It feels to me as though there are a number of global issues that are beginning to converge.
The Coronavirus crisis is clearly the most pressing, given the devastating impact it is having upon countries around the world. The economic impact has already begun to take its toll upon airlines and businesses in the hotel and leisure sector amongst others. The collapse of regional airlines means that air travel within the UK is, and will, not be an option for many.
Prior to this global pandemic, the steady beat of the climate change drum was already becoming more urgent. Greta Thunberg had, to some extent, succeeded in ensuring that the climate crisis was a regular feature in news bulletins. In news that already seems a long time ago, Heathrow’s plans for a third runway was ruled illegal because the government failed to factor in the impact it would have upon its commitments to tackle the climate crisis whilst HS2 was given the green light.
Ally to that the trend in Boardrooms for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the rise of purpose-driven organisations and it is clear that the momentum towards a more sustainable form of commercial life is growing. As a sales organisation when this crisis is over, will it still be acceptable to send salespeople around the globe to attend conferences, regional sales meetings and to meet customers? Given the number of airlines that are at risk of going bust, if demand were to return, will the cost of flying be prohibitive to all but the largest organisations anyway? If so, won’t they become much more discerning about how they spend their travel budgets, where the value is, who can fly and when?
With people urged to work from home where they can, businesses are increasingly gearing up for the remote working revolution. Anecdotally, it appears that more people are beginning to realise that being physically present with another person is not a prerequisite to doing business. Will we return to the ‘old ways’ when we are able to, criss-cross the country, or even the globe, to grease the wheels of business? Personally, I think, and hope, that is unlikely.
In recruitment many of our assessments are already delivered online, for example where the candidate is located overseas. However, it has taken current events to make it ‘acceptable’ for UK-based candidates to be assessed in the same way. Bloojam’s expertise in delivering one-to-one assessments online, using a blend of online psychometric testing, followed up with an in-depth remote interview with one of our expert consultants, will give you unique insight into your candidates. Our bespoke reports pinpoint the candidate’s key strengths and development needs against our Acuity for Strategic Sales model, proven to predict enhanced sales performance of up to 23% more in revenue per month, ensuring that you not only continue to recruit in straitened times but can do so with confidence that you are hiring high performing, extremely capable candidates.
Jim Bloomfield is a Director of Bloojam Consulting with 20 years’ experience of using business psychology to develop salespeople and leaders. He is a member of the Association of Business Psychology (ABP) and the British Psychological Society (BPS) and has successfully helped some of Britain’s best-known businesses exceed their sales goals.