Did The Corona Virus Really Teach Us Anything About Business. It really did and here we look at the ways to improve your results
Business in times of a Pandemic
I work with a range of businesses and therefore see a whole variety of results from very good to really bad.
Where you are and how your government operates will have a huge impact on what you get.
Lockdowns stop traffic flows however they also contain the Virus spread and limit the long term impact.
It may be a pandemic, a Flood, a fire or even an earthquake however they all take a toll on your business.
Action has been the operative word
As quoted by a politician in a recent press conference “you only get one chance to act early” and this has certainly been proven correct over the past year.
The sit and wait approach has not worked and just ask Donald Trump or Boris Johnson if they would do things differently. Both countries try to normalise existence in a still growing viral community stretching resources to the maximum.
Similarly Brazil, Mexico and others ignored world medical advice and applied a wait and see attitude resulting in substantial death rates and business loss.
On the other hand Taiwan, New Zealand, Iceland to name just a few stopped the spread and death toll by going early and going hard.
I live in Western Australia where a lock down policy has hardly been applied but tight border controls stopped almost all the spread. Most business has survived however there are always casualties.
Businesses needed to adopt the same model
We watched as businesses closed their doors whilst others adapted to change and continued to move forward.
The Work From Home world quickly became the norm as industry struggled to keep pace with office closures and distancing restrictions.
I watched as schools struggled to continue lessons with lockdowns. I have one grandchild in a private college where online learning was introduced in three days where the government school system could not supply a lesson in weeks as the kids watched Netflix.
There were those businesses with a high mortality rate and I include the travel industry in that group as International travel ground to a halt. However the local accommodation model expanded as more people holidayed near home and high booking rates were experienced.
We saw restaurants close however the quick turned into take home meals to profit from the change.
Unemployment ballooned as doors closed and government welfare was the only way to keep spending afloat, and spend we did.
The renovation business went balistic
With movement restricted we needed to find something to do so we renovated. Lighting, plumbing, carpets all went into overdrive and sales were well above pre pandemic times yet some still remained closed.
They were the lucky ones at the right time to make the most of misadventure however others made the changes.
A local pizza house when locked down for in house dining cooked bread and scones for the take away market and made a killing.
So if you are in the lucky group work it hard because it will surely slow
Hasty innovation is one answer
Not a wasted moment but a planning session for change. It may be a big change or a simple one as long as it has some success.
The businesses with online shops did well and those that raced to catch up came into the trend whilst those that said it is too hard died.
Online shopping will continue to grow
Do you have an online presence, if you are into sales you must now join the trend because it is not going away.
Therefore your social marketing needs to grow to meet the customers. Re- targeting and re-marketing along with social media advertising has become the new media.
Have a look around you and see the messages flooding your mobile and computer. Be in it or be sorry are your choices.
We have quickly adapted to online shopping and it will continue to grow into the coming years.
Is retail dead? have a look at the chain stores that have closed the doors and walked away.
Your local shopping precinct with closed shops will change to fast food and convenience stores because we are now buying online.
All the major brands are pushing online shopping like there is no tomorrow so that will really grow to new levels in which we must compete.
Corona Virus and business and your future planning
Have a plan and be prepared
Many of us got caught short with the pandemic and would not have survived except for government support where available.
Maybe this is a one off occurrence or maybe it will return to bite us again. However we should always plan for a disaster. Next time it may be different however the consequences could be the same.
You get one chance to act early.
The early birds get the action so make sure you are one of them.
Take the lessons and apply them
We have had a chance to look this in the eye, during the storm and in many cases post pandemic and work out what we did wrong, or even right and perhaps even a few “I should have” moments.
I will happen again in someway so take the lessons to heart and move on.
To those who's health has been compromised
This is a business post however many of you, or people you know, will have seen the consequences and suffered the results and to you and those that did not make it my heart felt sympathy. Some countries were far worse than others and I hope you are in the lucky group.
The cure has now appeared so over the coming months we will hopefully see a big decrease in Illness and death. it will be a welcomed.
Conclusion
I was in the lucky group however my business suffered and only government support enabled me to maintain my staff and ongoing business.
We had to get smarter to rise above the problems as many businesses simply closed their doors and went out of action.
Our marketing had to be sharper and more consistent and we had to work harder for a dollar.
We got through because we adapted change and went where the customers wanted us to be.
I provided free services to many of those worst affected. In most cases they returned to us when things returned to somewhat normal, a small cost to not loses a customer.
Some of our changes will be implemented in the future because, they quite simply worked.
Finally keep some hand cleaner ready, a few face masks in the draw and a plan of attack ready for the next wave, you never know.
Did The Corona Virus Really Teach Us Anything About Business by Peter Hanley
Only one chance to act early.
Corona Virus and business.
