First of all, before you continue reading this post, take a deep breath and watch this.
Life and humanity - remembering this gives us hope, doesn't it? :-)
Yes, it's been a few tough months and we are going through some difficult, challenging times. The world has been swept off their feet with the rapid expansion of the coronavirus pandemic. We see disruption across industries, with both large and small businesses having their supply chains, distribution channels, and revenues streams disrupted and challenged.
This disruption is particularly detrimental to every small and local business, which depends on steady cash flows to survive. It is very clear to everyone that particularly solo-entrepreneurs, SMEs, and start-ups are already the worst-hit form of economic activity.
We don't know how the situation will continue to unfold, at least until there is a vaccine. But that doesn't mean small businesses are helpless. There are specific things we can be doing now to not only respond to current challenges, but also plan for when things get better. Because, rest assured: things WILL get better.
As supporting small businesses is a key priority for us at Draseum, below you will find 5 outward-facing moves you should be taking right now.
1. Keep yourself, your employees, and your clients, safe.
Your first and constant priority should be to keep yourself, your employees, and your clients safe and healthy. This means a few simple things:
If you or your employees can work from home, do so. This will create less anxiety for everyone. Our homes are our natural 'safe' spaces. We feel comfortable when we are at home, protected. But if we are afraid and looking around us every time a client enters our shop, or a fellow colleague sneezes or coughs, then our mind enters 'survival mode', and we can't stay focused on our work priorities. If we are at home, however, knowing that we are safe, this allows us to focus on other things and be more productive.
If your business can't run without someone being there, make sure that you establish hygiene rules, always abiding by national, regional and local authority regulations. As a minimum, make sure that you create hygiene stations and lead by example in terms of hygiene practices. Have a hand sanitiser at the entrance. It should be common sense to everyone by now to wash their hands and use sanitiser gels, but you can never know, so find creative ways to encourage your clients to use it as soon as they enter (e.g. give them a wee chocolate, enter their name in a contest for a prize - doesn't have to be big, etc.). If people are coming in your store, make them feel safer by disabling the on-screen signature on your POS system, hence minimising chances of cross-contamination.
If you business can't run without someone being there, make sure that you introduce and clearly communicate and continue to reinforce new working rules. The ways we work these days have changed. Encourage your employees to go home if they are not feeling well even at the slightest. Establish rotations and shifts so that not many people need to be in the premises at the same time. BUT ensure safety above else. For instance, if someone always needs to be monitoring production, make sure that they are not left alone, and that there is always someone there in the premises with them. Be flexible if your employees are also carers or parents.
2. Communicate with suppliers and partners to get a realistic picture of the challenges you are going to face. And adapt.
It is highly unlikely that your supply chain has not been disrupted or will not be disrupted over the forthcoming period. This will have implications for your ability to deliver to your clients.
To get a full understanding of how much it will be disrupted, get in touch as soon as possible with your suppliers and distributors. Then, you must adapt your operations and communicate those to your clients clearly via your website, social media and email newsletters:
Changes to your opening hours.
Shipping delays and longer delivery times.
Whether your product will be available in certain stores or outlets.
Changes to your payment options, and addition of new ones.
Changes to your refund policy, especially for appointments and events.
Ingredients/materials no longer available, and alternatives offered.
It is impossible to list everything here. You need to sit down and map out all points across your operations (supply, production, distribution, after sales services, etc.) and make an accurate and realistic evaluation of potential disruptions and how these may have a knock-on effect on other parts of your business. Don't forget to do the same for all customer journey stages, across all channels. Adapt quickly, or contact anyone that can help you to cover 'gaps' in product and service delivery.
3. Reach out to clients, suppliers, partners, etc. as soon as possible. DO NOT exclude your employees from this process.
It is important to let your clients, and everyone else that you are working with, know the current status of your business. Are your premises open? Are you operating as 'business as usual'? Are you and your employees working from home but still operating normally? If your clients have any reason to be concerned about their health and safety (e.g. because you are a salon, shop, hotel, cafe, etc. where they may come into contact with other people), reassure them about what you have done to mitigate risks.
Before you reach out to your clients and partners, ensure that you have discussed with your employees thoroughly. You and your team should be making decisions together. Do not underestimate the value of your employees' thoughts regarding areas of business that may be affected. If you are using email or a newsletter to get in touch with clients and business partners, then make sure your employees are fully updated, so that they can maintain consistent messaging when client queries start coming in.
Do not forget to continuously update your social media accounts about the steps you have taken as a business and about your current status.
4. Do not add to the stress of your customers and your business partners.
Anxiety levels are high for everyone at the moment. Make sure that your business does not add to this. Instead, be a light of hope. That can include a number of things:
If you have invoices that you have not paid to your suppliers, do so immediately. If they are a small business like you, they need to keep the cash flows running.
If you have clients that have delayed payments, reach out to them, kindly reminding them of this. Don't be afraid or ashamed to tell them that, as a small business, you are counting on their support in these challenging times.
If your clients are returning products or are requesting for refunds, process those immediately. This will be very beneficial in the long-term, as your clients will remember this and it gives them a good reason to return to your business. If you can afford it, offer a discount or coupon for their next purchase, and explicitly state that you value their business and you wish to see them again.
If your business is service-based or is related to organising and hosting events, offer to your clients a virtual option, and continue to do so even if you have re-opened your physical premises. Technology can help you quickly transfer a meeting, event, seminar online. Alternatively, offer to your clients the option of having their appointment or event postponed for later in the year, instead of cancelling completely.
Above all else, be a human and share some comforting messages. Respond with some reassuring words on the Twitter post of one of your clients or partners. Share some optimistic thoughts on your social media accounts, or something funny that happened to you while you were trying to find how something works when you are working from home. If you can, and it is safe for you to do so, offer to help your clients or your local community in any way you can.
5. Continue being there for your customers, and be proactive. Marketing your business is more important than ever.
Remember that your customers are still human beings. They may be in self-isolation or sick or caring for someone sick, but your customers still require many of the things they have been used to have or do in their everyday lives, as well as things they would purchase/do this specific time of the year.
Plus, they have more free time now that they spend most of their days at home, with internet and social media browsing being a key form of entertainment.
It is important to continue marketing your business, and staying at the top of your customers' minds. Be careful how you do this though: show them that you are there to solve problems and challenges they may be facing; don't just try to sell your products or services.
For instance, your customers may not be able to visit a friend that has her birthday or their mum or a relative, but they may still want to send a small gift by purchasing it online (e.g. a book, card, flowers, chocolates, wine, etc.).
Whatever type of business you have, issue gift cards, coupons, vouchers, special offers, so that your customers can still purchase the things they want and need now. Link your products and services with situations your customers wish to find themselves into soon. Explain, with humour, creativity and optimism, how your products and services can help them solve a current dilemma they are facing (e.g. not being there for a loved one on their birthday) or can help them plan for the future when things will get back to normal (e.g. a voucher for your restaurant valid for at least a year, for when they will be going out on a dinner date for the first time!).
This also helps you keep your cash flows steady and healthy. Cash flows are going to be strained for many small and local businesses over the forthcoming period. So, take proactive steps.
Make sure that you update your website to indicate these offers and make the purchasing process as easy as possible for your customers. Share the news on your social media accounts and via your newsletter.
Remember, there are no set-in-stone solutions. This is an unprecedented situation, so depending on the nature of your business, you will need to find solutions that are right for you, and you will need to think on your feet. BUT, on the positive side, you are well prepared for this: thinking on your feet, finding creative solutions to problems is what every entrepreneur, freelancer or small business is doing every day.
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Finally, let us know if we can help with anything. Even some quick marketing tips to get you started if you are stuck may be of huge help at the current situation, and you don't need to commit to anything. Give us a shout either on Twitter and LinkedIn, or via email: info@draseum.org, or via our contact form on our website, and we will be right there for you.
Take care!
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