Zoom. Yes, I bought the stock when all this started (Was it really just 4½ months ago?), and yes, it has doubled - lucky me. This isn't about how I should have bought more, but about the sales opportunity that Zoom offers. I might add that perhaps it's not just an opportunity; in my book, it's a necessity.
We have a client who sells a product and service priced in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. The company's sales team members travel all over the country to meet with clients and view locations. When you are selling something in that price bracket, taking a trip across the country for a meeting is not even a second thought. Enter COVID-19. The company is continuing to sell for the future, although not necessarily for immediate execution, and is now conducting outreach via Zoom meetings.
Another client is reaching out to new markets with a redesigned product that they think (and I know they are right) has legs for purchase NOW. We have bought mailing lists and are sending out e-blasts with product options and content relevant to the new market. The president of the company is reaching out to those who clicked on one or more of the links in the blast. This may be upward of 150 people for a run of 2,000 names. He is emailing or calling them after connecting with them on LinkedIn. In the end, though, they are new clients and the face to face has to happen. Zoom.
A real estate client is doing Zoom 'wine and learns' and bringing in interesting presenters ranging from landscape designers to pool builders. They are well attended, taped and used on her social media and as content in her newsletters. I go because I find them interesting. At the end, she showcases a listing that is right for the times in which we now find ourselves.
For all our clients, we are recommending hosting Zoom meetings, presentations, and events in addition to making phone calls and/or sending emails. Why? Because closing the deal is better when you can see the other party. You can view their body language, and get an idea of whether or not you lost them at hello. And while we all know that in today's world, putting your hair in a ponytail is the same thing as taking a shower, I assure you that if you do not know a person, meeting them on Zoom changes the dynamic of the sale. Trust me: You have a better chance of closing the deal. Connecting with clients you haven't seen in a while is also better done in a Zoom meeting.
And, even if you are not going ot Zoom your way to a sale, you best get an account and fill out the details. Get this: I was looking up someone on Google, and I noticed that their Zoom account appeared in the search results before their LinkedIn profile. Huh? LinkedIn came up first for years, and who knows how much it cost them for that position. And now Zoom has taken it? Upon seeing this, I immediately bought more shares. Could it be that Google will acquire them? Either way, when you set up your Zoom account, make sure to complete your profile, as it might be the first thing someone sees when they Google your name.
Enter Blue Shoe Strategy. We will be conducting marketing in this new world presentations on (wait for it!) Zoom on the first Tuesday of each month. Sign up here to receive our Zoom meeting invites for marketing messaging in this time of change.
--Christine Merser, Managing Partner, Blue Shoe Strategy