There is no doubt that we as a nation and the entire business world for that matter, have experienced an unprecedented time. Prior to the pandemic, I know from our perspective, we would not hesitate to jump on a plane to attend a meeting interstate on a weekly basis if we had to. Now what we are seeing is businesses and people changing their expectations and behaviour to reflect our mutually imposed isolation. There is no longer that stigma that because we are not in the same state, that we could not possibly service any client without having boots on the ground. Guess what, no-one has boots on the ground anymore!
Throw into the mix now that Virgin Airlines is in administration, we may soon be paying $750 for an interstate flight and you have the disruption and stimulus to make a more permanent change.
To discuss this same issue from a sales team perspective, we have concluded, that each BDM in your team has potentially more than an additional 10 hours per week freed up, due to zero travel time. To push the point, what extra can they achieve in those additional hours, no longer wasted in the traffic getting to and from work or a client meeting?
This opportunity also implies that our clients are in a similar position and they have more time to meet with you. At first, I salivate at the opportunity of how many additional meetings and subsequent sales our teams can make with their newfound time, and then realism comes in to temper my expectations just a little because many projects are now on hold. Your clients may or may not have more time, and they are more than likely to be focused elsewhere on getting through this pandemic. If they don’t have time for you, it’s because they don’t perceive that what you have on offer is relevant right now.
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I think there will come a time that business, at least for the well managed, will continue again. How will your clients perceive your company then? Will they see you as people that understood them, supported them and continued to add value, or a company that ignored their needs during these challenging times and just tried selling to them. Be relevant!
We are all in this together! Stay Safe!
