📺 Forrester, Salesforce & ARPEDIO on the Future of AI and Account-Based Strategies: Watch it here.
📺 Forrester, Salesforce & ARPEDIO on the Future of AI and Account-Based Strategies: Watch it here.
I joined the virtual event with high expectations and was eager to hear speakers and trailblazers discuss the work of the future, trust and technology – and I was not disappointed. I’ve gathered some of my own key takeaways from the event in the hope that you can get inspired, just like I was at this year’s virtual Salesforce Live.
A question on everybody’s lips right now is how organizations can adapt to the new normal with the global pandemic forcing people to work from home. This year’s Salesforce Live placed focus on exactly that with panel debates, stories of best practice and experts elaborating on how companies should take on the new challenges they have been facing this past year.
I was intrigued, as I personally see data and technology as some of the cornerstones of the “new normal”. Those two fields are particularly close to my heart and also the foundation of our business, so I was keen to hear the views and opinions from some of the top executives and experts on this specific topic.
Kim Bang, Regional Vice President in Salesforce, deliberated on the marks that Covid has left on the Danish business community. What is the reality we’re facing and how do we ensure that we have the right tools to get through the changes that the pandemic has brought with it? One of the biggest considerations right now is the question of whether we’ll ever get back to working as we used to. A survey shows that 69% believe the pandemic will forever change the way they work.
Salesforce has already declared that the 9-5 workday belongs to the past and they have seen useful and applicable alternatives to the traditional way of working – it just requires modern cloud technology. In Salesforce, they call it Cloud 3.0. It enables coworkers to service, market, sell and collaborate around customers at any time. This digital transformation enables employees to work from anywhere, and there’s no doubt this will be a catalyst for growth and innovation in the future.
Another tendency that has been fueled in the aftermath of the pandemic is taking a corporate social responsibility for the industry you operate in. Organizations have taken a closer look at where and how they can reevaluate their core values, and one extremely important value in these times is trust! We need to trust the technology is there when we need it, we need to trust that our data is not being misused, and we need to trust our colleagues even though we don’t sit next to each other physically.
I, as someone operating in the digital sector, take this matter extremely seriously. If people don’t trust the technology, we don’t have any customers. That means that we, as an organization, have to work actively with creating trust. We have to act ethically and show social responsibility while also being competent, and I sincerely believe in a transparent and honest approach to all of our projects. At ARPEDIO, we operate with integrity and high personal commitment in the hopes that we leave a positive imprint, so listening to the whole trust-topic unfold was extremely relevant and rewarding, not just for me but I believe for all leaders and executives out there.
Mikkel Wolf Rasmussen, Head of Insights & Behavior at Primetime Communication, elaborated on why trust is more important than ever, and he started by pointing out two obvious reasons:
But the Danes’, and I assume the rest of the world’s, faith in the future is currently hanging by a thread. Here are some disturbing, yet very interesting stats:
It’s probably safe to say we’re finding ourselves not only in a pandemic, but in a confidence crisis, where our faith in the future is faltering. However (and luckily there’s also a little brightness in all of this), 56% trust their social institutions globally. Also, an increasing trust in corporations is seen as 61% have faith in companies. But the trust in companies also obligates! And how do you act on this as a leader?
Mikkel Wolf offered some pieces of advice for all leaders to take into consideration and use as a stepping stone to build trust with their employees:
Influential top executives took the conversation on trust even further and gave their take on how to build trust with customers and employees in the light of Covid and the global lockdown. The discussion also held aspects of how they see technology and digitalization ensuring strong and trustworthy companies in practice.
In general, building trust with customers and employees centers around being genuine and honest – everyone in the panel could agree on that, and so can I. Communicating clearly and transparently to both employees and customers is the essence. In today’s world, we see more and more leaders bringing their personal selves into work. The attitudes and norms that drive them at home are starting to show in their work as well because if you act differently in different settings, you will appear unauthentic – therefore, the values that you have as a private person are starting to gain ground.
But in a world where people seemingly are starting to lose faith, how does a company as a whole navigate responsibly and considerately? This is what I have been trying to maneuver around for the past year and my conclusions are similar to what the panel also discusses further.
The real challenge is to go from having “trust” as a core value to actually practicing it, but as soon as a company starts practicing what it preaches it will automatically show as business returns. If a salesperson can stand in front of a customer with fire and passion in his eyes, then it seems authentic and that creates trust.
After watching this year’s Salesforce Live, I’m left with a lot of positive and bright takeaways, and I have the feeling that Covid has not only brought bad things with it, but also a new and challenging yet interesting future, where the way we work will continue to develop and bring exciting new possibilities and opportunities.
As I circle back to the question that was buzzing in my head at the beginning of the Salesforce Live Conference: “Could the post-Covid time be our chance to build stronger relationships and generate a sense of trust with employees and customers – perhaps through data and technology?” – I find the answer to be simple.
If we want to accelerate our business growth and development, I believe now is exactly our time to build and generate a stronger relationship and sense of trust with employees and customers – especially working with sales and account management.
We find ourselves in a world where everything is being questioned and evaluated, and if people don’t find your way of doing business sincere or honest you simply lose your customers. A digital transformation is happening in the light of the changed standards where people have to find alternative ways of working remotely. Being able to work from anywhere and at any time is made possible through technology and people are getting more and more used to the fact that that’s the way the future is shaped, and they have to trust it – that is our new normal.
You can watch or re-watch the entire Salesforce Live Event here. Please note that the event is in Danish.
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+45 31 46 31 56 / +1 650 398 1285
[email protected]
linkedin.com/in/monberg/
Follow us on LinkedIn to get all the newest perspectives and insights around strategic relationship management and sales innovation.
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