Sales and trade operations have been distorted with suppliers and customers unable to interact. Sales leaders need to consider how their companies respond across the ‘reactive’ and ‘proactive’ continuum and also the ‘strategic’ vs ‘tactical’ dimensions to resist, reframe, reinvent and renew.
The global scale of this crisis
The coronavirus crisis has taken the world by surprise. Countries, organisations and individuals alike did not expect an upheaval of this magnitude.
The impact of lockdowns in economies across the world is being dramatic, with a projected shrink of the global economy of 3% at the time of writing this article. The International Monetary Fund Economic Counselor labelled this the “worst economic downturn since the Great Depression”. The growth plans of companies have been severely compromised. Moreover, sales and trade operations have been distorted as a result of suppliers and customers being unable to meet and interact. Customer facing functions are having to rethink their responses to disrupted routes to market. Sales leaders need to consider and implement how their companies respond to the Covid-19 challenge, one of a magnitude never known before.
Four approaches for responding to Covid-19
However, companies are developing a variety of responses across the ‘reactive’ and ‘proactive’ continuum and also the ‘strategic’ vs ‘tactical’ dimensions.
Taking these dimensions together, one can identify four classes of responses to crises, such as the coronavirus one: Resist, reframe, reinvent and renew.
About the author
Dr Javier Marcos is Associate Professor of Strategic Sales Management and Negotiation Strategic Marketing & Sales. Javier is an inspiring management educator, researcher and consultant with 20 years of experience working in academia, consultancy and in multinational corporations.
This article by Javier Marcos was also published on http://javiermarcos.info.
