but are too busy to do anything about it…but they will.
Plant the seeds.
