The year 2020 had begun and the earth stopped. And of course, every plans did too. It was a unique event: for a moment, all companies from all corners of the planet began to wonder what was next, what was the following move to make. And we all realized at the beginning of this particular year that the best move was not to move.
And so it was for several weeks, until enough time went by and we were able to interpret, accept and digest the signs of this new world that was approaching. It was then, when we started to swing into action again. Because if there is something that this new reality is telling us, it is that, as usual, there have been winners and losers during the pandemic-quarantine period that has taken place in the different countries of Latin America and also in the rest of the world.
And without bragging about the triumph, we can say that those of us who remained relatively calm for the last few months and even those of us who generated new businesses with more positive results, have been the ones who were able to activate some forgotten paradigms in our organizations.
To find out what this is all about, I´d like to share with you some fundamental keys that are giving us many very good results:
Empathy.
If we had it before, now it has become a fundamental skill. We had to put ourselves in our clients´ shoes. And with laces properly tied up. That is why we did our best to understand their needs and concerns as well as possible Let me give you a recommendation that we applied last April, and that caused us a very good effect: offering clients a free service to support them in times of crisis. Thus, at MARKETCROSS, we offered to extend our current contracts, so as to provide collaboration in business continuity. Customers were delighted.
Flexibility.
We began to deepen changes in our way of quoting the services of our agency. We created more competitive service packages in terms of cost and with the ability to adapt themselves to the needs of each campaign in a totally flexible way. Try this. From the commercial point of view, it is absolutely important that figures go hand in hand with the new times that are coming and those that have already arrived. And that allow prospective clients close agreements with you in order to implement projects.
Understanding.
We radically changed our way of framing commercial proposals. That strategy of setting up a template and sending the same offer to everyone doesn’t work any longer!. When we have to compete to win a new client, we treat him as if he were already our client: we thoroughly investigate his business, his value proposition, his key messages.
We become creative. We rehearse brand storytelling and new narratives. And we don’t keep anything to us: we tell it to our client to show the desire, the impetus and the commitment. Go down this path. In a world of pandemics there can be no trembling steps: we should embrace our future clients business, so that they have no doubt that we are going to be their best option.
Simplicity.
In a complex world, being concrete and concise is part of respecting our prospective clients. The words of the renowned global entrepreneur and investor Chris Gardner appertain: You have to be clear, concise, compelling, consistent, and committed. Less is more, but you should exploit to the fullest your opportunities as a partner, a creative agency, a friend of your client, a disruptive dreamer and above all, a passionate about the vision you are proposing.
In short, it is time to change, carrying out ideas that are not new, but that help us create new contexts of efficiency. That’s why it’s time to carry them out. To move from talk to action. It’s not a question of selling any longer. It is about understanding the new life.
Realizing that perhaps we were wrong and that now it is the time. There is no other option: you have to change one way or another. For your agency, your company, your client, your creativity. Because at the end of the day, we always face the same challenge, but we count with the same opportunity: being better.