My sources tell me that the Chinese symbol for danger also means opportunity – or something like that. Frankly, I don’t have time to run down the provenance because right now, I believe it.
In this crisis, we must find opportunity.
Yesterday, a few members of my networking group had a conference call to check-up on one another and share insight from the past week. The conversation among like-mind professionals in different industries quickly turned to creating opportunities. Frank the web designer should be offering e-commerce and virtual tour updates to his clients who need to be moving their business online. Carmen, who specializes in creating efficiencies, is dealing with large-scale change management and can be helping companies transform their models and operations quickly. Leo, who does sales training, sees opportunity in helping clients maximize sales productivity during “social distancing.”
Can you find the opportunity in this crisis for your business? It’s a big question.
For me, I think it’s more important than ever that we communicate with our customers and our prospects. We should dust-off some old tactics and also look at some new ones.
For example, people are stuck behind their computers right now, so email becomes a better marketing tool. Do you have an email marketing program in place for your company? Are you showcasing your business more visually online through regular communication?
Are you making it easy for customers and prospects to communicate with you? Phone, chat, Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp?
Are you honing your messaging to the needs of the moment? Do your clients know you are still up and running? Are you offering new services, in light of COVID-19, that they don’t know about?
If you’re a lawyer or an accountant, this is a critical time because you have business experience that your clients need. In the past, they never needed a one-on-one consultation with your big brain, but they might today. Are you communicating your availability to a broader audience?
We need to realign our communications to this business challenge and get our message out. Remember, frequency is your friend. Again, frequency is your friend. You may have noticed this is my third blog in a week: Frequency is your friend.
Are you taking advantage of special programs rolling out to help small businesses? Facebook has a $100 million grant program that is well worth exploring.
Let me know if I can help you turn this crisis into a marketing opportunity. If you have questions or just need a sounding board, give me a call at 305-724-3903.
(If you need assistance with web/e-commerce, efficiencies or sales training, please reach out to my friends named above – hyperlinks go to their websites.)
Stay safe and be well. (I said “frequency,” right?)
–John