COVID-19 has changed many things in the world. Some of the changes are temporary: some may be long-lasting. One thing is for certain: it has changed the way we must work with our clients.
For the past decade or so, industry experts have been urging us to be "consultant sellers", "marketing experts", to "sell campaigns not packages". And, they have been correct in mapping that direction for us. My consulting clients can probably recount chapter and verse of my training on this subject. Have we made progress? Perhaps. I hope so.
Enter COVID-19. Becoming a partner with our clients is no longer an option. We MUST access, understand and live in our clients' worlds more completely than ever before. Our clients are struggling to retain their businesses, to retain their revenue. They do not have time to devote to devising plans to market their businesses.
This is where we come in. We must meet with clients to ascertain exactly how COVID has affected their businesses. This may be different for each one. What accommodations have they made in serving customers? What changes will remain moving forward?
We must be the "idea" people. Business people need ideas. They need us to translate their messages into forms that will resonate with our listeners. They need us to coordinate their radio, TV, newspaper messages with their digital efforts. In many cases, they need us to create and organize their digital efforts.
Many of us have spent the last three months learning new skills. I hope you may have spent time studying marketing. It will not be good enough to present packages. We must take a holistic approach to our clients' marketing.
Are you ready? Do you know the questions to ask? Do you have a sales system in place to identify prospects, understand needs and create campaigns? If your staff is not equipped to become partners with your clients in this new world of advertising, give me a call. My job is to move your revenue needle upward by raising the skill level of your staff. Together, we can develop plans to speed recovery.
