MAIN INSIGHT 38
Jean-Paul Grenade
SALES DIRECTOR
Has the global pandemic put an end to industry conferences?
As a result of the global pandemic putting a halt on face-to-face meetings, businesses have become increasingly comfortable with offering digital sales interactions in their place or at the very least alongside them. Industry conferences were hit particularly hard by the pandemic, but the quick-thinkers were able to pivot their conferences onto Zoom and connect with their audience in a different way. What’s really interesting is that even though industry conferences are now returning, many people still prefer to attend a webinar as they offer a greater level of flexibility. Businesses who really care about their customers are now offering both physical opportunities to meet and also digital learning opportunities so that buyers can choose which option is most valuable for them based on their current personal circumstances.
What role can humans play in a digital sales journey?
Although the rise of digital marketing and automation tools has led to an increase in self-serve buying journeys with little to no human interaction, having humans at the heart of your content generation will always be a vital need. At the end of the day, the old saying will always remain true - people buy from people. Technology has become incredibly clever and will continue to develop, but it will never understand a human being in the same way that another human being does. You need a human brain to understand the hooks that will grab people’s attention and then human creativity to develop the hook into a meaningful piece of content.
New technologies can also provide new opportunities to create face-to-face sales interactions. Although two participants on a Zoom call aren’t going to be physically in the same place as one another, they are still looking at each other and therefore having a face-to-face interaction. For buyers, this is a great stepping stone to assess the suitability of a potential vendor without having to commit to a lengthy, in-person meeting that might involve lost time through travel. Sellers need to embrace these new technologies as they can actually help reduce the time it would normally take to have a face-to-face meeting by making buyers more comfortable to part with their time. Because even if it is digital, a face-to-face meeting remains hugely beneficial to relationship building.
You need a human brain to understand the hooks that will grab people’s attention and then human creativity to develop the hook into a meaningful piece of content.
It’s now expected that all businesses should have a social media presence, and customers expect to be able to interact with businesses through social media.
Is social media an opportunity or a distraction for businesses?
Since 2014, there has been a big shift in how people use social media. Traditionally it was a place to connect with friends and family, to share photos and memories. But it’s now expected that all businesses should have a social media presence, and customers expect to be able to interact with businesses through social media. This is why we now see a lot of businesses investing in social media and using it as a customer service channel. But social media can also be a great tool for promotion, as it allows businesses to present a more personable side to their brand and engage directly with prospects and customers.
Businesses should be wary not to get distracted by the total number of users on a social media platform though, instead refining their efforts to focus on their addressable market. If they aim to please everybody, they will end up pleasing nobody. Take time to learn about your customers to make sure you not only create the right type of content for them, but also to make sure that is distributed for the correct social media channels.
Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It has about 18 million customers across its core markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. In the United Kingdom, Aviva is the largest general insurer and a leading life and pensions provider.
