[COLUMN] Changes and new methods after coronavirus

In spring, when coronavirus hit Slovenia as well, everything has changed. It changed the department of Strategic Sales and Procurement and the entire company. But change is the only constant in our lives, so we had to adjust certain processes and ways of communicating with our partners.

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After the coronavirus, we had to switch to online meetings and audits with our partners. Our home desk was our office, and although it all went smoothly, I admit that getting back to work at our office is always a pleasure.

I have to admit that internal collaboration between departments is much faster and with less disruption if done live than it is if we communicate via telephone or via e-mail. I am a supporter of face-to-face problem-solving. There are fewer misunderstandings, fewer conflicts, less writing, and more oral communication.

During online communication, we lose an important aspect, which is non-verbal communication. This way, it is more difficult to establish personal contact with partners, and this is a key part of creating genuine relationships. These are developed during coffee times or after the official parts and they contribute a lot to easier and more effective communication later when challenges arise.

In the meantime, we have also made steps forward at the internal level that no one had dared to undertake before. We updated the presentation for our new customers, we completed our catalog, we are working on the renovation of our company’s website, we added new, more creative, and more innovative ways of addressing customers, we revived old contacts … Adaptation to the new challenges was quick, which indicates agility of our whole organization.

The change was also a trigger for new opportunities that need to transform into opportunities. The supply chain is now shorter and more customers are turning from The East back to the European Union to make new partners. We have noticed that companies are currently more open to new collaborations and are still aiming for a bright future and new ingenious ways of cooperation. It is true, however, that in the future communication with some of them will continue as a combination of the old and the new way, but our job is to adapt to them and get to know our partners well enough to find out how we could write new success stories together.

Nonetheless, our 2020 target is still the same – and this is what encourages and motivates us. The sales target of the acquired deals with new partners, despite the virus, remained the same. We are currently very close to this goal, and given the fact that there is a whole quarter in front of us, we are sure that we will exceed it, which will mean a positive and optimistic entry into a new year.

Can we talk about everything collapsing during the corona crisis? Now we can say that it did not, but we were challenged by some changes. Opportunities shifted to the current time and to the last quarter, which is definitely good for us. Surviving the global crisis does not depend on how big or small a company is but is due to flexibility and agility.

What do we expect from the future? I can say that we expect growth, new customers, and a stronger medical part of our industry. Will we succeed? Definitely!

Klemen Slemenšek
Head of Strategic Sales and Procurement

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