About Adam Anderson
In a September 2024 podcast appearance, Adam Anderson discussed how his organization has improved its use of data, stating that "we're better at looking at data because we have so much data available to us now it's almost overwhelming and we're getting better and better all the time at using it, leveraging it to drive value." He described using purchasing data to build a picture of customer behavior before meetings, saying that this approach allows him to be "a lot more educated than you were before."
Anderson also addressed changes in customer engagement, noting that hybrid work has altered expectations around scheduling in-person meetings. He said that "the expectation that you could set a meeting with them in two days and that they'll be there just doesn't work that way anymore." While expressing a preference for face-to-face meetings, which he called "the Holy Grail," Anderson described virtual meetings as "really productive and helpful." He emphasized that the choice between in-person and virtual meetings should be driven by customer preference, stating that "it's not about what we want, it's about what's going to be best for them."
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Adam Anderson's recent appearances.
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Transcript (3 segments)
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Interviewer0:00
You said it works right, picking up that phone. Has there been anything else where you look at yourself and say, oh, I actually changed some of my habits or how I'm outgoing when I talk to customers? Have you changed over the last couple of years?
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Adam Anderson0:12
I would say we're better at looking at data because we have so much data available to us now. It's almost overwhelming, and we're getting better and better all the time at using it, leveraging it to drive value. But I think when you're talking to a customer, the more you've studied that data and understand what they're doing by what they're buying and how many of what, and do some analysis, then you go to the customer and you've put together a picture of what they're doing just based on their purchasing habits, which I'm not sure we really had the tools to do that in the past. So that's one thing that's helpful: you can go to them and you're a lot more educated than you were before because you're able to see so much of what they've been buying. So that's one thing. And the other thing I think is just understanding that they are working hybrid, and they're not in the office every single day, and so that changes things. The expectation that you could set a meeting with them in two days and that they'll be there just doesn't work that way anymore. Unfortunately, we love face-to-face meetings; that's the Holy Grail. We're always trying to get face to face with customers, but virtual meetings are really great. I mean, they can be really productive and they can be helpful too. So I think just giving the customers leeway to decide whether they want to be face to face or virtual, it's not about what we want, it's about what's going to be best for them. So listening to what they need and what their problem is. I also think with virtual meetings, sometimes you can get some of the first initial questions that can help you get to that second meeting that could be in person, which will actually be much better and bring much more value. But it all depends.
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Interviewer2:01
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