How to Become a More Trusted Advisor During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic with Neustar Sales Leader Craig Pentz

This is episode 214.

Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We conducted this interview in early 2020. Since the show was released during the pandemic, we asked him what his advice is for sales professionals during the pandemic. He offered the following:

• Empathy in these unprecedented times is a leadership trait we must exhibit with customers and employees alike.
• I've been coaching the team that while we need to be sensitive in this current environment, we have services that can help our clients in these trying times, and to that end, prospecting can and should continue. As trusted advisors, the message must clearly articulate on how we believe we can help vs. attempting to prey on fear, uncertainty and doubt.
• I'm also making it a point to conduct skip level check-ins and call 2 or 3 of my direct field reps each day to see how they and their families are doing. This gives me the opportunity to reinforce with them all we're doing at the corporate level to help, as well as gather feedback from the field on both their mindset as well as that of the customers with whom they're speaking.
• Finally, with everyone being remote we are promoting the use of webex to drive more engaged conversations. I'm also about to launch 'virtual office hours' where multiple times per week members of the team can log in and ask any questions they may have or simply chat with myself and their peers.

CRAIG'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Prospecting can and should continue (during the pandemic). As trusted advisors, the message must clearly articulate on how we believe we can help vs. attempting to prey on fear, uncertainty and doubt."

Craig Pentz is the SVP of Risk and Customer Information Sales at Neustar.

Prior to coming to Neustar, he held sales leadership positions at TARGUSinfo and FRANdata.

If you're a loyal listener of the Sales Game Changers podcast you might recognize Neustar, we interviewed Dorean Kass about a year and a half ago and Craig works in his organization.