Building planes in the sky

Given the fast-paced and unusual environment that we find ourselves in, I thought a perspective on how things look from this side of the fence might be interesting. There is no question that 2020 has begun with tremendous unrest and uncertainty around the world. But even in a moment as challenging as this, we remain committed to supporting our customers, our researchers, our partners, and our lead generation teams who are making the magic happen at the front end. We have seen customers, and the companies we are engaging on their behalf, pushing ahead and adapting – they have been reaping the benefits of building online relationships using facetime platforms. Yesterday, we generated a customer meeting with the CIO of a global humanitarian organisation… proving this is not a time when IT decision makers need, or want, to be left alone. In March we employed four new members of the team, with a further three coming on board next week!

mysalesbox has been working to steady our customers’ sales and marketing results for several months. In that time, we’ve invested over ￡300,000 in efforts to strengthen and create new platforms (spikr and Orchestrate) and expand our team, all in an effort to bolster our position and limit the virus’ impact for our customers in the B2B tech market where we can. On the whole, we’re really excited with what it’s accomplished and the new abilities it provides us as we progress. As a result of this work, I’ve spoken with sales and marketing leaders across the industry. The message has been the same in both directions; the window for making important decisions is upon us today, and it’s become clear that the choices we make now will have an enormous impact on how we perform during and immediately after the threat of COVID-19 has passed.

Yesterday, the British Chamber of Commerce said nearly half of firms will furlough at least half of their workforce over the next week. A total of 44% of business will temporarily lay off at least 50% of staff, according to the organisation's COVID-19 Business Impact Tracker. We have already seen big name casualties such as Carluccio’s, Laura Ashley, BrightHouse and Flybe – but there are interesting stories emerging, such as British American Tobacco, who are developing a plant-based coronavirus vaccine. A clear fact is that COVID-19 is forcing an evolution – one that will change the way we live, work and travel, not only in the UK, but around the world. The implications are profound for commuters and for government finances alike.

There are many companies which sadly have no choice but to shut down – the B2B technology industry is not one of them. Our industry is alive with opportunity. As impactful as Coronavirus is, it is accelerating digital transformation and we should be taking advantage by driving change in the market. We should be treating it the same way as we do a competitor – getting ahead of it, and outplaying it! Sales and Marketing leaders need to deliver innovative programmes; for example, exhibitions are being pulled across the world, with Mobile World Congress likely to be the next to announce its cancellation / postponement – we are advising that companies redirect those funds into programmes which are going to put your sales teams in front of decision makers today. Build relationships in the face of adversity. Become trusted advisers.

The msb team have also been adapting the way in which we work. Today marks the second full week of our company working remotely, a situation we are all prepared to settle into for the long-haul. All team members have been given a TV subscription package (Netflix / NOWTV), a Myzone belt for fitness (with lots of challenges being run across the teams), and a family takeaway once a month. We are also keeping the team spirit by having companywide f2f meetings each morning and afternoon for those missing the interaction. And each Friday sees online beers at 5pm – cheers!

This is a time where cool heads will prevail. I have always likened our journey at mysalesbox to building planes in the sky – something made famous by EDS several years ago. Now, more than ever, this rings true – we hope you too can build planes through this uncertain period.

Times are testing but, from here, the outlook is positive! Most importantly, we wish good health for you, your families, your colleagues, and your communities.

msb