The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting so many industries, but the disruption can provide an opportunity to revisit your business model and processes. For example, if your business is on hold, what would you do resume operations with a perfect set of processes? If you are still operating, but at a lower rate you are in the perfect position to consider revise and test your business processes.
No matter what the status of your business, consider reviewing your project list and ask the following questions:
- What is the status of projects that were already underway?
- Are there new projects that would make sense to start now?
- When work returns, which projects should be ramped up first?
- How efficient are our processes for our staff?
Most of these questions may be answerable by looking at the data you already have in hand. But when circumstances changed, did reporting keep up? If the answer is a no or a maybe, then it could be time to consider a new process that takes your specific business needs into account.
Networking and Research for the Upcoming Uptime
It may seem like it, but the downtime won’t last forever, and one of the best ways to beat the sense that things are likely to be in a slump is to use the downtime to do some “crystal ball gazing.” Are there some individuals that you’ve been waiting for an opportune time to contact? This might be that time.
If you make it clear that you are using this time to network without looking for commitments, you can give your contact a chance to talk about their business needs and goals and look for potential connections without having to sell. You both get the opportunity to think over each other’s ideas with the pressure off.
If you have some down time to do some research, then you might ask a few key questions, like the following:
- What is the future of our clients’ orders/needs likely to be?
- Who is likely to be considering work that could be in our pipeline?
Your contacts’ statuses are likely to be somewhat fluid over the next several months as everyone must reconsider their priorities and their budgets in light of a month or more off. Give yourself and your business the benefit of reflection on current status, while casting your eye to a positive future.
Present a Relevant Message in Digital
Digital marketing is reaching more people than ever before. If you can afford it, keep your digital marketing running during the disruption but make sure the message is sensitive to the uncertainty. If you can provide help, be clear about how you can help.
If you just want to be supportive, work with your team to develop messages that build positive brand awareness without seeming to be taking advantage of the situation. If you need help or just some ideas, contact us for a no obligation call. We are all in this together!
