We are in the middle of a sea change this year: a large number of employers are allowing their employees to work from home, leaving numerous businesses, high rises and leased spaces empty. Other workspaces are only in partial use because people are still social distancing or the company is hoteling workers every other week.
According to The Wall Street Journal, 40% of employers are planning on keeping their workforce remote. Of course, there are some caveats about this change, from Zoom fatigue to loss of mentorship to the importance of face-to-face interactions. At the same time, major employers like Google are investing in building more facilities because they’re invested in the idea of people co-mingling and sharing ideas. So, it will be interesting to see what the long-term impacts will be.
Until then, it couldn’t be a better time to benchmark these half-filled businesses and invest some research time into how your solutions might benefit them right now. Take stratified ventilation, for example, which could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne diseases. There may also be some future changes regarding EPA guidelines, ENERGY STAR® requirements and its Portfolio Manager tool to accommodate those concerns. You should keep an eye on these developments.
As long as there are specific post-pandemic needs to be met and companies are trying to differentiate themselves, you may be the right person to show them the way. Think of the segments you’re selling to. What has changed over the past year that has affected them? What are homeowners concerned about? What about churches who are welcoming back their congregations? What about real estate investors, schools, government agencies, senior living, or hotels?
As you begin to unfurl credible answers to those questions, you may just realize that now may be a great time to sell efficiency.
