Good customer relationships even in corona times
Virtual customer meetings are booming during the coronavirus pandemic, while face-to-face meetings have become rare. Hasan Tekin from Q_PERIOR explains what companies can do now to continue to make the most of this situation.
More than a year of the coronavirus pandemic has brought about a number of changes in companies. One of these is communication between sales and customers. Most of this has shifted to the virtual space, with hardly any face-to-face meetings taking place. Many customers have even taken a liking to this because they have come to appreciate the flexibility and simplicity of online meetings.
Bridging the lack of personal proximity
Nevertheless, the direct personal contact and interpersonal interaction that are essential for a business relationship are missing in the long term. Online, it can be much more difficult to present complex products and services that require explanation or to develop strategies together with the customer. Non-verbal communication is simply neglected. If the sales employee does not recognize signals of incomprehension, doubt or even rejection and is therefore unable to respond to them, much is lost. There is also a risk that products and services will appear to be more comparable from the customer's point of view, which will noticeably change the competition.
Adaptation of the sales repertoire
This means new strategic challenges for companies: How do they manage to attract and retain customers via online meetings? An arsenal of colorful PowerPoint slides is no longer enough. Instead, the salesperson must specifically integrate a "social part" and engage in a personal exchange in order to create a good discussion atmosphere. In addition, they must do everything they can to pick up the person on the screen by getting to the point as quickly and excitingly as possible and not getting lost in lengthy product presentations. After all, online meetings are much more tiring and the next distraction is just an email away.
Reliability is more important than ever
In these times, it is essential to maintain a regular dialog with the customer. Offering free services is also effective. At Q_PERIOR, for example, we have offered selected customers a free English course lasting several months for homeschooling their children - a small investment that has earned us many sympathy points and additional customer interactions.
And: reliability is crucial right now. Customers can see very clearly who keeps their promises, even in difficult times. In addition, robustness and resilience have a strategic value for the business relationship, for example when it comes to single source strategies. And last but not least, goodwill and flexibility in financial matters are highly valued right now. Corona is putting quite a few customers under pressure.
Will online customer meetings survive the pandemic? I am convinced that we will use hybrid approaches in the long term. The advantages of online meetings and remote working are undisputed and will not disappear. Nevertheless, people are still social beings at heart. With a clever combination of online meetings and a culture of presence, we can also do justice to the human side again.
* Hasan Tekin is Managing Director Switzerland and Vboard member at the internationally active management consultancy Q_PERIOR with a focus on management and IT consulting.
