Flexing to meet new client needs

The end of lockdown is in sight, and it is hopefully the last one ever.

So the next question is, will things get back to how they were and do we want them to?

The technical acceleration in adopting video conferencing means that the need to head across the country for minor meetings is, hopefully, finally over. However, that’s not what I am alluding to with the question.

The questions I think we should all be asking ourselves, as business owners, are:

  • Do our customers still need or want the same products and services?
  • Do our customers still want to purchase in the same way?
  • Do we still want to sell the same products and services?
  • And do we actually even want the same customers?

When we explored these questions, the team at Cotton Court reached out to existing customers and factored these questions into discussions with potential new customers.

One of the most significant changes the pandemic has brought about is the need for greater flexibility when procuring our services.

The Covid shockwave has brought into question our relationship with permanence.

I feel that committing to future business activities at a specified volume has become a barrier, maybe even a dealbreaker, if amicable flex cannot be added to provide an extra layer of comfort for both parties.

With a pent-up demand and an urgency to forge forward and recoup lost ground due to Covid, the Lancashire business landscape will no doubt look different, but I am quite excited to see it burst back into action!

  • To read this feature in full and access further Lancashire business news, advice and analysis subscribe to Lancashire Business View magazine or join the LBV Hub from just £2.50 per month. Click here to subscribe now.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Robert Binns, Cotton Court

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