While Carrie rides out a socially responsible social distancing policy in Michigan (where she is currently holed up after her cancelled trip to Mexico, and wearing winter coats and mittens, neither of which she is a fan of…) Tracie Orisko is onsite at the Everywhere Managed LLC call center in Las Vegas, where recent state and federal policies have mandated the closure of schools and all non-essential business.
As an office that does not accept public visitors, our call center is exempt from closing our doors. Which is good, because most of our team aren’t able to work from home. With state and federal policy changing rapidly, we are doing out best to balance the needs of our team’s health with their need to still pay their bills. You may remember that both Tracie and Carrie are Canadian, and as borders close, they are both seperated from their families for what will be an unknown period of time.
Tracie (CRO of Everywhere Managed LLC, and President of Managed Sales Pros, Inc.) checks in with her daily State of Everywhere Managed update:
——————————–
#TillTheWheelsFallOff
On Monday, we gave the team a choice – cut and run or stay and fight. Almost all of our team stood behind the comment made by one of the caller “Let’s drive this truck ‘till the wheels fall off.” This phrase can now be heard on the call floor every time an appointment is set, when a new client decides to come on-board, or if when one of our clients have to leave us to repurpose their investment to ensure they can financially support their own team. It has become our new Corona Virus Core Value.
Las Vegas has changed dramatically in the last week and even more so in the last 24 hours. The city has closed all non-essential businesses that are public-facing (restaurant, bars, casinos) and, as of today, our office building will be locked at all times with no visitors allowed in or out.
The morale of the team is high and for that, I am grateful. At least once a day, you can hear someone point out a “core value” action by a team member and say thank you for it. We start each day with a “state of Everywhere Managed” press conference and update throughout the day as moving parts fall in and out of place. Losing clients is tough, however, it was the right choice to give our raving fans the option to ensure that they can put their own teams and their own businesses first. New clients are taking a chance on us during this crisis, and I am working with the team throughout the day to ensure messaging is positive, brand protection is firmly in place and our commitments to clients are being met.
We are practicing social distancing; meetings are held with people in their own spaces, not up on our announcement platform; people are taking breaks separately, no one high fives after appointments any more. It changes the feel of the floor but we all know it is important to stay healthy and we are replacing those joys with other things. Today, strains of Frank Sinatra were heard across the office as one of our SDR’s hummed along to the jazz playing in the background.
For myself, I am self-isolating as much as possible. This week I had planned a trip with my son to Disneyland and it’s heartbreaking to be missing that. It would have been our first visit in over a year. We are staying in touch by phone. My daughter is choosing (with my full support) to shelter in place in Ukraine and we are talking daily over facetime. Today she even helped with childcare at my office from afar, playing over facetime with the two-year-old son of one of my SDR’s.
We will get through this together and so will you. Channel peeps – call anytime to talk, vent, commiserate and maybe even have a virtual drink!
#TillTheWheelsFallOff
——————————–
Thanks Tracie!
Some suggestions while you deal with this temporary new normal:
- Stay connected! Set up times to video chat with your coworkers, employees, friends and family – peoplethat are unaccustomed to being alone for long periods of time, who no longer have interaction with people in an office setting, or in restaurants or grocery stores, may begin to experience situational depression – create standing “people dates”. Everyone requires different amounts of socializing to fill up their glass, so remember – even if you’re not feeling the effects of social distancing, people you care about might be, and it’s not always easy to reach out and ask for help, especially if you’re not sure what you’re experiencing, or why.
- Learn some stuff! There are many online learning platforms, many offering discounted months. You can learn a new language, pick up a skill, or practice a hobby. Both Carrie and Tracie have worked remote on and off for seven years, and we managed a team of up to 30 remote agents at a time long before we went on-premise, so we’ve got this down. Join Carrie on Friday, March 20, for a webinar that will give you some HUGE TIME SAVING TIPS on how to effecitvely recruit, interview and manage remote sales agents:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3356780817920212491
Check out our online courses (currently offered on-demand only):
https://www.managedsalespros.com/prospecting-training/
- Read a book! Read a lot of books! The book we recommend currenty – especially in light of newly shifted workspaces requiring new habits is Atomic Habits, by James Clear. Our Closers Club members have already received copies of this book, and so far, everyone agrees with us, it might change your life and your business! #cabbage
And finally, remember if you’re not quarantined, or feeling sick, and you still have operational restaurants and cafes and retail stores in your state, your local businesses need your support far more than Amazon or major chains do. While the government is bailing out billion-dollar corporate entities, small businesses are being forced to close, forced to pay mandatory PTO, and hopefully many of them will, like us, try to keep their teams employed for as long as they can. I found this image on Twitter, credit to @commondeer – and it gives some great ideas on how you can support small business through this crisis:
We’ll see you on the other side of the war! #RISEUP