Updates for the COVID-19 pandemic are rolling in at breakneck speed, causing changing regulations for employers and spikes and drops in the marketplace. It’s enough to give you whiplash. In this uncertain climate it’s easy to lose focus. Our Hope is Not a Strategy series aims to shift the focus away from bad news and foster a positive conversation about what we CAN do while being surrounded with messages about what we CAN’T do. If we play our cards right, we in the building materials industry can come out the other side better prepared for life in a new normal: changes in our work, in market supply and demand, and ultimately the building materials industry as a whole.

In a previous installment of this series I discussed a handful of alternative types of marketing messaging for those anxious that their typical sales driven marketing can be perceived as insensitive during this sensitive time. In this installment I want to highlight a company doing a phenomenal job navigating these uncharted waters, and using this situation as an opportunity to strengthen relationships. 

2020 Was Supposed to be a Banner Year 

2020 was supposed to be a banner year for Dallas based Adleta Corporation. After wrapping up their annual product show in early January with strong sales and their highest turnout ever, President John Sher announced the next 2 top priorities for the company: a bold expansion into new geographic territory, and planning the biggest celebration the company had ever thrown – their 100th Anniversary. 

Friends of Adleta – clients, suppliers, customers, and friends and supporters from throughout the Dallas community and across the flooring industry were about to be invited to celebrate with them in the one and only Dallas Cowboys Stadium, reserved exclusively for this special occasion. In late January whispers of an outbreak 8,000 miles away in Wuhan, China were of no concern to the planning committee. 

Change of Plans

Fast forward to March, the country was in panic mode, nary a roll of toilet paper was to be found at local grocers. The Cowboys Stadium 100th Anniversary Party vision was quickly fading. Sales managers responsible for the expansion had produced new product portfolios, but plans to visit each of their new prospects were postponed and began reaching out by phone and email, a far cry from the personal touch Adleta strives for. 

Sher decided a shift in Adleta’s marketing strategy was in order. Up to this point it had been messaging from the company sent out as graphic designed email blasts. 

Sher began sending personally written Letters from the President explaining the situation and his plans to help their customers and employees get through it, and wherever possible, thrive in spite of it. Personal replies and heartfelt responses to his first of many email blasts immediately came pouring in. As replies came in, Sher made it a point to reply personally to every customer who’d responded to one of his Letters from the President. This went on for weeks without fail. 

Reacting Quickly 

On a Sunday evening in late March, Dallas County announced a Stay-At-Home order going into effect that night at midnight. The next morning, Monday, Adleta sent out a simple message assuring customers Adleta was open. On this first day of the Stay-at-Home order in effect, many staff, including CSRs, began their first day in their newly (and surely hastily) established home offices. 

On Monday just before lunch, a customer emailed in annoyed with having been transferred during the phone order process. In under an hour Sher attempted to contact the customer personally, and unable to reach him by phone, sent him a detailed email offering what Adleta was working on to continue to offer their best possible service and even included his personal cell phone number.

Responding, Reassuring, Reinforcing 

Sher adding in this personal touch wasn’t necessarily doing anything new, or  groundbreaking. But the response he earned, the heartfelt outpouring of gratitude and support, was something I was absolutely not anticipating. Because the email blasts are sent through a marketing platform JAST Media provides Adleta, customer replies also flow through our system. I was lucky enough to see firsthand the effects of Sher’s letters. This message, one of many, grabbed my attention: 

Sher taking the time to add that personal touch and seeing the response he received first hand gave me a moment of clarity. We’re all facing a new, unfamiliar set of challenges. Our clients, suppliers, and partners are looking to us for assurances of stability and flexibility. Our staff and managers are looking to us not just for direction, but for leadership. 

In these uncertain times we won’t have all the answers, but now more than ever is the time to show those looking to you why they trusted you in the first place. Whether your preferred mode of communication is email, phone, social media, letters, use it. However uncertain you feel, know that those that rely on you feel the same, and likey to a much greater degree. Give those that are looking to you to lead the confidence to put their best foot forward every hour of every day. Together we can come out the other side of this stronger, and better prepared for a new normal.