Generating sales with virtual relationships

From everything we understand, the environment we are all living and working in will stay the same for a while. When I think back to March, my expectation was a few weeks or perhaps couple of months of disruption. We would get through it and then life and work would return to what we knew. Reality is different 6 months later and we need to make changes to our business to work in a new environment. This will be the ‘way it is’ for a while. Large companies are telling employees to expect to continue working at home well into 2021 and even if a vaccine is developed it will be months before it is produced and distributed.

At SKUFood we talk a lot about relationships with customers and consumers. They are key to your success. We need to think of generating sales with customer and consumer relationships differently.

The focus on interaction in the same room or store has shifted to virtual or online. You need to consider relationships with customers and consumers differently. Relationships need to be cultivated in a virtual environment.

Here are some considerations for your consumer relationships:

• You need to get on the list before they go to the store or complete their online order. Interact on social media or even mass media.
• Investigate some of the new avenues where influencers are connecting such as Facebook live or Instagram Reels. Perhaps there is an opportunity for your products.
• Your online community is more valuable than ever. Make sure you are responding and interacting with as many consumers as possible.
• Find innovative ways to get your product into the hands of the right consumers. Speaking of that did you see our Recipe for success last week with Meg Tsvetkova from Sampler? Meg explained the benefits of working with Sampler to ensure your product samples have the best chance of success with your target market.

Here are some considerations for your customer relationships:

• Make your online meetings more interesting. Find opportunities to bring some life to Zoom or whichever application is being used.
• Develop some video of your facilities and your employees. You cannot bring the customer to you so take your operation to them.
• Illustrate to them how consumers are interacting with your products and their stores. Generate testimonials that can be shared with customers. We all miss being out more in the market so take the market to them.
• Improve your ability to really stand out in the virtual trade shows. These are new platforms for everyone so learn how to use them and improve your relationships with great execution that works in this medium.

Really excited to have The Kilted Chef, Alain Bosse join us for his insights into building these relationships. Chef Alain has been doing some very innovative things and he is going to share some ideas and results with us.

Just in time for everyone participating in SIAL!

September Recipes for Success, presented by FCC

September 30- Online shopping has increased dramatically since March. It has had a big impact on retailer’s operations but it also impacts producers and processors. Consumers shop differently when they order online. All of the investments made in store are worthless for the 10-15% of consumers who are now shopping online. We will discuss how you can communicate with them in advance and get on their list. The execution is different with each retailer and it will continue to evolve. Your strategy needs to be unique with each customer as well.

September Recipes for Success, presented by FCC

September 30- Online shopping has increased dramatically since March. It has had a big impact on retailer’s operations but it also impacts producers and processors. Consumers shop differently when they order online. All of the investments made in store are worthless for the 10-15% of consumers who are now shopping online. We will discuss how you can communicate with them in advance and get on their list. The execution is different with each retailer and it will continue to evolve. Your strategy needs to be unique with each customer as well.

At SKUFood we understand it is important to give back. We have the ability to share insights and information you can use in your food business right away. If we were able to get in the same room for an event you would hear me say, “Success in the food industry is not just about making great products to sell; it is about selling the great products you make.” Communicating with your customers in these challenging times is an examples of this.

If you want to talk about generating sales in this new environment or need some advice just send me an email at Peter@SKUFood.com or give me a call at (902) 489-2900.