TRAINING TACTICS
Jared Chapman is Group Customer Manager at Suntory Coffee.
Adapting to change Jared Chapman on the importance of staying relevant and chasing new opportunities – and not just when a pandemic hits.
W
ow. What a challenging and different year 2020 has been so far. They say the only constant in life is change, and we have seen more than our fair share of change this year already. What has been fascinating is seeing how well people and businesses can adapt when there is little choice. Innovation springs to life and many people have found ways to keep their businesses running in clever and inventive ways. For some of these businesses, this new way of thinking is reluctant – a result of difficult circumstances forcing them to change to be able to stay open. For others though, challenging the status quo is not foreign, it’s just part of their DNA. In a lot of ways, the businesses who have always pushed the boundaries have set themselves up for greater success when things go unexpectedly pear shaped. They often have more diverse businesses, have learnt how to successfully implement innovation, and are more likely to have staff that embrace change rather than resist it. More importantly, there’s a good chance they have already put in place many of the initiatives that other businesses have recently been scrambling to introduce. Which brings me to my point. Regardless of whether there’s a global pandemic or not, the most successful businesses are ever changing. For them, new ideas are seen as opportunities rather than a hassle. They do this to stay relevant, keep things fresh, and to continue to find new ways to give their customers what they want. It just so happens that as a result they are more resilient in times of crisis. To illustrate, I’ll start by sharing some
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Consider hosting virtual coffee training or a virtual cupping for your wholesale customers.
“innovations” that many businesses have only implemented because they needed to in the age of coronavirus, while other businesses have been doing these things for a long time: 1. O nline ordering and delivery. This one is pretty obvious when everyone is forced to stay home, but it’s also a great example of how there are many cafés that were more prepared than others when the pandemic hit. This trend isn’t new and isn’t going away any time soon, so if you haven’t already, get onto it, get a website, and get set up. 2. Social media. Socials have long been a great way to engage with customers and keep your business front of mind. But businesses who
had been procrastinating on building a social media presence were kicking themselves when all of a sudden the only way they could try to bring customers in or keep them updated was through talking to their followers on social media. 3. Retail coffee beans. Retail coffee tends to not only have a higher margin than many other products that cafés sell, but also helps to increase the value of an existing customer – which is easier than winning a new one. An added bonus is that it’s easy to sell online. 4. Giving back. A lot of businesses have taken the opportunity to help or thank others, such as providing free coffee to health care workers. But being seen to be a generous business is always
