Staying in business during COVID.
Business survival during the pandemic.
There are so many things to consider, and they are different for each business depending upon whether they were able to remain open or closed. Some businesses have had to adjust and serve customers in a whole new way. Many other businesses have had to adapt their workforce. Revenue has been affected, and companies have had to use creative means to stay afloat.
With so many different types of obstacles to consider, it is hard to know where to start and what is the most important thing to place the main focus on. Inc. put out a survival guide that covers most questions business owners are asking.
This “Inc.’s Essential Business Survival Guide for the Covid-19 Crisis” article is a compilation of many different articles and resources that will contain something to help business owners during these critical times. This Inc. solutions center states they “offer expert advice on handling panicked customers, interrupted supply chains, webinars, Zoom meetings, hyper kids, and a work environment that changes by the hour.”
The nice thing about this article is Inc. keeps it updated on a regular basis to stay current by adding new resources and providing relevant information. In their words about this article, “Here’s a brief guide to business continuity to help you steer your company through today’s uncharted territory. You’ll find tips and advice on planning for a range of operational contingencies, including people, facilities, vendors, and systems, such as technology. You’ll also find guidance on issues especially critical to entrepreneurs, such as cash flow, leadership, self-care, and even inspiration.”
The resource guide by Inc. is divided into topics that include:
- Getting Started
- Cash Flow
- Government Aid ~ Finding Capital, Managing Debt, Economic Forecasting, Sales Trends
- People ~ Staffing, Benefits, Working from Home, Managing Stress, Productivity
- Leadership ~ Communication, Motivation and Inspiration
- Systems & Technology ~ Personal Tech, Remote Work Tools, Customer Tools, Cybersecurity
These resources include great tips, and it will take a while to cover all the information included in this COVID 19 business survival guide. One of the resources is a letter from the CEO Eric Schurenberg. It is titled “A Letter From Inc.’s CEO” by Eric Schurenberg and states, “Our entire team and all of our resources are deployed to help you weather this storm. It appalls us at Inc. to witness the pain that this crisis is inflicting on your companies, but that only strengthens our resolve to do everything in our power to help you through it.” Then he goes on to state, “Our sole purpose throughout our existence has been to help founders succeed. But today that purpose has an even deeper meaning. The urgency is greater, the risk harder to fathom, the battle for survival more intense. We recognize that, and we are with you.”
One of the resource articles “3 Ways to Grow Your Small Business (Even If You’re Still Closed)” discusses how to keep a small business alive during this time. It covers ways to Repackage Your Product, Adapt to Your Customers Needs, plus Giving Back as ways to grow your small business while it is closed. This article talks about how companies are surviving this crisis in very creative ways.
“Building Customer Relationships During Downtime” is another resource by Inc. that states that even if your operations are shut down for the short term, you should continue to build relationships with current clients, plus seek relationships with new ones.
Reaching out to your current clients and prospects using personalized direct mail is a great way to keep your brand and business in front of them. This may not a time to send offers and try to sell to people unless it makes sense, but it is also a great time to connect with them and build a lasting relationship. Send them relevant information about your community, or how your business is changing to supply their needs. Use a survey asking questions about your products and services or things that they may want you to carry or provide. It is a great time to take their feedback for fine tuning your products and services to provide your market with exactly what they are looking for.
Direct mail marketing that is personalized has a proven higher conversion rate than direct mail sent without personalization or email. Chicago Fulfillment Services provides all the services for a turnkey personalized direct mailing campaign and product and literature fulfillment. Whether it is targeted lists, printing, direct mail labeling and/or a simple mail campaign you need, just contact Chicago Fulfillment Services to see how to increase your direct mail campaign conversion rates.
In every crisis, there’s opportunity to engage, innovate, and connect. Uncovering these opportunities is covered in the Inc.’s “How to Find Opportunity Within a Crisis” article. “If companies can see the opportunity in this crisis — to give back to their communities, to differentiate themselves, to strengthen relationships with customers — they can emerge stronger, more creative, and with a more loyal, engaged customer base,” the article states.
It lists four ways to find opportunities during the current crisis, which include:
- Caring for Your Customers
- Meeting Your Customer’s Needs
- Engaging and Connecting with Your Community
- Adopting innovative, cost-effective solutions without sacrificing experience
Remembering that the current crisis will come to an end, however, the relationships we built and nurtured with our customers and communities will continue to last. We must focus on caring, engaging, and adapting to find the opportunities hidden in this pandemic.
Chicago Fulfillment Services can help you design a personalized direct mail campaign, with the lowest postage rates available sent to a highly targeted audience. Chicago Fulfillment Services can provide every step of this process from all aspects of fulfillment, printing, targeted mailing lists, mailing services, discounted postage and shipping rates and more. If you only need one of these steps to easily integrate into your current marketing for campaign optimization, that is also available. Tell us which service your business needs.
Use the “Inc.’s Essential Business Survival Guide for the Covid-19 Crisis” when you are looking for Business Survival Tips during COVID 19 & Pandemics.
