From the Road to the Screen

For twenty years, my life was defined by the highway. As a senior account manager for Apex Insurance in Bristol, I spent my days driving from one office park to another, trying to cover an account portfolio that stretched all the way to Cardiff. I knew every service station on the M4 by heart. My car was my second home, filled with old receipts and empty coffee cups. When management announced we had to switch to video, I panicked. I didn't want any digital tools. I wanted my face-to-face meetings and my traditional handshake deal.

At first, the learning curve was steep. I hated looking at my own face on the screen, and I couldn't read body language the way I used to across a wooden desk. My home office setup felt cold and sterile compared to the bustling corporate lobbies I was used to visiting. Peter, our sales director, kept telling me that I would get used to it eventually, but I refused to believe him. I thought virtual prospecting was just a temporary fad that would disappear by the end of the year.

Then something strange happened. I started using screen sharing during my virtual demos, and clients actually engaged more with the policy documents. Instead of squinting at a paper brochure across a table, they could see the numbers clearly on their own monitors. My deal velocity increased because I didn't waste two hours stuck in traffic just to answer a simple question about an insurance clause. I could cover twice as many clients in a single afternoon without burning fuel or filing complicated expense reports.

Sean, one of our newer sales reps who joined us straight from university, laughed when I told him how much I had resisted the change. He grew up with digital communication, so for him, a virtual coffee was completely normal. He didn't understand why older reps made such a big deal out of turning on a webcam. But he taught me a few tricks about building trust remotely, like using a virtual handshake and keeping my camera at eye level.

Now, looking back at my old habits, I can't imagine going back to the road warrior lifestyle. I still remember the days of the endless sales trips and the endless driving in the rain, but I don't miss them. The tool I resisted most — that simple video call software — is now the one I teach our new recruits to use. Progress isn't always comfortable, but once you adapt, it opens up entirely new possibilities for your career.

Read again and choose the right answer

Where was Natalie's office located?

• London
• Bristol
• Edinburgh

What did Natalie rely on for twenty years?

• Video calls
• Her car and driving
• Phone calls only

How did Natalie feel about video calls at first?

• She loved them immediately
• She panicked and resisted them
• She ignored them completely

Who helped Natalie learn new tricks for building trust remotely?

• Peter
• Sean
• Alex

Sources: photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels