Matt Heinz, Heinz Marketing, Founder & President
“When at least part of your organization may be working remotely for the first time, you have to work harder to build a sense of community.”
Matt Heinz believes business leaders should use two approaches—one internal, one external—to successfully navigate a major work disruption. “Externally, stay close to your customers right now. You must understand not just how your customers are making decisions for their business but how they
have adjusted into this new normal. The better you understand where they are, the better you can address those needs across the board—in your messaging and in your sales and marketing approach as well as in your go-to-market strategy for your product or service,” he says.
Selling with empathy is especially important in the current climate. “To me, selling with empathy is not a blanket ‘I hope you’re OK in these challenging times’ intro statement,” he says. “You must first understand and speak to the unique nature of each account. Second, you have to double down on your ability to build and deliver value for your customers. You must think not about what your objective is but why your customers care about you at this moment and what you offer them of value,” Heinz advises. “Especially in the business to-business environment, companies are looking for guidance, clarity, and direction so they can be productive and get themselves through. So, you move from selling with empathy to, in some cases, compassionate direction and urgency to help your customers make the right decisions to move forward,” he explains.
This is an excerpt from 8 Experts on Navigating Work Disruption. The eBook was generously sponsored by Workfront.
