Just off the phone from a Senior VP and he shared some really interesting insight.  Research shows that 70 - 95% of people are now working from home and his view was that with Covid19 we have “re-imagine work”.

He joked that maybe we need to split the people into two teams, one to dig holes and the other team to fill holes in.  This being a metaphor that with people at home we need to give them a purpose.

We talked about the digital customer, something that has been accelerated by the face that you cannot found people as they are not at their desks and really how often can you email people with you special offers before they unsubscribe.  Under Covid-19 it looks like all of the old maxims are dead and the only way you can connect with people is through social.

But before we all pile into social, all of the reasons you didn’t go full in on social are there.  What happens if somebody does something wrong?

That’s why you need a methodology and work with a company that does this every day and understand the “rules of the jungle”.

It was interesting but this Senior VP said about Modern Selling “what we need to do in these times is to show our people we are investing in them and giving them a life skill.”  I’m biased, but agree.

Digital selling will allow your sales people, marketing people, pre-sales people and technical people to engage with and have conversations with your prospects and buyers.  It will enable you to “sure-up” your deals that you are closing, your last mile of deals.  It will also enable you to kick off conversations and build relationships as part of the desire building the top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) conversations.

Of course you can continue with your analogue sales force in a digital world, just to see how far you get.  Big tech always invest in their staff  during a downturn, why? So they come out of it quicker, fitter and stronger.

Key thing is not to panic, but invest in your teams and lead with empathy.