COVID-​19 has a lot of us feeling down. Our businesses are struggling, our budgets have been cut, and our home lives aren’t doing much better since social distancing started taking place. Sales reps arguably are having the worst time maintaining their numbers this year compared to other lines of work. But in a time of chaos like 2020 has been, how you present yourself can be the difference between landing a sale and missing out.

How to Present Yourself in 2020

According to research by Study Finds, 75% of Americans say that they are bombarded with a seemingly constant stream of bad news. With so much negativity being reported every day and very little positive news to balance it out, people’s mental well-​being is taking a serious hit. Because of this, 80% of Americans “are desperate to hear some positive news before the year ends.” 70% are even taking this effort upon themselves. They actively look for something positive to do every day to give them the silver lining they need to make it through. What if you could be that silver lining?

How you present yourself in your outreach to both prospective and existing clients could make their day and influence them to buy from you. Study Finds says that the most common pick-​me-​ups among American consumers this year are:

• Watching their favorite movies: 46%
• Indulging in their favorite snacks: 43%
• Snuggling with their pets: 38%
• Singing in the shower: 25%
• Having a one-​person dance party: 19%

Pick-​Me-​Ups and Sales

These may not seem as if they have anything to do with sales. But positivity is the name of the game now. You just need to get creative to incorporate these pick-​me-​ups into your outreach. Take how you present yourself in the initial email to a new prospective client, for example. Making the prospect smile or laugh could not only make their day, but also make them interested in responding to you. So, you could add in pictures or gifs of cute animals to make them smile. Or, if you could tie it in, maybe include a cute GIF of people dancing (like how the prospect might if they buy a useful product from you).

It’s easier to incorporate these pick-​me-​ups into how you present yourself to existing clients. We all know that existing clients are easier to sell to, so now is the time to reach out again and upsell. Start off your email or call with a comment about how you watched their favorite movie or TV show recently. Or you can mail them a snack that you know they enjoy. These gestures will put a smile on their face and get a conversation going. That’s when you slip in the upsell that could make them happy in their work lives as well, by solving a problem that they’ve desperately needed to take care of.

How you present yourself in your sales outreach now is more crucial than ever. Don’t be the salesperson who reminds your prospects and clients about all the negatives of this year. Instead, be the reason they smile or laugh today.