My company has us on lockdown for making sales calls unless it is an emergency. I'm totally fine with that right now. Majority of my customers have their offices closed to visitors. Not a big deal cause I have some great relationships and my sales position requires a lot of PM work I can do at the office.

Question I have: Do yall foresee sales calls getting back to normal in the next 12 months? COVID is rampant right now in the big cities here in TX. Flu season will be here before we know it and you have to assume COVID isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I just don't see outside sales meetings going back to normal. Thoughts? What are yall seeing with your companies?

Same thing here. Started seeing a few customers where I could drive to them in Texas a couple of weeks ago. Now with this spike it's back to the first month of the virus and don't come around. Haven't flown out of state to see customers since mid March. Now even the less affected states in my territory are saying stay away because I'm from Texas and we are spiking with cases. I have no idea when this return to what we thought was normal will be. Already half our office staff at corporate is now permanent work from home.

Short answer - maybe mid 2021, but it's going to be a while.

It depends on area and customer focus. If you are in an essential business, I could see selective in-person, small meetings. Also depends on if you focus on small business with less people in the office and they can make thier own decisions, versus large companies.

My experiences in Texas, it did open back up and large businesses were slowly returning people to offices. Several small business have closed their offices back due to recent positive COVID testing of their own employees. I do not see how large offices will continue to return people. I expect that to trend backwards and go back to the emphasis on virtual meetings.

I work for a large company, we can drive wherever, just be smart and safe and there are no passengers allowed. Air travel is allowed again for now, but EVERY flight must be justified and approved by HR before it can be booked. We have cancelled any kind of internal large group meetings or trainings through April 2021.

I'm up in MN working for large national distributor of PVF. Most of my visits now are to job sites with the occasional office stop if it's important, but for the most part contractors don't want you in the office if it's not important. I've dropped breakfast off at one place, had my temp checked when I got there.

Some organizations are still trying to put on large events like golf scrambles, and we got told no on that. Simple rounds of golf though are ok.

I'm kinda like the OP though where I have plenty of work to do from home during what is our construction season (six months to do a years worth of underground civil construction).

I'm an AM for an electrical/automation distributor. I can visit most all of my electrical contractors. But manufacturers are harder to see. Most of them are closed to visitors.

We have our expenses cut off also. No buying breakfast or taking people to lunch. Corporate doesn't want us to take anyone to lunch due to it being almost impossible to social distance at a table in a restaurant. It's been weird not having to do an expense report in 4 months other than for cell and the occasional tank of gas.

Life-long outside salesman, over 30 years now....and now I'm a glorified inside salesman. It sucks. Haven't seen a customer since mid March.

There was talk of us getting out in July, and of course that blew up. Now I'm starting to wonder if I'll get out before the EOY. Wear the same 5 or 6 t-shirts every week, and 2 pairs of sneakers. Feel like I'm starting to lose my edge. And my relationships with clients. And all that "spending more time with family" stuff will go out the window when school starts.

My air travel is starting up tomorrow after the last trip being to ConExpo back in March. It's been interesting seeing what's going on in different states. Here on the Front Range, it's been difficult to see customers but out in Oregon and Sacramento it's been business as usual for our outside sales folks. I'll be going to Billings and Williston this week, and doesn't seem like it'll be that difficult to see folks.

I cover 16 states and manage about 250 reps covering that area. Nobody is seeing anyone. All done via phone and email. It'll be interesting to see what happens after all of this and the adjustments that take place.

Luckily I sell industrial fans and heaters, so companies still need that stuff when it's hot and cold. Business has taken about a 5% drop, but not too bad all things considered.

I'm not allowed to travel by air, but can drive somewhere if I want to. But it would be pointless since I can't see anyone. One the positive side, we are saving over 2 million bucks on expenses.

I truly dislike Zoom, but I am amazed at how helpful it is in maintaining a relationship. Even though I am complaining as I schedule the call, I have walked away each time happy that I did it. My clients have agreed.

I think it is mainly due to them not getting out as much either.

Dr. Alister MacKenzie said:

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No. Normal is 24 months from now.

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Normal is day after the election.

If Biden wins, the left no longer has a reason to push the narrative.

If Trump wins, he no longer feels compelled to go along to get along with the false narrative.

On my calls up here in Montana and North Dakota things have felt more normal than anywhere else the last 4 months.

We are doing a ton of virtual meetings. My two big guys are still in work from home mode. While many will be encouraged to work from home (they will offer update notebooks, printers, etc. and stipends to get 1G internet, to cover additional electricity usage, etc.) they will start allowing staged returns over the balance of the year. They will not allow non-employees in their building fur at least the balance of 2020.

Across our territory (TOLA and Mexico) we are seeing some customers back open with extreme testing any time you return to the building, some with no outsiders allowed in the building and some with very little access to the building.

Construction sales equipment here. We worked from home 2 weeks in March and now required to be in field. Can't meet in most offices but expected to be on job sites everyday.

What's the latest with everyone here? I still haven't been out in the field, been since mid-March (work for a very large, NASDAQ company). I used to do a little overnight travel (no flying), so I miss getting away to a hotel every now and then. Nice to get away and order a steak to the room and watch a movie, you know? Miss stopping during the middle of the day and grabbing some BBQ, going into Academy to pick up something for the kids, random things like that during the day.

I don't like that I've sort of gotten "use" to working from home. Feels like things getting a little sloppy. Wake up later, end earlier, working in shorts every day. Shave occasionally. Sounds great in theory, but the longer this goes on it will be harder to get back to being sharp (how will my feet react to my dress shoes again!). Also, sales is a relationship business. After a while, if you don't see your clients, that suffers. Zoom and GTM aren't the same. People understand, but still.....

With the spikes, this could go a whole 12 months. Not enthused. But nothing I can do about it. Good news is my numbers are the same as last year, maybe even a little better. Just wonder how long that will last.

I've had salesman contacting me regularly trying to set-up lunch meetings and visits here in the Houston area. Seems like a bunch of them are getting off the leash now and their corporate cards are burning a hole in their pockets. I've obliged for most of them and it's good to get back in the swing of things. Really hoping things don't grind to a halt or worse we go into some national lockdown with the potential new admin. Most people I know still at home are getting restless and they're ready to get back to normal. Those that are unemployed are getting downright desperate and applying for jobs they wouldn't have even considered 2 years ago.

My company is allowing us to drive anywhere if we want, but no flying. My reps are seeing about 20% of their customers face to face and I've got a convention in February that's still on. The organizer took a vote and about 70% said they would attend. I feel like it's just going to take one or two big guys to still have an event/show no matter what and the others will follow.

Supposed to be in San Diego this week if everything was normal...so that sucks.

My territory is DFW with just a few in Austin/Houston. I called on the Austin/Houston guys but really no reason to travel down there. None of them work in the office but 1 day a week, if that. Certainly not going to go visit them at their house.

Around Dallas it's been easier to get people to a lunch or coffee that's near their house. That's for existing customers.. new business has been a whole new animal. My boss keeps pushing me to set Zoom meetings but for 2 grown men to do a Zoom meeting for 15 minutes to make an introduction.. without there being an immediate need for our service (engineering contractors) I just don't see the point. Would rather call them once a month until they feel comfortable to meet with me or me swing by their office when they come back.

TecRecAg said:

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My territory is DFW with just a few in Austin/Houston. I called on the Austin/Houston guys but really no reason to travel down there. None of them work in the office but 1 day a week, if that. Certainly not going to go visit them at their house.

Around Dallas it's been easier to get people to a lunch or coffee that's near their house. That's for existing customers.. new business has been a whole new animal. My boss keeps pushing me to set Zoom meetings but for 2 grown men to do a Zoom meeting for 15 minutes to make an introduction.. without there being an immediate need for our service (engineering contractors) I just don't see the point. Would rather call them once a month until they feel comfortable to meet with me or me swing by their office when they come back.

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I would not accept a zoom meeting for this type of introduction. Good call there.

AgOutsideAustin said:

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Tell him you are not required to Zoom and does he want the business or not ? Also you have other quotes that don't require Zoom calls and he should let his boss know that.
How stupid to require that. I think he was lying to you.

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He was probably telling the truth because his dumbass bosses gave him a goal of X number of virtual meetings. My company tried to do the same crap, but there was enough pushback it didn't work.

Virtual calls for screen sharing is great, but that is a specific use. Going over plans, specifications, price quotes, etc....but at that point, you are both looking at the screen with the same document, not just staring at each other to check a box.

Ok, agree to disagree. As an outside salesperson I would hate to have to Zoom on my quotes. Training I get but not my quotes. Just think that would piss a bunch of customers off that already have Zoom fatigue.

AgOutsideAustin said:

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Ok, agree to disagree. As an outside salesperson I would hate to have to Zoom on my quotes. Training I get but not my quotes. Just think that would piss a bunch of customers off that already have Zoom fatigue.

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I was just giving a few examples of how it can work well, but higher ups try to force it on everything. To your point though, let each individual use it as they see fit as a tool to help instead of as part of a quota. There is a ton of virtual meeting fatigue because too many companies are trying to force it.

What I do is very technical, so reviewing quotes is very beneficial for me, especially with new customers that are not familiar with the format. Their camera is off and they can't see me, only the shared screen, so it is basically the same review we would do in person like a printed two copies and handed them one.