The CEO comes into the boardroom and everyone is standing. “Our oldest customer has fired us. Says they just don’t know us anymore — too much business by phone, email. Well folks, something has to change. We are going to see them all face-to-face.” He then hands out airline tickets to everyone.
This scene is from an old commercial, but with the current pandemic, I think it is a scene (being fired) we could replicate very easily today if we do not treat being relevant as important and urgent. This takes energy and creativity. It takes contacting, listening and collaborating with clients and customers.
Frankly, it’s easier today to assume that a client doesn’t want to collaborate or hear from us. How often are we letting these assumptions delay our actions? The hyper-speed of digital acceleration, remote work, changing business patterns, etc., all require a concerted effort to understand changing needs so we are relevant.
Doing what we have always done for a client is not being relevant — it’s probably closer to being invisible and just like our competition. Today, every client has new and changing needs. Often, these needs are undiscovered and not addressed timely.
During disruption, clients search for certainty, and being relevant brings certainty in uncertain times.
Are we taking the short-term focused actions necessary to understand these new needs?
Like the CEO above, we need a plan of action to connect, collaborate and be relevant in our clients’ changing world. Are you ready?
