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Time To Drop Your Corporate Mask
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Drop Your Corporate Mask
Articles

Time To Drop Your Corporate Mask

April 14, 2020
-
Posted by Ian Whitworth
https://ianwhitworth.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Mask.mp3

Audio version 11 mins or listen on Spotify. Photo Polina Zimmerman


A Return To Basic Humanity

 

Right now your earnings are somewhere between zero, or if you’re super lucky, just your worst year ever. Unless you’re fortunate enough to be in something like supermarkets or medical equipment.

It’s going to be that way for a while. Get used to it.

It’s confronting to call customers who you know don’t need anything for the next six months. Sales people have all done the ‘Learn To Love No’ course, but No has never been so limitless.

So what do you do? I’ve spoken to a range of smart, connected people lately as part of our new chat show project, and the single common theme has been a return to basic humanity.

Looking out for the people around you. A pause in the selfishness and animal-kingdom posturing that drives so much of business. A dropping of the corporate mask.

Whether that’s a blip or a seismic shift … I don’t know. Nobody does. It’s still early days.

If your business is in hibernation, you should basically do nice things for free. Because you’ve got nothing else to do, and you will be rewarded whenever the wheels start turning again.

It’s a bit like the staff layoff situation from a few weeks ago: clients will remember for decades how you behaved through all this. Good and bad.

Now is the time strong, enduring new customer bonds are created, far more than in the good times. Because now is a time when people can tell if you have their back or not.

 

Sales: Just Check In

 

Here’s your sales call in April 2020: don’t even mention your product unless they bring it up. Now is not the time.

At a basic human level, check in with your customers (and others in your industry) and see how they’re going. As a business owner, I haven’t spent as much time on the phone since email was invented, and we’re doing zero revenue. People want to talk.

They want reassurance on a level that messages can’t provide. The phone (or one-on-one video call) is the Magic Empathy Machine, picking up a thousand percent more information than digital chat.

Ask how people are. Personally, as well as business. Listen. Not just to what they say, but their general vibe. Let them finish. Pause before you answer.

(I think we’re now in an era where female communication skills will absolutely rule. And men, you can do this.)

Making those calls is important now, and it’s going to get more important to check on people you value, as weeks of lockdown grind into months. People are going to go down some dark mental holes indeed. Even if they’re still working.

I have readers I’ve never met checking in on me. Bless those people.

 

What Can You Do That’s Valuable To Them?

 

If they can’t buy your product, what can you do to help them that costs you nothing other than your time?

Depends on your product but some ideas:

  • Open up online subscriptions for free
  • Research future trends and write customers a report
  • Do some Zoom training on your product
  • Use your connections to help them find some customers
  • Can you partner with a complementary business who also has nothing on?

We’re doing that last one. Because there are no live events on, we built popup video streaming studios in three of our offices.

We spoke to our friends at Saxton Speakers bureau, who have a huge lineup of (normally expensive) guest speakers who are also doing nothing. Combine the two, and we have a free twice-weekly show that’s providing a lot of benefit to both companies’ customers. Which will pay off in future goodwill.

 

Nadine Champion: drop the corporate mask

My responsibly-spaced studio chat with martial arts World Cup winner Nadine Champion

 

(Bonus: I can’t speak for Saxton but from our viewpoint, it’s helping stop ourselves getting bored out of our goddamn minds.)

 

Your Stiff Corporate Persona Is So 2019

 

Clients seeing your social streams have eroded the divide between your work personality and your actual self for the last decade.

COVID-19 is destroying what’s left of that wall.

Customers see you in all your vulnerability, dressed in put-out-the-bins casual. Stacks of background junk where you hacked out a home-office clearing like a jungle explorer. Kids fighting.  Cat snacking on the half-eaten sandwich you left next to the printer.

Zoom home images are starting to look a lot like this.

 

“Urchin, wherefore art thy mute button?”

 

In that context, it’s much harder to start a conversation with “So the bottom line is, when are we going to deliver those deliverables?”

I have seen posts from people who put on the full boardroom outfit, full makeup, perfect hair and so on for their home Zoom calls, to show that they’re still on top of the situation. It might be just the mental trick you need to switch yourself into work mode, and if so go for it.

But be aware that it can come across like some kind of weird dress-up party now.

Virtual corporate backgrounds on your Zoom: weird and fake.

(Also, though a bit off-topic: is it just me or has every brand I’ve ever unsubscribed from re-set their email lists, and are nowback pestering with off-key COVID-themed sales pitches?)

The virus has done us the favour of stripping away a lot of success-prop fakery. We’re moving into a sort of anti-prestige situation where genuine status comes from being honest and unafraid to talk about your weaknesses and feelings.

You can drop your corporate mask and still be fully professional.

 

Honest Is Strong

 

Here’s a nice example of the new rules at work: Sydney lawyer James D’Apice, who does a really good video series called Coffee And A Case Note, interesting case law snippets presented in words non-lawyers can understand.

He shoots them in various CBD cafes, toting a piccolo or hipster cold drip brew, suited up like Mister Big City Law Guy.

 

 

James D'Apice

 

 

The videos open with a set-piece montage of ties knotting and cufflinks snapping into place. Oh yeah, it’s Business Time.

Coronavirus destroyed James’ natural habitat but the videos roll on. I’m guessing most viewers were expecting to see him pop up in a comfortable Tuscan-style villa in one of the rugby-enthusiast suburbs.

Guess again.

A couple of kinda rustic-looking videos in a hoodie, then … enter The Woodsman.

And he don’t care who knows it.

 

 

 

Paradox: the fact that he’s opening up about something that doesn’t fit conventional lawyer prestige, and admitting to his fears about something competitors might call weakness, shows infinitely more strength and character than someone stepping out of a Bentley Bentayga with LITIG8 plates.

(I did take the liberty of suggesting to James that that shot is crying out for a red flanno, both for bush cred and to pop him out from that camouflage background. Old art director habits die hard).

The game has changed. Things you thought were impressive a few months ago make you sound really tone-deaf (and a liar).

Wrong

“Enjoying a celebratory #champagne after closing yet another successful client deal in this market. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Strong

“I’m getting about 70% of my job done but I’m enjoying helping educate my kids. And frankly I’m still pretty scared but we’ll get through this.”

 

Don’t apologise for Survival You. The only way you’re going to survive the coming months is being absolutely true to yourself.

Your clients can handle it. Your loved ones will appreciate it, even if they’re not saying so at the time. You’ll emerge a better, stronger person, and frankly you’ll have more fun in the long term because you’ll hear those inner voices more clearly.

Get listening, folks.

 


 

A lot of the thoughts on sales above came via Cian Mcloughlin when we did a Fireside Chat last week, talking about the new rules of sales. Cian has his finger on the pulse of that world better than most. It’s a half hour chat and worth it even if you’re not working directly in sales, watch it here.

Here’s the two minute edit to give you an overview.

 

 

And on Thursday, I’m talking to Australia’s leading media Coronavirus authority, the ABC’s Dr Norman Swan. About teambuilding! Nah it’s about Coronavirus. We have lots more guests, shows are every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am.

 

Dr Norman Swan

 

The shows are all free, for all the upcoming guests and registrations go here.

Also I write a story like this every Tuesday, drop your email here to get it in your inbox.

 

Spotify link

April 14, 2020

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10 Comments

on Time To Drop Your Corporate Mask.
  1. Fionn
    April 14, 2020 @ 10:31 pm
    -

    What a great post, thanks Ian. As always, helping to steer us in the right direction just when we need it.

  2. Natalie Page
    April 15, 2020 @ 12:24 am
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    Ian, each week is better than the last – loving these blogs – and my god your words resinate massively!… thank you for taking the time to write these truly refreshing blogs….

  3. Marcus
    April 15, 2020 @ 2:45 am
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    Lovingly disguised with belly cracking humour and straight-shooting stories you’ve actually always been ‘lofty in a nice way’ and more inspirational than you probably know Ian ;0) … its a read I look forward to every week and click on without hesitation.

    Many thanks.

  4. Ian Whitworth
    April 15, 2020 @ 1:39 pm
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    Cheers Natalie hope you guys are doing ok on your private island!

  5. Ian Whitworth
    April 15, 2020 @ 1:40 pm
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    Thanks Marcus so pleased to hear that!

  6. Monique Perera
    April 15, 2020 @ 8:55 pm
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    I don’t think there are many blogs I look forward to reading as much as yours, Ian. Always relevant, intelligent and speckled with some laughs. Feels like I am hearing from an industry mate rather than another salesman. Love your authenticity!

  7. Ian Whitworth
    April 17, 2020 @ 12:10 pm
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    Thanks Monique that is very kind of you

  8. Jane
    April 19, 2020 @ 1:24 am
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    Great blog, again! Totally agree that James needs a red flanno.

  9. Kristin
    April 22, 2020 @ 12:17 am
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    Loved this post Ian and regularly read your blog – almost always gives me a giggle as well as something to think about. And no it’s not just you, all those lists you’ve unsub’d from do seem to have been activated again with people shrieking at you to buy their stuff – ugh!! As a marketer, I’m embarrassed for those in my industry that have misread the times so badly and are encouraging that. Your sentiment is so right – don’t sell, just chat and see how people are really doing.

  10. Ian Whitworth
    April 22, 2020 @ 7:31 am
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    Thanks Kristin I’m glad it’s not just me, I was really hoping to use the extra time for something more productive than re-unsubscribing

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Ian Whitworth is a reformed advertising creative director turned entrepreneur with a successful national group of businesses that he doesn’t work in day to day. Read more

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