Staying Connected - To Clients and Communities with Zoe Sperling
Zoe Sperling is Director of Hauser & Wirth, London. She has extensive understanding of the client dynamic and sales strategy. Previously she held positions at Blain|Southern and Haunch of Venison and is a committed and supportive Founding Member of AWITA.
Zoe sits on the Advisory Board of The Feminist Institute (TFI) at Hunter College in New York. Conceived by Kathleen Landy and directed by Maura Reilly, TFI aims to establish the most comprehensive cross disciplinary digital documentation archive of materials by the leading feminist thinkers
“Right now it is paramount to remember WE - this is a unique and extraordinary shared experience.”
As we communicate in a million different directions, inwards and outwards simultaneously, Zoe suggests always thinking about how we can connect on a human level. Empathy, compassion, honesty and transparency cannot be overrated, and as our core values are heightened the way we define ourselves and our organisations now will last a long time. In a way we can see this as a re-set or a re-boot and use the moment to
“deepen and redefine what we want this to look like on the other side.”
Now is not the time for email blasts or cold calls but for relationship building, which on a very practical level means picking up the phone. But clearly sales need to be made and the wheels of commerce still need to turn, and clients are still interested in engaging - you just need to feel your way in your own style and with an eye on the artists you know a client is following.
In terms of practical re-entry Zoe gave some examples of creative ways to staying in contact and connect and show sustained interest on a basic human level:
- send a relevant article or podcast
- use your organisations digital content and archive to extend dialogues
- initiate a weekly book club on Zoom
- Thursday night G&T's