Are prospects really still using COVID as an excuse to not do business?

I just got off the phone with a prospect and they told me the best time to reach was “post COVID” haha wtf how is that even still a damn excuse?

🔎 Prospecting
📞 Cold Calling
26
funcoupons
WR Officer
7
👑
Yup. It's the lazy asses who will never do a deal with you anyway so don't waste your time. These cretins have just taken on the "it's a pandemic" excuse instead of their usual "it's such a busy time" excuse while they play solitaire for several hours every afternoon.
Patbate
Politicker
2
Product Advisor
Fully fully agree. Just a lazy excuse.
GDO
Politicker
2
BDM
Well what is post Covid? There is no hard line. 
CuriousFox
WR Officer
2
🦊
One word.

YUP.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
1
☕️
It's possible they're lazy with their objections, but also possible that their company is still on a spending freeze due to massive losses during COVID.
Patbate
Politicker
0
Product Advisor
I briefly thought that while I was on the phone but when I thought about the nature of the business (manufacturing steel products for contractors) i think they may be doing jussssst fine. chalking this up as the laziest excuse I've heard in months. on to the next one.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
1
☕️
We're in the steel business, and business be boomin.
Bueller
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Yup...it's replaced the usual cop outs
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
1
Rolling 20's all day
Depends if they deal with physical supply (not sure what you're selling)? It's still a weak excuse, but a lot of materials are still delayed for many manufacturers. Could be messing up their internal purchasing.
Patbate
Politicker
1
Product Advisor
Employee benefits. So they already have them in place but used COVID as an excuse to stay with his current broker and not want to shop around.
funcoupons
WR Officer
1
👑
I deal in your space as well. What I love is when we can offer better coverage and save them money and they're still too fuckin lazy to spend a couple of hours on it... Oh didn't know your small business was in the position to throw 5k in the toilet this year, guess covid hasn't been so bad to you after all. 
wingsNrotors
Valued Contributor
1
Helicopter Sales Manager
Nah, my travel and meetings have not taken a hit. My folks thrive off of in person visits and interaction. I haven't heard 1 of my customers or prospects use Covid as an excuse. I guess it all depends on the field you are in.
Blackwargreymon
Politicker
1
MDR
Well what is post Covid? There is no hard line. 
TheSolicitorGeneral
Politicker
0
Small Market AE
I haven't heard that in a while. I'm thinking they were trying to just get you off the phone with a lame ass excuse
Patbate
Politicker
0
Product Advisor
100% that’s what is but come up with a better excuse. I kind of just laughed at him afterwards.
TheSolicitorGeneral
Politicker
1
Small Market AE
I'd almost rather hear "Uh, I can't talk, I just shit my pants and I've got to hang up." lol
Patbate
Politicker
0
Product Advisor
Hahaha same would’ve got a very great laugh out of that at least lol
Beans
Big Shot
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Absolutely - but to be fair there are a lot of industries who don't know what a Post-COVID world looks like - it's still here. 
Finesy
Valued Contributor
0
Account Representative III
Yep. 
Justatitle
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
Could be a lazy excuse. There’s also orgs still dealing with the financial impact from COVID so there’s that. Probably an excuse though 
Archivist
Contributor
0
Sales Manager
My international clients are still struggling with COVID significantly so it’s understandable 
Patbate
Politicker
1
Product Advisor
Yeah I think it can be situational and if that’s the case you should be mindful of who you’re calling on but in this case due to the type of industry it was, this guy was doing fine. But one thing I did think about is that even though it may not be negatively impacting him it could be positively impacting his business to the point where he doesn’t have the time to make any changes so it makes more sense to just Stay put unless there is a good enough reason to shop around.
SaaSGawd
0
AE
Just an excuse and/or they simply do not need your product and are too afraid to tell you. “Reach out to me in a few months”
AnchorPoint
Politicker
0
Business Coach
Absolutely... and large organizations still have a very real concern regarding liability.  
696969696969
Catalyst
0
Hingle McCringleberry
COVID gave everyone inclined to laziness an excuse to act like a lazy asshole. I can understand that response in March, April, or May of last year but to still be using it is just benthic. They’re too lazy to even invent a current excuse!
sellingsellssold
Politicker
0
SDR
I have found that a couple months ago COVID was not really being used as an excuse but recently with the rise I have seen a increase in people saying "covid" again to not do certain events
Error32
Politicker
0
ISR
Tough day, I got people to answer but well one of them was a wrong number, another was the friend of the guy and a gatekeeper.
Clashingsoulsspell
Politicker
0
ISR
Tough day, I got people to answer but well one of them was a wrong number, another was the friend of the guy and a gatekeeper.
0

Do you still find prospects using Co-Vid as an excuse to not go through with the sale?

Question
6
5

Are handshakes at F2F meetings a thing of the past now due to COVID? Or will it just be awkward AF for a while and then get back to normal?

Question
13
Are handshakes a thing of the past?
20% Yes
69% No
12% Other
51 people voted
8

Has anyone stopped to consider that COVID was formulated and dispersed by a bunch of genetic engineers who just wanted WFH to take off?

Question
12
Did somebody say WFH?
58% Yes, obviously
28% No, stop being a conspiracy theorist
14% Maybe. Who's asking?
124 people voted