Nicholas is the Regional Sales Manager for Quebec. He shares how his team is staying connected to each other and to brokers and why patience and positivity are the most important aspects of relevance right now.
How have you been supporting your team, both professionally and emotionally?
NI: It is definitely challenging not to be able to see each other physically. We’ve been doing a weekly video conference to stay connected. We review questions and update each other on what’s going on. But mostly, people just need to connect, talk and stay in touch. We also have a WhatsApp group chat that we’re using to stay in constant communication. With all of the concerns about the current situation, I’m emphasizing patience and positivity. We are where we are right now, but it won’t last forever. Quebec was one of the first provinces to go into full shut down, and we’re finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Things are opening up and cases are plateauing. Those are positive developments and provide some hope that things are on their way back to normal.
How has your team mobilized to support brokers?
NI: We are in constant communication with brokers. We are probably talking more now than we did before. Our team has really stepped up. We’ve spoken to everyone and reassured brokers that we are here for them, fully functional working from home and ready for business.
What strategies are you putting in place to manage the situation going forward?
NI: In the first few weeks, we were really sensitive to the situation in terms of how we were communicating. We just wanted brokers to know and feel that we were there to help. Now, we’re transitioning to doing our day-to-day virtually instead of in person. We will still be there, just in a different way.
What is the most important aspect of relevance for brokers to focus on right now, and how is your team helping brokers be relevant in that way?
NI: I think positivity and patience are so important. Of course, some days are more challenging than others, balancing family, work and all of this uncertainty. But we are going to get through this. We are already seeing things starting to get better. Our job right now is to be available for brokers and keep sharing the updates that we get, so they are informed.
Any final thoughts?
NI: I try to focus on the bigger picture. And I’m passing that perspective on to my team. We had a great start to the year, so we can weather this. People’s expectations about 2020 were really positive. And now we’re facing a big roadblock, so we have to adjust our expectations. I think we’ve done that really well. Morale is good for the most part, and everyone – the team and brokers – have been understanding and are anticipating better days.