Coronavirus has brought about many changes in the business world. Many businesses won’t survive the pandemic and the forced closure of their businesses and this is why customer service matters more now than ever.
Simply touting, “We’re the best!” “We care about our customers!” and “Our customer service cannot be rivaled!” are just words. What business owner wouldn’t say that? What customer would buy from someone who didn’t promise all of that and then some?
What you need to do is SHOW your customer how you’re better, bigger, faster… you get the picture. You certainly don’t want your customer to come to you because “you’re the cheapest game in town” right? Selling on the cheapest price isn’t a great strategy!
You need to be: consistent, memorable and unique.
Why Customer Service Matters More Now
Professionalism matters — but be authentic. Don’t bad mouth the competition. Don’t neglect to return phone calls or answer questions. Don’t show up late for meetings or phone calls. Even if you work in a relaxed or creative or outdoor business — dress appropriately. Swimming pool contractors should show up dressed in a company uniform — not cut offs and t-shirts.
Build community. Stay connected with your customers and engage with them outside of the sales process.
Be positive. Even if you’re going to miss a deadline, set the tone for the expectation early and don’t lay the blame on another team member. You’re the company owner, it’s all on your shoulders.
Don’t take your customer’s money, then not talk with them until you deliver the product or project. Stay in touch — email, phone call, text — whatever you need to in order to keep them from having buyer’s remorse. Remember, you’re in it for the long run and that means fostering a good relationship.
As an entrepreneur, there are days when you’re juggling so many balls that you just don’t know which ball to keep from hitting the ground. What is an entrepreneur to do when there are many projects and ALL of them are priorities? How to manage multiple projects is something that is a learned skill for many.
We have put together a way in which to lay a foundation that will help you finish projects, prioritize them and meet deadlines. This article is aimed at those entrepreneurs who are blogging for their businesses.
How To Manage Multiple Projects
If you’re a writer, you may know all of these tips, if you aren’t planning to write your own articles, you may want to send this along to the writer on your team.
Know which article HAS to be the priority. Is there a deadline? Are all the project deadline-oriented? If so, which deadline is coming first? Which project will be the hardest to meet even if the deadline is further out? Write down the name of the project as well as the assets you need and the deadline.
Set your milestones. Even if there is a deadline, you may want to set a milestone that breaks the entire project down into smaller project portions. If your project requires interviews, research, outlines, asset collection and more break the project down into milestones.
Can any of the projects’ tasks be delegated? If so, write down to whom you can delegate it and reach out right now. Don’t make your looming deadline cause stress to the person to whom you’re delegating it.
If you’re managing multiple projects and multiple people and milestones I may be helpful to use a project management tool that everyone involved can access and that you can easily see and manage. Trello, Asana or even a shared Google doc can help.
Stay in touch with everyone involved in the project. Don’t assign it then walk away.
If you discover there will be any issues or if you will not be able to meet the deadlines, let your client know as soon as possible.
Reward your team for a job well done.
Do you have any stumbling blocks when it comes to writing projects, delegating writing projects or managing them? If so, let us know — we can help!
Yes, the coronavirus pandemic and shut down of many states and businesses such as restaurants has caused many to struggle. You can use coronavirus shut down as a way to grow, not languish. There are many technologies available that will allow you to still do business, attract customers and stay in business.
What is your competition doing? Have they shut their doors and called this a vacation? If so, now is your time to shine. We have put together five strategies to help you move past the competition and come out the other side of this shut down with a healthy business.
Use Coronavirus Shut Down As A Way To Grow
You can use these ways to move past the competition and stay healthy in your business bank account and you don’t even need to leave home to do it.
Make decisions. You have the option, right now, to decide whether you will use this shut down of the country as an excuse to kick back and take a vacation. You certainly can, but how will that serve your business or your clients?
Believe in yourself. If you think you CAN do it, you can. You need to be your own cheerleader and know that you can do what you set your mind to.
Failure, isn’t. That may seem confusing, but what we’re saying is that if you try and “fail” you have tried. Try is the major part of that equation. If you fail, great. If you quit or don’t even try to move forward — then that’s a failure.
Maintain your word. Your word and your integrity and your morals are what will keep your clients coming back and make them feel good about recommending you. Be true to yourself and your word. Once you have lost your integrity it is hard to get it back.
Stay Healthy – You’re sheltering in place, like many of us, and that is one way to keep yourself safe. To stay healthy you need to eat healthily, you need to get up and get moving and you need down time. Take care of your mind, body and soul.
Implement these five attributes into your daily life and your business life and you will remain competitive and thriving. If you want to use this time to launch a new business, give us a call or leave us a comment and let’s make that dream a reality.
Coronavirus has brought about many changes for many people. One of those changes is a switch from working in an office to working from a home office. Many people who are working from home don’t even have a home office – they are lucky to grab a corner of the kitchen table! How to work effectively from home is something many people had to learn the hard way.
How can you be effective if you have to work from home, or are working from home because of the COVID-19 quarantine. When you’re home, there are so many distractions – the pets, the laundry, vacuuming, errands, the television and many others.
How To Work Effectively From Home
If you’re still wondering how to be more effective, or if you’re looking to strike out on your own as an entrepreneur, these tips are for you.
Be reasonable in your expectations. Chances are you won’t get as much done in an eight-hour day at home as you would have if you were in the office cubicle. Yes, you will be saving on the commute time, but you are still faced with home distractions and it’s easy to linger over that cup of coffee until your work hours don’t start until 10 am or later!
Set a routine. Get up. Get dressed. Act as though you were going into the office. Set your office hours, start time, stop time, lunch time and breaks. Stick to them. A routine will help you get more done and be more effective in your day.
Get on track. If you set yourself up for failure by thinking you’d get more done than you could, be more realistic goals. Working from home, no matter if you have a dedicated space, is a challenge for many. Add to the mix, if you have children who are home from school because of the shut-down and you can see how you may not meet all the goals set.
Get up and move around. Set a timer if you have to at the top of every hour to remind yourself to get up and get moving. Don’t eat at your desk. Walk the dog. Do jumping jacks. Move! It will keep the blood flowing, help you stay healthier and keep your ideas moving.
Work in a space that inspires you. If you can get outdoors and sit and work and that is an inspiration, then do it. Your “desk” doesn’t have to be a desk. Find a place in your house that makes you happy and work from there. Your work space will help set the mood for your day.
Enjoy this time at home and embrace the changes in your workday and your routine. This is an unprecedented time and we hope you find a way to make the most of it.
Are you new to working from home? Has the coronavirus pandemic lead to this switch in your workday from the office or your comfortable cubicle to trying to find room at the dining room table to work and take calls? We have tips for how to be productive working from home, especially if this is a new way of life.
Not everyone is accustomed to working from home and not everyone enjoys the freedom that being in their home offers them. If you’ve been forced to change your workday and your work life you also need to change your mindset.
How To Be Productive Working From Home
Working from home brings challenges and benefits and we have put together a list to help you be more productive during this transitional time.
Get dressed as though you were going to the office. It is easy to go from your “bedtime pajamas” to your “daytime pajamas.” Don’t get into the habit of living in sweats. You don’t have to put on a tie or a skirt, but do get up, get dressed, comb your hair, put on socks and greet the day like the professional you are.
Find a place to call your office. If you don’t have a room you can dedicate to an office space, find a corner of the living room, the dining room or even your bedroom (although we don’t recommend working in the bedroom because you need a separation between home and work). Set up a card table or a small desk and use that for work only.
Have work hours. If you’re used to working from 9 am to 5 pm then keep up with that schedule. Your colleagues and your boss or clients have gotten accustomed to you being in the office and available at that time so stick with it. Don’t give into your night owl tendencies and begin work at 9 pm.
Have a ritual for “going to work” and “coming home from work.” Don’t shuffle from the bedroom to the office then from the office to the couch at the end of the day. Set up a ritual that gets you ready to jump into your work day. When the day is over, close the door on the office (even if it is a virtual door), turn off company and work emails and get into a homelife mindset.
Keep in touch with colleagues. It’s easy to hibernate and communicate only through email. Pick up the phone. Send a text. Invite colleagues or clients to a Zoom meeting. Face-to-face can still happen even if you can’t meet for coffee. Have a virtual coffee date or a virtual Friday Happy Hour. It may seem odd, but it is fun!
How are you coping with the new workstyle? Has your workday not been impacted by the switch to more people working from home? If you are looking for more ways to be productive, to stay in touch and even to put together a strategy for a new business way of life, give us a call!
Coronavirus is leading to the shut down of many businesses not deemed “essential.” If you’re now working remotely and if you want to find a way to keep in touch with current clients and perhaps reach a new audience of clientele, why not take to online meetings. We have tips for how to host networking meetings online during coronavirus shut down.
Planning an online meeting isn’t difficult, nor should it be, but you will want to take a few steps and have a strategy in place to get the most out of it. When you’re planning an online meeting or webinar you will need to market it in advance, get sign ups and then follow up after the meeting has ended.
Host Networking Meetings Online During Coronavirus Shut Down
Here are ways to “fill the seats” at your webinar
Prepare a pre-event email campaign. How will people know you’re hosting an event if you don’t do pre-promotion? They won’t! Plan a launch campaign. The first message could be a tease – a “save the date” as it were.
After they have saved the date you will want to reach out again and give them a sample of what they will see, hear or learn during the event.
Offer up some behind the scenes, or teaser handouts. Get them interested and they will sign up.
Let them know what they will learn – in other words what is their ROI for giving you some of their time.
Give them an exclusive offer. This should be in the email invitation. Let them know what they will get: early bird tickets, deeply discounted merchandise, insider information, pre-launch insight, free bonus merch just for being there live
Urge your subscribers to forward your message to colleagues they believe will benefit from your webinar
Invite potential attendees to write and ask you if they have any questions or want clarification.
As the date approaches, send reminder emails to those who still haven’t signed up AND send emails to those who have registered to keep the excitement high.
If you’re having guest speakers, urge them to share the invitation with their list.
Promote the speakers in your email campaign
Finally, send a follow up. If you offered a time sensitive discount, remind them of the ticking time clock and build the sense of urgency.
