As we continue to navigate our current work situations, we’ve begun to establish what routines, techniques and practices will help us maintain our regular work. One of the most difficult aspects of working remotely is the lack of direct connection to both our teams and clients. As marketing and business development professionals, a key component of our work is to connect. Whether that’s connecting with audiences, project partners, the public, or team members, communicating thoughts and ideas effectively is key to maintaining and building relationships beyond face-to-face interaction. Remote work can make this a challenge, but connecting with audiences across a digital landscape is certainly not impossible.

Whether you’re getting used to the new dynamics imparted by video calls, cleaning up your space to generate a productive energy, or searching frantically for new areas of business to keep you busy, we have a list of tips and tricks for embracing remote business development.

Foster connection with your clients by:

• Holding virtual lunch, coffee or happy hour for your next meeting. This more relaxed setting allows you both to talk in a lower-stress area, while maintaining some of the camaraderie that is often imparted by working lunches.
• Reaching out to talk about more than work. We’re all going through a lot of changes, and checking in with clients beyond the status of one project helps cement those deeper connections that are so important in our industry.

• If able, support local business and let your clients know you are thinking of them by sending them a lunch, coffee, or gift cards.

Maintaining strong connections with your team and partners:

• Always share your video when teleconferencing—this keeps your connections strong, factors in the all-important non-verbal communication, and supports healthy remote work practices of getting ready and presentable for a team meeting.
• Make as many conversations within and outside your organization video chats.
• Over communicate with everyone: with your team, with your clients, with your family. Now is the time to be thorough, careful and connected.
• Share you home life with your connections (dogs, cats, kids). Choose to see this as a great opportunity for building relationships in this time of social distancing.

• Use social media to communicate your regular messages, and consider using it as a space to introduce community by sharing your remote work struggles or triumphs.

If you’re still not sure of where to start in all of this, we encourage you to keep an eye out for the SMPS headquarters new program Pivot & Focus.

We’d love to hear your ideas about remote work tips & tricks! Please share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].