Let’s be honest…marketing professionals, like most of the rest of the world, are on a nauseating thrill ride right now.  They and their heads are spinning as they try to hold onto their jobs, never mind look into the future.  The vista of the future for many of them is the next paycheck and the door of their at-home office.  We as vendor-partners want to present innovative ideas, while our client is just trying to figure out how best to communicate to their constituencies today with the tools already in their toolbox.  So how does a marketing vendor navigate meaningful conversations in this environment?

First, by asking the right open-ended questions and listening “hard” while our client vents about what keeps them up at night.  If you’re able to get them into that type conversation, this is the golden opportunity to gather critical insight, even if it doesn’t bear immediate fruit.

Second, pick one or two things to share with them about what you’re doing to help other clients.  Discreetly use case histories to encourage the person that there are other people out there in the same boat faced with the same challenges, pursuing new approaches to engage their target audiences. 

Finally, realize their (overwhelmed) mindset and give them time to wrap their heads around anything truly new.  For example, the differences between a PowerPoint presentation, website visit, Zoom session and a virtual platform are not always immediately apparent.

In short, they say empathy is the highest human virtue.  Now is the right time to exude that in large quantities with our customers, prospects and staff.