I had numerous conversations with sellers over the past weeks who were worried about being laid off, fired, the business shutting down, or the consolidation of departments. In particular, they asked me what they could do to keep their job.
What are the strategies you, as a seller or sales leader, can implement to retain your position in the company?
Be Indispensable
This is not a time to say, “That’s not my job.” This is a time, more importantly, to go the extra mile and make sure your manager knows that you are willing to do what it takes to keep the business operating.
Increase Your Activity
Ramp up your activities and track those opportunities and activities in your CRM as evidence that you’re not just doing the work, but you are also undertaking more work than it’s expected. This is not the time to fight the CRM, measurements, or coaching. This is the time to suck it up and to actually show proof to your manager that you’re doing the work.
Team Player
This is the time to be a team player. In the past, I’ve mentioned that top performers can get away without being team players—they can be lone wolves doing their own work if they’re bringing in huge deals. Not now. You have to be that go-to person that everybody in the organization loves to work with, trusts, and counts on to get the work done.
If a worst-case scenario arises and you lose your sales job, you will have nevertheless built the right habits and reputation to position yourself for the best sales job during the recovery.
