Claudia Stephenson is Managing Director, Europe at INVNT, a global brand storytelling agency. She has over 20 years of experience in brand activation and live events, and her team has developed several award-winning brand storytelling campaigns.
We’re talking with Claudia today about how to build relationships and develop business in the digital landscape, even when you can’t meet your potential clients face-to-face. We share our combined expertise on creating dynamic, diverse teams and cultivating meaningful connections remotely. We tackle the challenge of sales "ghosting" and discuss the power of emotional intelligence and respectful persistence in winning over clients. We also examine stakeholder psychology, asking pivotal questions to unlock client budgets, and fostering long-term trust.
Topics covered during this episode include:
- How virtual connections can revolutionize relationship building.
- Why nurturing talent and supporting underrepresented groups is vital for marketing agencies.
- How Claudia's figure skating background influences her leadership and personal growth strategies.
- Why understanding stakeholder psychology is crucial for overcoming sales "ghosting."
- How respectful persistence can transform silent prospects into active partnerships.
- Why asking the right questions can allow access to client budgets.
- How maintaining strategic vigilance ensures a team's alignment with innovation and attitude.
- Why trust, storytelling, and strategic insights are key to making pitches stand out.
- How team diversity contributes to a successful business environment.
- Why hiring for attitude often trumps skill in building effective teams.
- How remote communication tools like Zoom facilitate building rapport with clients.
- Why long-term relationship building and trust are essential for securing deals.
- How virtual meetings during COVID-19 often proved as fruitful as in-person interactions.
- Why demonstrating deep knowledge and insights when asked tough questions impresses buyers.
- How the approach to business development adapts to virtual environments.
Claudia Stephenson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiastephenson/
