People only change when the pain not to change exceeds the pain to change.
Dr. George Lucas
When I wrote Screen to Screen Selling™ back in 2015, I had no idea that our world would be in a state of panic like it is and so much that it has forced everyone to work remote. When I think of all of the business leaders that passed on these concepts and have been scrambling to find the right resources for work culture, it has caused me to bring this huge body of work back to life in a way that is meaningful, not just to sell another copy of my book.
Lead. Serve. Influence. Those words meant you needed to show up in person if you were serious about doing your job. And unfortunately for those leaders who have relied upon their IT departments to host a meeting have grossly underestimated their ability to connect in a meaningful way during one the greatest pandemics of our lifetime.
Real estate has always been conducted belly to belly, speaking to large groups was done in convention halls, and business meetings required your physical presence. Not anymore. The ones who have been pushed outside their comfort zone and embraced this new normal can never go back to the same way because they have realized there are deeper benefits to working from home.
Here’s what I have realized through this whole process:
- The business processes and policies in place have been costing organizations thousands, if not millions of dollars in lost revenue, wasted office space, and lost output from their teams.
- Leaders have grossly underestimated the skills of their teams to use video conference technology to get business done as if they were all in the same office working together.
- The technology leaders have chosen for hosting remote meetings isn’t as user-friendly as they thought it was when it comes to starting meetings on time.
- The corporate trainers are not as effective in transferring skills in the remote environment as they are in a classroom setting.
- Conference calls done over the phone have been taking organizations a step backward in order to move forward.
- Teams can get more done working remote because there aren’t so many distractions.
- The list goes on.
In the next couple months while you are sitting at home, I encourage you to take Screen to Screen Selling™ off of your bookshelf. Some of the technology tools might have changed. But the process remains the same. Every day you wait means that someone else will find a better and faster way so you can’t hold on to your traditional beliefs for what has worked in the past will keep you successful in the future.
While I have been waiting for the world to catch up to meeting #screentoscreen, I have become a software developer. In the past three years I have been building tools that integrate with phone systems, text message response, chatbots, and voice assistants. Imagine taking courses by talking to your TV and having a robot greet customers with a personal message when they walk through the door. That is where my mind has been. But I can’t ignore the cry for help to give practical advice for how to effectively work from the remote environment. You can listen to interviews, review slides, read features in the media, or watch hours of YouTube videos on my channel.
Please let me know how I can help. God bless you all!
