How Corona Virus Is Impacting B2B Sales

Carlos Valdés
Company: Inventures Consulting

My interview was made to a strategic technology consulting. Inventures Consulting is a

small technological management consultancy located in Chile. I interview Cristobal Ojeda
an consultant that is very involve in the sales process of the company, because he is one
of the members that has the most interaction with customers every day. The interview
was made by zoom and here are the main answers:

1.Which have been the consequences of coronavirus for your company’s business,
the sales process, and your specific job/role?

Inventures is involved in accelering digital transformation into companies, they develop

web pages, software and global solutions to take advantage in this transformation. The
consequences of the corona virus has been positive due to the necessity for the
companies to find solutions into online development. Corona virus has given a boom into
digital solutions. But also there has been a setback for some clients because consultory is
consider a cost to companies and many off their clients has been shocked in their sales to
their final costumers. The specific job hasn’t change, instead there is more job to do, but
their been certain delay in closing deal with the customer.

2. What are the greatest challenges that you and your company are facing? Are
there any opportunities arising from the coronavirus situation?

As a priority today, consultory is not on the top list, companies are trying to reduce cost,
they are trying to concrete their sales and eliminate all unnecessary expenses. “Tenemos
que reinventarnos hoy en dia, demostrarle a las empresas que no somos un costo sino
más bien una inversión necesaria, ahí esta el mayor desafio hoy por hoy”. Cristóbal, thinks
that digital transformation due to covid 19 is now a minimum for the companies if they
want to stay competitive. Corona virus is an opportunity due to the need of a digital
transformation that many companies will demand for support in developing their systems.
3. What have your company and yourself done so far to address these challenges
and/or opportunities? What has worked well so far, and what has not? Which has been
the role of technology in this process?

The role of technology has been positive, big companies are not usually willing to adapt
into digital transformation, due to covid19 know they will be forced to do it. Home office
has been a company challenge in order to coordinate meetings and reviewing projects.
But also it has been an opportunities.” Ha sido una oportunidad para poner a prueba el
trabajo en equipo, nueva forma de interactuar, para cumplir con los objetivos de entrega.”
Home office has worked fine dude to the teams commitment to the company. But specific
project had not worked so good because of it complication to coordinate different areas.
Technology provides Inventure consulting the opportunity to play an important role in
digital transformation to companies because due to covid19 is an urgent necessity.

4. What have you learned from dealing with this situation? What are the key takeaways,
so far, that could help you and your company face similar situations in the future?

Cristóbal tells us that home office is one learned situation that could be use in the future
by the company, Inventures has a lot of part time workers, so home office has supposed a
difficulty in order to coordinate teams, the biggest difficulty has been team work. Covid19
supposes a need for companies to adapt, Inventures is not the exception. “Para una
situación similar en el futuro, vamos a tener el aprendizaje de como se puede trabajar y
vamos a ser capaces de adaptarnos de manera más veloz”. Being able to easily adapt is
essential por consultory in situations like this.

5. Do you think the selling process in your company and/or the way they interact with
customers will change after the coronavirus situation is over, relative to how this was
done before the virus arrived? If yes, how?

The selling process won’t change much due to the need of an interpersonal relationship
with the client that is the main process in the selling. In consultory “las personas tienen un
valor intrinseco, sin lugar a dudas la tecnología online ayuda a mantener esas relaciones
hoy en día”. Many of the unnecessary visits to clients will change due to the massive use
of platforms like zoom. Customers and the company need to take advantage of this
situation and start thinking in a more globalized world with foreign opportunities with
clients.