WCBS BNB Bank Virtual Business Breakfast: How sales has changed in the COVID-19 era

Thursday, October 15, 2020 – 9 AM
Call-in your question for Joe Connolly and the panel and we may use it on the program!
(877) 987-WCBS

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – The resilient business owners who are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic have pivoted and changed the way they sell. We will introduce you to three entrepreneurs who will share ways to get sales going again and grow even in this tough economic climate with low consumer confidence.

Business reporter Joe Connolly will host the WCBS BNB Bank Virtual Business Breakfast, which will stream on WCBS880.com on Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 9 AM.

Each panelist was forced to adjust when businesses were shut down in March and even completely changed their operations to stay afloat. Not only did they survive, but they are now succeeding amid the unprecedented health crisis and recession. Our guests include Moksha Fitzgibbons of NTWRK, Don White of Satisfi Labs and Jennifer Decker of 3 Moms Organics.

Livestream shopping is the hot trend in e-commerce that is accelerating recovery and growth for companies. NTWRK is a video application that provides a platform for retailers to become a virtual events space while collaborating with brands and influencers to reach eager and willing buyers. Fitzgibbons will share how anyone – millennial or Baby Boomer – can earn a substantial return on investment through easy-to-make creative content done from your home or store.

Satisfi Labs is an Artificial Intelligence firm in Manhattan that partners with high-end clients such as Major League Baseball, the National Football League, Universal Orlando Resort, Macy’s and others in retail and hospitality. When all of his clients were forced to close at the outset of the pandemic, White’s sales plummeted. He and his wife also suffered a bout of COVID-19 and fully recovered. That was precursor to Satisfi Labs’ recovery, which started with a key change to its sales operations.

By directing his sales staff to focus on areas of expertise rather than location, since business travel was halted, the A.I. company saw promising results that slashed travel expenses and increased productivity. As his revenue doubled, White told WCBS 880 it would be a long-term shift. They also developed and launched a “COVID Assistance” product and offered it to leads for free to forge relationships that may last well beyond the public health emergency. He also tapped into a widened talent pool by adjusting to remote work.

3 Moms Organics is truly an organic success story. The small business was started by two Long Island mothers who developed a DEET-free product to tackle tick borne illnesses in their families. Jennifer Decker and Lisa-Jae Eggert had been going store-to-store to demonstrate how their product TickWise repels ticks, mosquitos and other insects. They are in about 80 stores – many seasonal on the East End – all of which closed in March.

The moms cracked the code on how to convert sales from low-priced Facebook advertisements – accelerating digital sales 6,000 percent. Selling direct-to-consumer on their website is now their focus as opposed to traditional retail. Decker and Eggert began making content that translated to sales and leaned on their customers to be their most influential marketers. They will share how you can make the pivot to digital and find the right target audience online.

We’d love to hear from you. Share your most pressing business operations and sales questions with Joe and our panel by calling our listener line and we may include your question on the program. The number is (877) 987-WCBS (9227); Follow the prompts to leave your message.

MORE ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:

Moksha Fitzgibbons, President of NTWRK

Moksha Fitzgibbons has more than 15 years of experience in management, sales, marketing, retail, music and entertainment.

He joined NTWRK in October 2019 after a couple of stints at Complex Networks where he served as chief revenue officer before moving to Valence Media as CRO where he played an integral role in the merger of Media Rights Capital, Dick Clark Productions, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

Fitzgibbons led content teams throughout his career, which he takes to NTWRK to match business owners and entrepreneurs with influential entertainers to creatively market and grow brands.

He has worked with celebrities and brands, including Jimmy Iovine, Drake, Live Nation, Warner Brothers Entertainment and Footlocker.

Don White, Co-Founder and CEO of Satisfi Labs, Inc.

Don White is a charismatic and enthusiastic entrepreneur and a salesman at heart.

He spent more than a decade at Bloomberg where he was global head of sales for Bloomberg Tradebook, leading a corporate strategy project to restructure global sales operations that yielded $3 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013 before he co-founded Satisfi Labs.

His firm is an interactive search company that utilizes proprietary Artificial Intelligence software to enhance the customer experience at retail stores, museums, aquariums and premiere events, including Major League Baseball and National Football League games.

Jennifer Decker, Co-Owner of 3 Moms Organics, LLC

Jennifer Decker and her partner Lisa-Jae Eggert created their DEET-free product TickWise when their families were hit hard with tick borne illnesses and rising populations of ticks and mosquitos on Long Island where they raised their children.

Their story starts with a discussion over cup of tea about their problems finding a chemical free product that worked. They decided to create their own product, relying on their backgrounds in science.

Decker has many years of knowledge in the benefits of blending essential oils and using them for health-related issues to create a better, more natural lifestyle. She and her husband have three young and active children. Through her network of fellow mothers, she has learned the power of word-of-mouth and influencer marketing first-hand.

Eggert studied entomology, earth science and horticulture in college. For five years, she did field work for the Bronx Zoo studying turtles on the East End. This work exposed her to an abundance of ticks and their bites.

They personally manufacture TickWise, which is effective, has a pleasant smell, provides skin nourishment, and is vegan for those who suffer from Alpha-Gal or meat allergies. 3 Moms Organics ships TickWise across 48 states and Washington D.C., now that they are registered through the Environmental Protection Agency in all states except Maine and South Dakota. They just earned a certification to operate in the highly regulated state of California in September.

3 Moms Organics also used their time wisely in the first three months of the pandemic to apply and receive the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise Certification (MWBE), which has opened new doors for additional revenue streams.

– Written by Neil A. Carousso