During the pandemic lockdowns we have gotten used to digital communication tools much more than before. What emerges now is a hybrid between digital and “real-life” communication.
Here I want to tell you more on how Burckhardt uses «Hybrid Sales» to promote the sale process
We use a mix of digital and real-life tools (trade fairs, video conferences, phone calls, leaflet mailings, articles and texts in business publications) to communicate with prospective customers or increase sales leads. Here I am focusing on a few highlights of the digital tools we use:
– LinkedIn is a great platform for finding industry specific contacts and at the same time staying connected to existing contacts. Each new contact improves the network and brings new potential customers into contact while at the same time getting better information about certain topics. Burckhardt has a number of user groups on LinkedIn (Perforation/Fibrillation) and we encourage you to join them or follow our company on LinkedIn to stay in touch and informed.
– E-Newsletter: After several attempts we are now starting a regular bi-weekly newsletter containing an exciting mix of information. During the quieter Covid time when our sales people were grounded we have been developing many new products and digital information items which we will inform about in the newsletters to come.
The topics will cover areas such as new products (there is a lot coming), technical and application know-how, Burckhardt-people and actual information.
– Video Conferencing: Yes, we finally got used to having them and even appreciate the advantages of them. There is less travel necessary and with our agents at customers’ premises we can join by Video Conference and add value to discussions with customers and agents.
All those tools help us to reach the most important group of people – our customers and partners.
– Internal «customers» are the commission agents through whom we connect to our end-customers. Communication with them is mostly well established but we still strive to improve their knowledge and gain their continued interest in our products and services.
– Customers are also starting to like digital communication as it drastically reduces travelling while still allowing to communicate on technical and sales level. Our Newsletter or a communication on LinkedIn may recall their attention and give them a hint on whom to contact soon for the next order.
– Besides our customers there are many more multipliers, such as suppliers, colleagues, trade associations, even competitors as well as many other who can find our information useful and circulate it by sharing or liking it.
The crucial question once we have the tools and targets in place is: What do we communicate?
Content is king. Actually it is pretty easy to find topics in an innovative and active technical company such as ours. As long as it has three qualities:
– be relevant regarding the business
– be actual and educational
– add value
This may appear a somewhat technical text but I hope it was worth a few minutes of your time. If not Iet me know as I am glad to learn and improve!
