Looking Ahead to 2022

In December of last year, we were hopeful that 2020 was the only holiday season‡ we wouldn’t be able to visit some or all of our friends and families face to face. And yet, here we are in the latter part of December 2021 still in the throes of fighting the pandemic and the most transmissible COVID variant to date. Many businesses are struggling to survive another COVID wave.

It’s difficult to think beyond the current situation sometimes. Some days it seems like we have been here, in a kind of limbo, forever. The ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ fades in and out with the ebb and flow of pandemic case counts.

The good news is that we have several things to help us this time around: vaccines, treatments, protocols, and our experience. I don’t even want to imagine what the pandemic’s ‘5th Wave’ would look like if we still had no effective procedures.

Please.
Be Safe. Be Flexible. Be Considerate. Be Kind. Be Strong.
We are all anxious and worn down. We are all in the same boat.

BALANCE & DIVERSITY
FLEXIBILITY & FOCUS
COMPASSION & STRENGTH

I wish you all the best during the holidays and in the new year.
Here’s a virtual ‘Cheers!’ until we can meet again.
It will happen. Hang in there!

A VIRTUAL CHEERS UNTIL WE CAN MEET AGAIN!

Happy | Merry | Cheers!
Peace | Hello | Celebrate!

‡Winter Solstice, Christmas, December, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus,
New Year’s Eve/Day, Ōmisoka,
Bodhi Day/Laba Festival, Yule,
Pancha Ganapati, Dongzhi Festival, Hogmanay, Boxing Day,
World Juniors Hockey Tournament, Chichibu Night Festival.

Did I miss your favourite December holiday?
Doing something creative, safe and fun to spend time with your friends and families?
Let me know in the comments!

Want Better CX? Nurture your Employees

A great Customer Experience (CX) begins with a great Employee Experience. In retail, offline and online, you are trusting your business to the people on the front line; cashiers, servers, technical service reps, customer service reps, clerks, ambassadors, helpers, etc.

Consider this…have you ever noticed that a customer service person was having a bad day despite the smile on their face and the kind words on their lips? Of course you have! Because how an individual feels gets projected consciously and/or subconsciously every time they interact with you.

Continue reading “Want Better CX? Nurture your Employees”

The Usual Suspects – 5 Characters on the B2B Buyers’ Journey

In my post Navigating the B2B Buyer’s Journey, I talked about the changes B2B buyers are exhibiting with respect to how they think about, find and consume product information while doing research. They are becoming more and more independent as B2C and B2B buying expectations merge in their minds and their behaviour.1

I also touched on how complex that process can be. In the majority of cases, purchasing committees are made up of several participants and stakeholders. In addition to their personal feelings about a brand or product, all of these individuals look through a lens tinted by the concerns dictated by their roles.

77% of B2B buyers state that their latest purchase was very complex and/or difficult.

Source: 2019 research by Gartner, Inc.2
Continue reading “The Usual Suspects – 5 Characters on the B2B Buyers’ Journey”