The Pandemic has made major changes to life, society and business.
Here in the UK we are about to move into lockdown 2, I've already been told that my gym is closing. It means I need to find some other way to exercise. While this is just a "hiccup" and a first world problem. It does mean that I need to make a change in my life. Am I going to use my bike during the time I would go to the gym, should I double down with Yoga?
Either way, it means change and none of us are very good at change.
Research Demonstrates The World Has Changed
Research after research has shown that the word has changed.
In McKinsey’s “Quickening” research, it was found that, as a result, e-commerce penetration accelerated by 10 years in just three months. This quickening isn’t temporary either. Digital permanence is upon us.
The Problem With Research
The problem with research is that it gives us data (and information) on what happened in the past.
In this October 2020 report by Simon Kemp he outlines the extent that social media has become part of our lives.
Worldwide social media users: 4.14 billion - 53% of the world's population use social media in other words, more people use social media than don't use it.
Simon says that "two thirds of the working population in the world is now active on social media."
With this research we can see what has happened in the past, but we can also see what is going to happen in the future. Simon has been doing the research from for a number of years so we can see the changing social media landscape.
In November 2018, there were 3.2 Billion people, which was 42% of the world's population on the internet, in October 2020 there is 4.14 Billion of the world's
I Don't About You But I'm Confused
These figures are amazing but I don't know about you it all can be a bit bewildering. There are 722 million people on Linkedin and they all seem to be sales gurus that are trying to sell me something.
There Are No Silver Bullets
I do realise that there are a lot of people out there selling amazing magic potions for your sales teams, but let's be honest, we've both been around a bit and we both know there are no silver bullets.
What Do You Need?
A methodology that you and your team can follow.
A clear ROI, that is measured and backed up with data.
A company that has NOT just pivoted, somebody that is in this for the long term.
You Are Not Alone
I totally get that you are scared about making a leap away from the cold calls and emails, they might not be working, but they do provide a comfort blanket. After all, we have always done it that way.
The pandemic has changed so many things, critical to this is that you are not alone, every business leader is thinking this right now and grappling with these decisions.
CEO after CEO keep telling us that "we came into this pandemic analogue and we will come out of this digital".
The October Vistage CEO Confidence Index survey, which captured the sentiments of 1,247 CEOs and other leaders from small and midsize businesses (SMBs), revealed that revenue and cash flow have continued to improve for SMBs. Equally important, the data showed that profit expectations have improved for the sixth consecutive month. Bouncing off an April bottom, when just 22% of CEOs expected improved profitability in the year ahead, 56% of CEOs expressed this outlook in October, a result just shy of February’s high-water mark of 62%. The same can be said for investment plans, a clear sign of confidence; in October, 39% of CEOs expected to increase investments in the year ahead, more than doubling the 14% recorded in April. Just 14% of CEOs expected to decrease investments, well below the April high of 52%.
