It was also not the first entrepreneur who made this statement, it came from Won Yip who has created a furore in the catering industry and owns the largest part of the catering industry in both Amsterdam and The Hague.

Fortunately, I see his mindset of getting the most out of every situation developing in many entrepreneurs at the moment. You see that the period we are currently in thanks to corona also brings out the best in us.

One of the companies that has had to adapt to unexpected situations throughout its history is Verkade.

Since 1886, the Verkade girls have been busy providing us with the tastiest cookies with tea, in all shapes and sizes, as can be read on the website of the Zaanse cookie baker.

What you may not have known is that those same girls have also been producing tea lights for years. We even owe the word Waxine, originally a brand name, to Verkade.

The wonderful combination of cookies and tea lights came about because founder Ericus Verkade was looking for a nice activity for one of his sons who also wanted to go into business. As a former oil trader, Ericus recognized the possibilities of paraffin and acquired the patent for tea lights. For a hundred years, the tea lights made a reliable contribution to the operating result.

When the supply of flour and yeast stopped during the First World War, Verkade switched to chocolate and confectionery. A batch of unused illustrations led to the Verkade albums that helped Verkade through the crisis years. Waffles with a savory cheese filling instead of a sweet cream filling turned out to sell a lot better abroad.

Companies that are struggling in a changing market can take an example from the continuous product innovation and "out of the cookie box" thinking of this quintessential Dutch survivor.

What is it like in your company at the moment?
Are you already getting the most out of it and using this period to change and innovate?
How do you currently approach your customers?
Do you even dare to approach your customers at this time?
Or do you let limiting beliefs hold you back?

Looking at the last two questions, it might be good to realize that, especially in these times, genuine interest in your customer can make that 1,5 times better.
Because being well understood is a matter of choosing the right words, putting them in the right order and reinforcing them through gestures and facial expressions. However?
No, neuroscientist Arjen Stolk discovered.

Stolk had two test subjects explain tasks to each other without them being able to see or hear each other. Instructions were given with a cursor on a computer screen.

He discovered that an area in the brain that has nothing to do with language became increasingly active as the sender and receiver understood each other better. After some practice, the brain activity even became synchronous.

Stolk's research shows that if people really want to understand each other, their brains are not only focused on words and gestures. They mainly look at the developments they see in others. The sender always adapts his message to what he thinks the other person knows and means.

It is not the words you use or the gestures you make, but a correct assessment of the other person's knowledge and thoughts that determine successful contact.

The best language is the language that is understood. Sometimes no words are needed at all. The only condition is genuine interest.

Also try to make real contact with a customer. I know from my own experience that it makes you 1,5 times better together, even at 1,5 meters.

Martin van den Goorbergh

Commercial director Kenneth Smit