As we arrived in September, I thought more and more about how companies can survive the current economic environment of the pandemic, as reports start to emerge that we may not have resolved the financial ramifications of the virus.
Although none of us know exactly what the next few months will look like, we certainly have no idea when we can “get back to normal” if that is even possible. If you run a business or are currently trying to stabilize your career, here are some actions that you can take anyway.
Rethink your Business Objectives:
In many countries, we’ve gotten used to the idea that HR and buyers want us to fit in an easily digestible box. This is useful to them because they want to make the simplest and most justifiable decision, not necessarily the best, but one that they can define.
Hence, that only allows you to end up like another commodity in a world where being a commodity means running down against your competition around the world. As we continue to navigate the pandemic, it’s important that we all take a step back and think about what our value proposition really is for the world we want to serve.
Three reasons I have noticed to justify this investment in attention are the following:
The world and the economy we live in have changed in the past six months, so assuming that what worked before will work now is not a safe bet.
You may find yourself in a position where you want to apply different skills or ideas to add value in the future. The trends that were at stake and that began to have a visible impact on us are even more relevant now. Your industry or neighborhood probably has its own specific trends, but pay close attention to how things have accelerated and changed.
Start by reflecting on the results you or your company is creating or striving to create for the people you serve.
- Are they the same or hits on a different note?
- Do your marketing methods reflect this?
Be proactive in marketing and sales:
When the pandemic came, it was quite upsetting how everyone we had bought, engaged or known had emailed us explaining how they were helping you get through the pandemic, how they got through it. you were, or some other bollocks.
The issue with this awareness that seemed to dominate in that early period is that it was completely focused on the business sending the note, not on the value or needs you or your organization might possess.
Since messages like these likely fell on deaf ears, were laughed at or generally rejected, people have assumed that marketing and sales are a shame right now.
They are absolutely not right.
What will make your marketing and sales efforts effective right now is focusing on delivering value to your audience, prospects and customers.
It means being proactive with a goal.
How can we be proactive with our marketing and sales right now?
I’ll give you three easy-to-use ways to be proactive in sales and marketing:
- Deliver value with the insights you gain from talking to prospects, customers, and people in your industry.
- Create a survey to ask people what they’re struggling with, what they’re trying to focus on, or what they’ve learned. Then collect and share those insights.
- Reach to deliver value without the overwhelming pressure of having to make the sale ASAP. Start offering value and move up the value box
Moreover, the key to being proactive in marketing and sales now is that you need to focus on how you will create value for the people you are currently trying to serve.
Find ways to be consistent:
I wrote about the value proposition for business at the top and being proactive in the sales and marketing at the center. To conclude these ideas, I want to write about acting consistently.
For many people, facing uncertainty can be overwhelming.
My niece’s tutor said that one of the challenges many children face when they are learning and their parents want them to do better is that they are given instructions that really have no context around them, confusing children and discouraging them.
Like “Jennie, you have to work harder”.
What does it mean to work harder?
You cannot be sure.
Instead, you’d be better off saying, “Johnny, your work isn’t coming out as well as it could. I think you will get better results by reading the instructions twice so that you get the big picture on the first step and on the second step you can be clear about what exactly the instructions are. “
It’s different, right?
Marketing author Colin Lewis shared a piece he is working on with me and talked about focusing on “inputs” and working towards “3-4 wins” a day as a way to build your self esteem. self.
As we think about your ability to take positive action consistently, let’s think about some simple ways you can win and focus on positive action for your business. Here are some that I think we can all do with consistency that will add up over time.
Focus on sending three emails to prospects or customers per day. Identify 1 piece of insightful content or other marketing material that you want to create and define the necessary steps to create the element. So commit to taking one action each day until you complete it.
Describe what a victory looks like in your business and promise to find a way to achieve 2 or 3 of them a day.
You can add more as you go along, but let’s start here with some tangible items that are easy to remove and will allow you to quickly see the progress.
Thinking about what I can do or what my business collaborators can do to move their business forward or move in a better direction right now, I discovered many different ways we could make progress. But in a lot of cases, we have to start with some basics so we can get some victories and be sure we are going in the direction we want to move.
