According to Simon Sinek, leaders lead, inspire, and eat last. Are you prepared to lead? Here are a few things you can do in the midst of this coronavirus crisis that can get you into the leadership position. One of my coach reminded me that this is an all around problem, therefore, everyone is in the same boat.
The question remains, what will you do about it to survive and thrive while helping others do that same. If we’re to make it through, we must keep the cash flowing, if we don’t, like running on a treadmill, stopping will make things worst.
Here are the 5 things you can do to work on your business now that you’re not too busy. They are probably the most important thing we can focus on while we’re camped out and waiting to return to “normal” life again:
- Get your alternative methods of communication setup and start using them if you’re currently not doing so. Since you can’t meet face to face, use all the online tools available to you. There’s Facebook, Linked-In, Instagram, YouTube, Zoom, Skype, etc. These are the tools that will keep your customers connected with you throughout this crisis. They will very much appreciate hearing from you. The number one issue you’re going to need to overcome is being forgotten or slip into obscurity. Don’t let that happen. Reach out for help if you need some guidance. If you’re starting out, to keep from being going crazy, start with one platform at a time. Go through our social media intro course currently available for Free as a way to help you during this crisis. Here’s the link to get it for free.
- Get your customer email list together and start communicating with them. Especially if you have a good relationship with them already. I’m sure they’re eager to hear from you. There are many ways to build a list if you don’t already have one. You’ll want to use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and/or an autoresponder system to help you schedule and manage those emails. In the bonus section of our Social Media for Busy Entrepreneurs course that you can get below for Free, I have a list of recommended options, even free options.
- Convert your assets like your website into usable and effective forms of communication and tools for your customers. As people are not able to make it to your location, you can give them the option to buy your products or services on your website. Also, use it to consistently share your knowledge. The best practice is to start with a blog from your website then drive traffic to it using social media and other traffic methods. If you don’t know how, learn it or find someone to help you. This one thing you do will make a difference. To set up a quick and easy blog, if you don’t have one, is use http://blogger.com to get one for free.
- Make your main landline phone SMS textable to make it easy for customers to “chat” with you. A phone call is tough to scale because you can only talk to one customers at a time. Using SMS texting allows you to manage your communication and setup automation to best serve your customers. However, don’t simple go and get a mobile phone because now you’ll have to give a separate number and you can’t easily manage all the texts that comes in. Instead, convert your landline phone to texting and manage texts like you would a chat session. Let me know if you would like to explore how this works.
- There are lots funding sources available if you need help financially to weather this storm. Many have 0% interest, and not always based on your personal credit score, so you’ll want to take advantage of them when they present themselves if you need it. However, if you choose this option, you’ll only get the most money and the best term when your business is set up properly. You don’t want to have to base it on your personal finances. I’ll share more about this later.
- BONUS: Think about how you can take your skill & knowledge and package it in a way that your customers can consume it without being physically present in your office or store. This is where your creativity will come in. If you can organize a mastermind with a group of friends or other business owners, you can come up with ways to add value and provide another level of service for your customers. Podcasts and video course are among the ways to do this. You can also do some livestream or zoom of tips. Sell your products as a kit that customers can get for themselves to use at home. Want to join one of our mastermind groups to hash out ideas? Let me know.
- BONUS: Use a chatbot on your website to help give customers simple answers to questions 24/7. An interactive chatbot can off load basic information to allow your customers to get quick answers when they need it, even at 2am. You can also have it set up to direct customers to speak to an agent, if available, during business hours.
It would seem that by now you’re ready to start on one of the items above. Before you do, sit down and decide what you want to achieve. Start with the end in mind. Then make a plan on what you are willing to do and who you will contact to help you. Then find a coach, friend, or trusted advisor who can share your plan and keep you accountable. Along the way, if you need help, please feel free contact us by email, text, or phone. Be safe. G-d speed. Thanks