It’s been just about two years since the pandemic turned our lives upside down. Just like that, our team hangouts, meetings, and client lunches were all cancelled. No more networking at industry events or sharing our expertise at conferences. All the ways we relied on to meet new clients, build customer trust, and close deals were gone. We were forced to learn some hard business lessons.
It’s been a loooong two years for our team — staring at each other on Zoom calls and trying to make conversation on Slack instead of getting together for in-person brainstorming sessions and status updates. (The Zoom fatigue is real!)
Fingers crossed, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Our days of working remotely and never getting to see clients face to face may soon be over. But the business lessons we learned from the pandemic will stay with us. Lessons about how to stay connected when we all felt so alone. About how to keep making our clients feel we were right there with them, even when they seemed worlds away. (And about how bad Dean’s jokes get after an hour or so on Zoom.)
We can’t wait to see all of our amazing clients in person and get back to flying all over for conferences and working out new strategies over lunch (or on the plane). But experts everywhere are telling us that remote relationships are the new normal — and I guess we’ll have to be prepared for that.
3 Key Pandemic Business Lessons
1. The Little Things Matter
The human side of business relationships is a big deal for us here at TPM. While our main focus is on delivering for our clients, we all love the chance to drop the formality a bit. But those personal connections that came easily in the pre-pandemic days aren’t so natural when we’re not talking face to face. Many of the business lessons we learned from the pandemic were less about business and more about remembering we’re all human.
“I try to make an effort to remember personal details contacts share during calls — talking about their kids or an upcoming birthday or a new house — and ask about them the next time we chat. It makes me smile when a client remembers something about my life. It’s a little thing that makes it feel more like we’re people talking, not just text on screens.”
— Catherine, Director, Content Marketing
“I try to make an effort to remember personal details contacts share during calls — talking about their kids or an upcoming birthday or a new house — and ask about them the next time we chat. It makes me smile when a client remembers something about my life. It’s a little thing that makes it feel more like we’re people talking, not just text on screens.”
— Catherine, Director, Content Marketing
“Working from home blurs the lines between work and personal life. The first few weeks of the pandemic, I worked really long hours and was totally stressed all the time. A client I talked to mentioned the same issue — feeling constantly pressured to be available. I think it’s important to make sure both colleagues and clients understand you don’t expect an immediate response to messages.”
— Irene, Director, Content and Communications
“Working from home blurs the lines between work and personal life. The first few weeks of the pandemic, I worked really long hours and was totally stressed all the time. A client I talked to mentioned the same issue — feeling constantly pressured to be available. I think it’s important to make sure both colleagues and clients understand you don’t expect an immediate response to messages.”
— Irene, Director, Content and Communications
“Most of us at TPM are used to being in the same space regularly. We’re not just coworkers — we’re friends. Activities that Dean and Makiko organized like virtual escape rooms and, later, outdoor team get-togethers have gone a long way in keeping up morale and maintaining our bond as a team.”
— Suki, Director, Digital Operations
“Most of us at TPM are used to being in the same space regularly. We’re not just coworkers — we’re friends. Activities that Dean and Makiko organized like virtual escape rooms and, later, outdoor team get-togethers have gone a long way in keeping up morale and maintaining our bond as a team.”
— Suki, Director, Digital Operations
2. Deliver on Your Promises
This feels like a no-brainer, regardless of what kind of business you’re in, but it’s harder than you think when life just isn’t going as expected. Here comes pandemic business lesson number two: It’s important to have some flexibility built into timelines for emergencies, but we all need to remember that we’re not necessarily the only ones in crisis mode.
“TPM implemented a tag-team strategy on all projects early on, so when someone was sick, trying to homeschool their kids, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, there was someone else on their project ready to pick it up and keep running. It made sure clients weren’t affected by our personal circumstances, and it made me feel better when things came up at home, knowing someone had my back.”
— Makiko, Managing Director
“TPM implemented a tag-team strategy on all projects early on, so when someone was sick, trying to homeschool their kids, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, there was someone else on their project ready to pick it up and keep running. It made sure clients weren’t affected by our personal circumstances, and it made me feel better when things came up at home, knowing someone had my back.”
— Makiko, Managing Director
“I found that setting up regular check-ins — every week, every month, whatever — really helped keep client-side and our team’s work on track. We hadn’t made a habit of setting up those regular meetings with most clients pre-pandemic, but it kept everyone on the same page so we could better meet expectations. Also, as someone who isn’t typically in on a lot of face-to-face meetings, it was cool to actually get to put faces to the names of a lot of our clients and show them what I do.”
— Tyler, Director, Paid Media
“I found that setting up regular check-ins — every week, every month, whatever — really helped keep client-side and our team’s work on track. We hadn’t made a habit of setting up those regular meetings with most clients pre-pandemic, but it kept everyone on the same page so we could better meet expectations. Also, as someone who isn’t typically in on a lot of face-to-face meetings, it was cool to actually get to put faces to the names of a lot of our clients and show them what I do.”
— Tyler, Director, Paid Media
3. Communication is Key
The non-verbal cues we get during a normal conversation can often get lost in text-based conversations. Even Zoom calls don’t actually provide the same social feedback that a face-to-face meeting can. Another lesson we learned from the pandemic: Details that are so trivial we wouldn’t even think to discuss them in the Before Times can be really vital to clarify.
“Working in design and development, I’ve found it’s especially important now to spend some extra time ensuring I understand what the client wants and that they understand what I’m suggesting. A few extra hours spent screen sharing is worth it as I talk through iterations of a project with partners and ensure there are no nasty surprises when a project is delivered.”
— Lisa, Director, Design & Development
“Working in design and development, I’ve found it’s especially important now to spend some extra time ensuring I understand what the client wants and that they understand what I’m suggesting. A few extra hours spent screen sharing is worth it as I talk through iterations of a project with partners and ensure there are no nasty surprises when a project is delivered.”
— Lisa, Director, Design & Development
“We’re so used to online interaction being like a Powerpoint presentation or webinar, the impulse is to make video calls all about our own service. I’ve found myself doing this and had it done to me. It’s important to stop yourself and pay attention to what the other person is saying and how they’re responding to you.”
— Dean, Principal
“We’re so used to online interaction being like a Powerpoint presentation or webinar, the impulse is to make video calls all about our own service. I’ve found myself doing this and had it done to me. It’s important to stop yourself and pay attention to what the other person is saying and how they’re responding to you.”
— Dean, Principal
Still Not Tired of Pandemic Marketing Talk?
This isn’t the first post we’ve written about the pandemic. (Although hopefully, it will be the last!) If you’re somehow not utterly sick and tired of all things pandemic, check out our previous posts on pandemic marketing strategy, how to survive and thrive while working remotely, or tips on getting more traffic with old blog posts during COVID-19.
While all the business lessons we’ve listed in this post offer valuable insights for managing remote work situations in the future, the most important lesson we learned from the pandemic as a team is this one: we desperately miss seeing you in person and we owe all our awesome clients a debt of gratitude — this challenge has been unprecedented, and we got through it together.
At TPM, we work with technology-focused B2B businesses to help develop and execute marketing plans that will help you reach your goals. If you need help finding new ways to build customer trust or make new connections in the world of remote work, our team can help. Drop us a line to discuss what we can do for you.
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