THRIVE not just Survive in a Downturn

Amongst the hysteria of the current GLOBAL pandemic, I thought you'd appreciate some REAL hard-hitting, no fuss, solid actionable advice to help you and your Business to THRIVE in these seemingly uncertain times. 

Over the last week, as the news kept breaking about the impact the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is having in areas around the world and measures being taken in Australia, it's hard not to get caught up and have it become the reason for lack of action. For some business owners they may have to apply a different way of thinking, others it may be business as normal or ramping up the marketing to meet the new demand you have a solution for. Actions rather than buying into panic and overwhelm which typically causes a standstill mode and stagnation to creep in. Do not collapse "Fear of the unknown" with "Not taking actions" better still why not take actions in line with minimizing the impact this may have on your business and thrive on this journey?

Like a lot of you, I have lived through Mad Cow Disease, Millenium Bug, GST confusion, SARS, GFC meltdown and Swine Flu and I must admit to feeling a bit anxious in the last week. I found myself fixated, waiting for the next round of news, how many people have contracted the virus, deaths, quarantines, countries in lockdown, etc... Exciting stuff... I felt like I was reliving my own annus horribilus 2012 OR the Day After Tomorrow.

The media sensationalizes everything real for us to prick up our ears with their message, " Latest breaking news" and show us videos of people fighting in the supermarket over toilet paper, etc... REALLY for real !! Have you noticed that WE ARE LISTENING and WATCHING with bated breath, what's the next headline. etc.

Then I got REAL. I took charge of my thoughts as I know this is temporary and IT WILL PASS. The big question is how much impact will this have on our businesses. So, I have put together five tips to start with that will move us forward towards thriving not just surviving in troubled times to safeguard our businesses, ourselves and our teams.

DON'T Panic.  Buying toilet paper, rice, pasta, and tuna .... is not going to help your Business. This will !! 

Stop listening to the sensationalism and get to the REAL facts. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/  

Do the research and understand how this current situation may impact your BUSINESS. 

This is what the real facts it looks like for me ...

• We have a virus SPREADING around the world
• It has the POTENTIAL to kill people with low immune systems
• We need to be vigilant and responsible around NOT spreading the virus
• We need to KEEP TRACK of what is happening in our area of the world AND 
• We may HAVE to make some NEW and DIFFERENT choices in our life and business and work out how ... 
• We can innovate our business UNTIL this has passed 

BE sure - "THIS will pass" like the Y2K, GST confusion, GFC. It is all about how are YOU and YOUR business are going to RIDE the storm. Innovation, training, and development are your keys to meet changing markets and conditions. 

Here are my tips for Business Owners on how to minimize the impact of COVID-19 and THRIVE in unstable times. These tips were implemented when the GFC hit Australia. I was Coaching Small Business Owners. Together, we brainstormed how each business would thrive and put these into action. Those business owners minimized the impact of the GFC on their businesses and thrived. These tips are time tested and proven.

1. Make it your business to know the facts of what's happening in your area of business, sift out the sensationalism and take control of what you can authority and be aware of what you can't. Look at how this may impact your business with customer traffic and buying habits to ensure you have created a safe environment to continue having customers visit.
2. Ensure you have addressed and have clear communication (wirtten/verbal/ both) on what you are doing to avoid the spread of this virus within your business, therefore making it a safe environment to be in for yourself, staff, customers, etc. This could look like advising of new procedures you are now implementing.  (I was at a seminar last night and the chairs that are typically placed 20 cms apart in the line were now 50 cms apart and the microphone was wiped down after each person used it ....we were given instructions to leave if we felt unwell, avoid handshaking wash your hands regularly amongst other things. That was an environment that I felt safe in and people there were being responsible for the impact of the virus not spreading unnecessarily.) 
3. Review all your marketing materials in line with what your target audience wants from you.  Review this monthly for the next 6-9 months, brainstorm and understand your market and their problems and provide a solution to that.  Is the Covid-19 going to impact your target audience? in what way? by how much? what can you put in place to minimize this for your business? what new offer can you promote? How can you INNOVATE your business so that you come out ahead of the game when it passes?  
4. DO NOT stop your Marketing activity - This will have an adverse impact on your business.. you may need to tweak, realign given the current market conditions, change your message, change your offer, change your market, diversify... BUT DON'T STOP ...  Stopping or Standing still will have you be in survival mode or even extinction. You can have your target audience pick up your marketing message without all the white noise around you even with this global event happening. There are people still living and need what you sell... what is your offer and how are you getting that message to them in an innovative way? 
5. BE PREPARED AND DO NOT PANIC. No stockpiling.. This is a real CASHFLOW wastage ... high stock is not recommended unless you have usage for it in the short term or saving money by purchasing for the long term. If you are wondering what areas you should be investing in right now.... look at "Leadership development and Team training" create a space for creativity to flow and Innovation to turn up and then apply STRATEGIC marketing. Doing the work on your target audiences' problems and providing a solution for that is key to getting a much higher ROI on your marketing budget.  Spend the time to do this as this global event unfolds and dies away. It will... go away just like the ones before it. Being prepared, taking the actions and constantly revisiting the NEW plan in line with NEW real information is what will be required for thriving businesses.

Bottom Line question to ask yourself . Are you going to shrink and contract or meet it head-on? It's your choice. 

For more information on how to thrive in these times, - here is a link to ASK me any question you have around your business concerns  https://millionairecoachingbusiness.com/ask-glenis/  

Second - here are four FREE videos on how to generate all the leads you can handle, separate your business from your competition, make your business the first choice and generate immediate cash flow 

https://morecustomers-moreprofitsbusinesscoaching.com/myguidedtour/ 

To your business success