‘The shape of selling to come’ webinar to explore pandemic’s influence on sales approaches

How companies are adapting their sales approach to meet the needs of customers following the pandemic is the theme of a forthcoming webinar organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company.

Taking place on 25 November from 11:00am – 12:00pm via Zoom, the webinar, ‘The shape of selling to come – equipping the modern sales team’, will focus on the key issues organisations now face when creating effective sales strategies and tactics for the future.

An expert panel of speakers, made up of senior professionals from across the domestic and contract furnishing industry, will join host Peter Holland, principal of Linear Structure.

The panellists are:

• Nichola Bell, sales director at Westbridge Furniture
• Chris Dixon, head of sales development at MillerKnoll
• Andrea Hillier, national retail sales manager at Blum
• Sam Jackson, commercial director at Bluebone

The topics up for discussion will be:

The future shape of the sales organisation

What roles have now changed or need to be created? What are the lessons to learn from the pandemic to improve sales performance? Will an internally supporting sales function assist an outward-facing salesperson? How easy is it for managers to restructure a sales force, what are the steps?

Skills salespeople now require

What changes do we need to make to our sales process and metrics? Virtual / digital selling – What and how should these skills be acquired? What will be the impact of a hybrid sales model for salespeople and their customers?

The evolution of the sales process

Is the traditional sales model finished? Has the level of customer expectation changed post pandemic? How can we meet new customer needs and add value in this different world?

Content and sales tools

How can we create interest and engagement from new prospects and existing clients? How do we adapt our sales content for all types of virtual and face-to-face situations? Data and content are paramount. How can they be used effectively to help the sales team?

Peter Holland said: “Businesses and salespeople had to adapt very quickly during the pandemic when face-to-face meetings weren’t possible. I’m very much looking forward to talking with the panel about how their respective companies adapted, explore what lessons were learned and how the sales process is evolving. When it comes to choosing panellists, we make sure to draw together experienced professionals working in different sectors from the wider furnishing industry so that we can maximise the shared learning opportunities for attendees who will hear multiple approaches and viewpoints.”

This episode is the second in a new series of webinars focused on the theme of ‘building back better’. The first episode ‘Targeting carbon reduction – expectations for the furnishing industry’ can be viewed online.