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Before the coronavirus pandemic took hold this year, sales reps would typically engage with prospects in a variety of ways – through emails, calls, online meetings (with video) and in-person meetings. The in-person meeting also has a special place in sales history for closing deals, following a series of calls, emails and online meetings that initially set the stage and provided necessary information to customers. Given the importance of the online sales pitch – a state-of-play that’s likely to extend beyond the Coronavirus pandemic – sales teams would do well to take an athlete’s approach to their presentations, recording, rewatching and analyzing their performance for areas of improvement. Build a team: While each employee may have their own professional goals and preferred approach, there must also be shared team objectives and equal investment in a culture of excellence.

Potomac River Running Store, for example, adopted an AI-enhanced answering service to give team members flexible phone support to ensure excellent customer experiences. The virtual answering solution allowed Potomac River to continue greeting callers, inviting them to opt in to texting to receive the latest information regarding event cancellations, hours of operations, order status, pickup locations and more. Lex Gopnik-Lewinski of Augie’s Montreal Deli in Berkeley, Calif. now uses text messaging to successfully communicate with customers in his restaurant, which had to quickly transition from indoor dining to outside pickup when the pandemic hit. Pre-COVID, Lex estimated that approximately 60 percent of his business was dine-in customers, Now, about 90 percent of sales are coming through his virtual receptionist platform via text messaging, which has also served as a cost-saving alternative to third-party delivery apps that charge 20-40 percent in fees.

Whether it’s a customer concern on your promotions, a tweet about your service, or an unsatisfied review, every business is forced to face an unhappy customer at some point. Let’s take a look at how to best deal with customer complaints so as to convert the same into brand loyalty. Whether it’s a thumbs-up for your good work on Facebook or a dislike on Twitter, being approachable to your customer and welcoming all complaints is of utmost importance. Use these do’s and don’t to effectively handle customer complaints, and leverage them as sources of value.

Let’s take a look at these four steps you can take as a dance studio owner to keep your business alive and well during this time (and into the foreseeable future!) As far as a typical dance studio is concerned, your virtual events will consist mainly of online dance classes. Live dance classes: A live virtual dance class is held at a predetermined time and date, with students logging on from their own devices from home. That’s why it’s the perfect opportunity to market your dance studio and get the word out far and wide.