Hi, everybody. I’m Mike Staver. This is Mondays with Mike, a weekly video series where I answer questions from people just like you. Here’s this week’s question.
“In the coming months, we are returning to in-person sales meetings with a hybrid option. There are varying degrees of comfort around this direction, what have you seen work and not work when it comes to returning to in-person get-togethers?”
Isn’t it amazing how many of these questions we get now? Isn’t it amazing how we’re thinking about whether or not we can gather together? Well, let me tell you what I’ve seen work and not work. I’ve seen it not work to flip the switch and tell people after what a year and a half or longer of being remote and having sales meetings and other kinds of meetings remote on Zoom, that all of a sudden you’re going to turn Zoom off and expect everybody to come back. I actually had a conversation with somebody else, with somebody the other day that did that and they said, “Okay, everybody come back to an in-person meeting.” And out of 40 people, two people showed.
Two people showed up. Nervously, the manager thought, “Man, what’s wrong? Are they disengaged?” No, they just learned a different way to do it. Here’s what I’ve seen work. I’ve seen hybrid work, people are afraid well, if you make it a hybrid option, then nobody will come, maybe that’s true and if that’s true, that’s good market data for you. Now, if you require an in-person meeting, that’s different, if you have the authority and ability to require that people come in, by all means, require that people come in but I’ve seen it not work to flip off the remote option and only have them come in, people just don’t unless it’s required. The remote option is getting less and less engaging especially long meetings.
If you’re going to have a hybrid or if you’re going to have a remote meeting though, you need to start requiring that people turn on their cameras and those requirements, I think need to happen. You wouldn’t go into a live meeting with a bag over your head. Why would you be in a remote meeting with your video off? That’s just ridiculous. What I’ve seen work or hybrid meetings that are highly engaging, entertaining, are mixed up, you got to keep your energy up on hybrid meetings, you’ve got to get the technology right in a hybrid meeting.
Whatever you’re doing live, you’ve got to set up a good camera, you got to have lights good like you’re in the studio, you’ve got to have good sound, you got to have the right definition in your camera so that it doesn’t feel like you’re in a tunnel otherwise people will not.
What works is doing both. What works is if you have to require it, require it. What works is good sound, light and camera. What works is making sure the energy is good, and that there’s a ton of value and what works is interviewing your customers and constituents about why they’re not coming back live if you have difficulty having live meetings. I hope that’s helpful.
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