Jason and Bart welcomed their first guest, Adam Kurzawa, to their show. Adam is the director of business development at Expand the Room, a small digital agency in New York City. They started the conversation by discussing how the sales cycles for digital agencies have been changing. Adam shared his background and experience with sales tactics and strategies. He mentioned that a call he had just finished was about sales tactics, and he was asked what he does. Adam then briefly summarized his career and how he got to his current role at Expand the Room. They discussed how going old school with sales strategies can be beneficial in the current environment. Jason and Bart then encouraged their YouTube viewers to leave their comments and thoughts on the conversation.
The conversation is between two individuals who work in a remote digital marketing agency, Expand the Room. They discuss how the pandemic has changed their business and the sales cycle. They note that after the initial drop in business in mid-May, it was quiet for several months until October when it suddenly became busy for the end of the year. They attribute this to the fact that Q4 is now bigger than it had been in years before. They also discuss the importance of relationship-building in sales and how their music and entertainment experience has informed how they approach it.
The conversation discussed the current economic situation and its impact on the industry. It was noted that January was an odd month but that things are starting to shake loose. It was suggested that clients return to the office, which allowed people to flex some muscle memory and do things they haven't done in a while. Whether the current situation is a six-month or twelve-month recession or inflation was raised. The conclusion was that it doesn't really matter and that it's important to keep selling and not let the outside noise get you down. It was also suggested that the market is right-sizing itself and that a lot of money is floating around, and people are getting paid more than usual.
The conversation is about the changing job market for developers and other technology professionals. Last year, a huge demand for tech workers led to engineers asking for two to three times their salary. However, by the end of the year, the market had shifted, and there was a surplus of developers and other tech workers due to layoffs. The conversation then turned to the idea of the tech session, which is when the pendulum swings back after having swung too far in the other direction. The group discussed how different industries and sectors will be affected differently by the current situation and how understanding the life cycle of each client and their industry is important for service providers.
