Tag Archives: normal

Predicting the Future

“New Normal” is the new catchphrase these days, but what will the “new normal” look and sound like?

 

If you have stepped up your reading game in the past five weeks, you have seen and read all the new predictions. They are a dime a dozen. Restaurants will have far fewer tables, working from home (WFH) will be the all-new rage, video meetings will overtake in-person meetings, the elbow bump will be the new handshake, virtual events will replace conferences, trade shows, and seminars, and shopping aisles will be one-way traffic from now until grocery stores don’t exist. What! No more grocery stores? Yep, that too! The world is going all BOPUS! (Buy Online Pick Up at Store) …and that is only the tip of the “new normal” iceberg!

 

My prediction for the near future is that business will be pretty much the same as it was before we ever heard of Coronavirus, COVID-19, or Dr. Fauci.

 

Being a media rep in the “new normal” advertising world is not going to change that much either. Business owners are still going to want two things from you: 1) to know that you care about their success, and 2) IDEAS to help them grow their business.

 

TOMA and Brand Awareness will still rule the day. Share of Voice will still = Share of Mind, and Share of Mind will continue to = Share of Market. Strategy wins, and great copy and production will generate great results.

 

It appears the curve is moving in the right direction, and with continued prayer and a little luck, things will get back to normal sooner than expected.

 

In the meantime, I only have a few predictions: 1) there will be church on Sunday 2) the stock market will continue to go up and down (Buy Low – Sell High) 3) face masks will only be a fad and 4) shaking hands will return as our go-to greeting. We will see!

 

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”

– Yogi Berra

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

Keep it Normal… as Possible

I think we can all agree that the past two weeks have been as far from “business as usual” as we have quite possibly ever seen. Words most used to describe our current state are uncharted, nightmare, challenged, uncertainty, new normal, and others.

As I think back to the days of uncertainty when I managed a team of sellers, one of the things I learned from my mentor(s) was to keep things as normal as possible, lead with a positive attitude, and above all, don’t panic. This applies to both sellers and managers. If we are honest, sometimes this is hard to do when cancellations are coming in, we’re swimming in uncharted waters, the team is scared, and uncertainty rules the day. I think this quote applies in a time like we are experiencing now:

“Being positive in a negative situation is not being naive.   It’s Leadership!” 

As a manager, one of the key things that you can do now is to continue to train and motivate your teams. Whether you are continuing to work from your office, or you have sellers working from home, it’s imperative that we keep their days as normal as possible and focus on work rather than all the distractions and reasons not to work! Technology allows us to do this (Google Hangout, Zoom, GoToMeeting, YouTube videos, etc.). You might consider starting every morning with a short meeting. They can be brief with an agenda that looks something like this:

1)   Good Morning with a positive quote or message

2)   Good news from yesterday (positive comments about clients)

3)   Challenges that the team has faced

4)   Share positive ideas (package or campaign ideas – how to answer objections)

5)   Motivational or training videos

Working from home and keeping focused is much more difficult than it is at the office. Making internal excuses to not work becomes natural. As a manager, now more than ever, it’s YOUR job to keep the team on task and to hold them accountable. Leaders Lead! As a media rep, it’s your job to stay focused and continue to do all the things that great media reps do to help your clients prevail. IDEAS will still rule the day!

“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them with action!”  – Dr. Henry Link

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!