By Ashley Reyes
Frank Vasquez, brand manager at KW Automotive North America Inc., is the latest SEMA Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN) member to share his insight on how his company pivoted during the pandemic and utilized technology to keep business moving forward.
Get to know what tools his company has leaned on and what new trends he is seeing in sales and marketing in his interview with SEMA below.
SEMA: How has your company pivoted during the pandemic?
Frank Vasquez: Adjusting to the everchanging CDC guidelines created some interesting times, as I am sure we all experienced in some fashion. We were fortunate enough to remain open throughout the pandemic, but doing so certainly required some drastic changes. Creating alternating shifts and rearranging our work stations allowed us to comply with the social-distancing guidelines while minimizing the disruptions to normal business. The increased demand was the second major challenge we faced and required many additional resources to keep up with.
SEMA: What technology tools—new or old—have you leaned on recently?
FV: Cloud-based enterprise tools have become an absolute staple in workplace collaboration. As things went remote during the early onset of the pandemic, it was imperative that the entire team had access to drives and documents that could be shared and worked on together in real-time. Video conferencing and social content production have also been key to staying in touch with our customers and keeping them up-to-date with the new products we had been working on during a time when we were not able to visit them face-to-face.
SEMA: What new trends have you noticed with sales and marketing?
FV: Social-media marketing and digital content is on fire now more than ever before. It is abundantly clear that people use those channels to stay engaged in their hobbies, do their own research and share what they are passionate about so marketing through those channels is more important than ever.
SEMA: What, if any, changes in business do you feel will outlive the pandemic?
FV: I feel that teleconferencing is something that has proven to now be accessible for many and inherently useful. Being able to hop on a call with one person or large groups at a time is going to make keeping in touch with people much easier. There is still value in face-to-face visits, but I can see teleconferencing still being useful in allowing people to tune in to things they may otherwise not be able to attend or experience.
Fill out this form for a chance to be featured in the next ETTN member insight. By sharing your experiences, you can inspire and motivate other members to learn new tips and ideas. You may also be featured on ETTN’s social media and in SEMA eNews.