You have tons of things coming at you right now. We all do. And every one of us is unmoored. I am popping in to share three ideas guaranteed to give you some relief.
The first idea is to stay calm.
Emotion will not change anything. It is essential the panic, fear, and stress do not stop you. You must stand tall and remain grounded. No matter how hopeless everything may seem. Stay calm. Know this is temporary and will eventually right itself. Stay calm so that the decisions you make right now stay focussed on your future growth. Not your current situation. Stay calm because the person you are facing is very likely going thru worst stuff than you are. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Stay calm. All levels of government are trying to help. Sure, it might not be as fast as you want. But we are all in this together. And absolutely no one will get out of this unscathed.
The second idea is to develop (and then follow) a new routine or schedule.
Your old habits have disappeared. It is time to establish a stable new routine for your life. Include time for exercise, for taking a break from sitting at the computer, for huge belly laughs, for creative expression or personal hobbies, for making memories with your family and friends and even for downtime/tune out time just for you. Think in terms of at least a month; be brave and extend your thinking to three months. We all need stability right now. The easiest way to gift ourselves a sense of normalcy is with a new daily routine we follow. That routine highlights what we all have in and under our control.
The third idea is to get in front of your customers – past, present and future.
This is the time to show your compassion and empathy. Call up every single A&B clients. Ask them how they are doing and then sit back and listen. Now is not the time for selling stuff; it is a time for bonding, strengthening relationships and demonstrating that you care. Listen and understand what is underpinning their lives right now. Perhaps you can help by putting them in touch with a contact you have. Maybe you can give them alternative ideas. Perhaps a smaller product/service offering of yours would be very valuable. Or possibly, the best you can do for them is to be a kind voice. And if you do not have an email campaign in place, develop one now. Sharing useful and compelling content is the least expensive and most powerful way to remain visible to your best and second-best clients.
These three ideas do work. Right Now.
Having weathered more than 10 business crisis (wars, hyper-inflationary periods, drought periods, times when product lines and divisions crashed, catastrophic fires, Hurricane Katrina, SARS, insurance companies refusing to insure facilities, fire Marshalls threatening to close facilities and even recessions and bankruptcy), I assure you these were the foundation of how my teams made it through. I know they will work for you.
Stay calm. Make and follow a new daily routine. Get in front of your customers. We are all in this together. And we will all get out of this together.
If you think you might want some advice or help with your specific circumstances, please call me. I do care.
