Taking Care of Business – Remotely

The new working reality is remote, and this will be the case for the foreseeable future. This new way of taking care of business can be challenging, but the ability to conduct business remotely is paramount to ensuring current (and future) success. Below are insights from EuroLink Managing Director, Joe Mannion:

As I write this, many of us are taking care of business, but remotely.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had the world in its grip for a full year now and the reality of working remotely from our business or place of work is the new norm, at least for now. If you are trying to grow your business internationally, the usual ability to invest time and money on trips to the markets is challenging, if not on hold completely. How can we overcome this challenge?

After 30 years of international business, and countless trips abroad across Europe, North America and Asia, even I find it somewhat stifling not to be able to meet with, let alone shake the hand of industry peers. In a normal year (remember those?), I could find myself on several flights within a week, visiting numerous countries.

Still, I count myself lucky to have a great network of connections and first-hand market knowledge around the globe. From the moment the first lockdown began, it has been imperative to communicate clearly and regularly with the markets. At a human level, I want to be sure my contacts are doing okay, and to wish them well during this challenging period. Picking up the phone and chatting, or doing an online video meeting, is so much better than any email that is ‘reaching out’. It’s reassuring for them (and for me) to share our stories and concerns. People do business with people after all.

Yes, there is business to be taken care of. We can’t withdraw from the world hoping it will be alright. Through a combination of organisation, discipline and technology we can continue to push out internationally, seeking information and business opportunities. In many sectors we deal with, the lead time into business is long. You must lay the groundwork months and years in advance. If you stay on the sidelines now, you can be sure that competitors will have moved ahead of your business in the future pecking order. Put yourself out there virtually and remotely for now, and when things do return to normal and we can travel freely once again, we can look back at this period as a test of our resilience and willingness to embrace change.

Thanks for reading my article on How To Conduct Business Remotely or in the words of the great Elvis – ‘thank you, thank you very much.’ If you would like to learn more about Joe and what we do at Eurolink, get in touch with us today.