Moving to 3D —4 Question Survey to Agency Prospects and Clients

Moving to 3D

by Kristy Vivian, Account Executive for Intersection

Vivian is a 30 year OOH vet who recently joined the Intersection team in Dallas after being a road warrior for Billups as VP of Business Development for many years. The change happened just a few months before Covid hit. Vivian wanted to sink into a non-travel role in her hometown and boy did she get her wish. Nobody traveled for many, many months.

Moving to 3D in a post pandemic world

I was recently in an elevator in Dallas after making a drop off to a prospect.   I only got into the building after sweet talking the security guard to escort me up to the prospects floor.  A girls got to do what a girls got to do – right?  In the elevator I heard two guys chat it up after not seeing each other for 15 months.  He said – I am so tired of seeing people in 2D (zoom calls) – it is good to see you in 3D.

3D is where we used to be before all of this craziness.   Pressing the flesh at SXSW, long lunches, presentations in front of entire agencies, ticket drop offs to concerts or sporting events.  Those were the good old days kids!   This got me to thinking about how us suppliers/sellers/OOH vendors/pounders of the provincial pavement are having to navigate this new reality.   How are we connecting with prospects and clients?  Are the relationships going to wither away?  Never begin?  We need to move back to 3D selling.  It is so much more fun and profitable!

My new reality had to be mapped out.   About a week ago I sent a simple 4 question survey to my agency prospects and clients, trying to find out information to make my job easier.   What is their current work environment?  How comfortable are they with home deliveries of swag etc.   The survey was sent out to a group of about 150 or so.  The questions were simple – but extremely revealing.

Here is the survey and a summary of the responses.

1. What is your current work environment?
   Answers: 10% are back at the office.  40% are Mixed: Days work from home and days work in the office.  50% are working at home.
2. Has your company given up it’s brick and mortar building?
   25% said yes.   50% said No.  The remaining 25% said comments like: Yes, but this will likely be revisited in certain markets; Moved into a co-working building (we-work); Some office locations have reopened.
3. Has your company started to accept in person meetings such as lunch and learns, meetings, lunches and or drop offs?
   85% Yes, 15% said No.
4. If you work from home, do you feel comfortable sharing your home address for drop offs (if yes please share)?  Or is there another way to get physical materials to you?  i.e. swag, holiday gifts, drop offs etc.
   Answers: Shockingly all but 1 person gave their home address.  And only one other asked that I call first before dropping off.

The shock is over.  The recovery has begun.   Cheers to the future of OOH advertising sales!  Nobody promised it would ever be easy.

The one question I did not ask and I wish I did was:
Does your company require proof of full Covid-19 vaccination prior to face to face meetings?
This question came about from something I heard on the street.  Some companies are now requiring that you show proof of vaccination to set foot in the door.   A brand new hurdle in the race for the almighty dollar.

All in all, what I learned is that it is an entirely different sales environment than my career has brought me to.   I am shocked that I now know home addresses of key prospects and they are comfortable to meet with me face to face on their turf so that true relationships can begin again.  I feel the best way to navigate and really become 3D to your clients/prospects is to just ask the hard questions.  Send out your own survey.   Your client wants to get back to the way things were with perks and knowledge about the products you sell.  The shock is over.  The recovery has begun.   Cheers to the future of OOH advertising sales!  Nobody promised it would ever be easy.

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