A few weeks ago, I spoke to 50 members of the Collaberex networking organization about goal setting for 2020, in light of this new world we’re living in.
The premise of the presentation was looking ahead to what business will look like on the eve of New Year’s Day, 2021, and what people can realistically expect to “celebrate.” As much as we’d all love for things to go back to normal, those days--as we knew them--will likely never be quite the same.
So, we adapt. We lead.
Elevate Your Value, Invest in Your Customer
You know, you talk for 30 minutes and wonder what’s going to resonate with the audience. This was it: “worry less about margin and more about value.”
I heard it played back to me throughout the day as people responded to the presentation. It’s fascinating to hear what sticks in our minds as we wrestle with business growth in 2020.
These days, it goes without saying that it’s more imperative than ever to maintain the value we provide to our existing customers. Budgets are slashed, companies are pivoting from tried and true channels to new ones in order to meet customers where they are today.
What Does That Look Like?
It’s all about investing in our customers; having personal conversations about the new reality. We need to remain confident, yet empathetic in our messaging; they're depending on us to do so. Vulnerability does not equal weakness. Uncertainty is universal. Don't believe anyone who says they know the answer.
“We pivot. We adapt. We lead.”
We've been brainstorming different paths to solving problems, and some of the ideas are uncomfortable: partnering with companies that seem like competitors, spending resources on paid channels to please the Google gods, editing a teeny bit less carefully in order to get the volume out that's needed.
There's work we can do that's slightly outside of scope; it may cost a few pennies but adds great value because it relieves some of the tension our customers are feeling. It’s okay to acknowledge that tension, too.
Of course, we also have to be realistic in our own forecasting. Some investments may have to wait, but we can focus on what we can afford to do now. Prioritize longer term revenue opportunities over short-term patchwork cash.
Will You Be Prepared for Post-Pandemic?
We’ve done all of this, and I’m not looking back. With only a glance towards our scope of work, and focus on how we can help our clients get through these times, I want to be sure of one thing: that they survive and thrive in 2020 so we can stay at their side... refining, optimizing, testing, and measuring so we’re all ready for 2021.
There’s never been a time when taking the long view was more important.
