Swire Ho, of Garuda Promotional Products, hosted a panel discussion this week about how to change your business during COVID-19. He opened the discussion by saying it may be necessary in order to stay afloat during these peculiar and trying times. The podcast featured three business owners, Michael Friedland of Shleppers Moving & Storage, AJ Shull of RevLocal and yours truly, Dan Hansen, DG Collision Center.
The conversation covered many topics regarding business in the midst of COVID-19, all in the interest of keeping customers and employees safe while simultaneously to keep customers safe and your business moving. I hope you find it interesting and informative. Stay safe.
Changing Your Business to Adapt to COVID 19
Swire Ho, of Garuda Promotional Products, hosted a panel discussion this week about how to change your business during COVID-19. He opened the discussion by saying it may be necessary in order to stay afloat during these peculiar and trying times. The podcast featured three business owners, Michael Friedland of Shleppers Moving & Storage, AJ Shull of RevLocal and yours truly, Dan Hansen, DG Collision Center.
The conversation covered many topics regarding business in the midst of Coronavirus, all in the interest of keeping customers and employees safe while simultaneously to keep customers safe and your business moving. I hope you find it interesting and informative. Stay safe.
Discussion Highlights
- Keep costs low, especially fixed costs
- Communicate clearly with customers how you do business and take measures to keep them safe.
- Offer virtual solutions to get in front of customers without requiring an in-person meeting–technology is your friend.
- Look for ways to be of maximum value and service to your customers.
- If you are in a product or service industry that is perceived to be a commodity, look for ways to add value and differentiate your offering.
- Find revenue lines and other offerings that your typical customer is likely to need and help them.
What follows is a loose transcript of the video content:
Swire
“How has your business been impacted by COVID-19?”
Dan
“Initially, we weren’t really affected because we had a pretty good workload. But within a few weeks, we recognized that new work orders were diminishing. So, we had to get kind of creative. If people don’t drive, people don’t crash. So, I started looking outside the box to see what people are concerned about as far as the appearance in their cars. And we started marketing an affordable detail service. Then, while customers were here, we offered to help smooth out other cosmetic concerns.”Michael
“People are always moving. But we shifted our focus relative to lead generation from local moving to interstate moving. Another pivot we made a while ago, which works well now – we provide virtual estimates. Traditionally, an over-the-phone consult has a higher closing rate than in-person consultations. About a year ago, we started doing virtual estimates with clients who would record a tour of their homes. This has proved valuable today.”AJ
“Most industries have been forced to go online in some form. The big shift we’ve seen for many industries is to offer a video consultation and video estimating. Concierge services. Ways to eliminate face-to-face interactions. Telemedicine has gone through the roof. Previously, it didn’t catch on. Now, it’s the way to operate in the medical industry. Leveraging online platforms is important right now.”
Swire
“Talking to business owners, jumping onto the trends early give you an advantage. Majority of us are still working from home. Our IT is in place, so we can service accounts as well as we could. The advantage of a small biz is that we maneuver much more quickly. From a salesperson’s standpoint, gatekeepers used to block calls. But right now, bosses are easier to reach. They’ve been sitting around for 2 months and are eager to talk to people, not to be sold something but to talk. While some of my competitors are scrambling to assemble a virtual sales team and operations, I have the advantage of knowing what it takes to work from a small base with just a computer and a phone.”
Swire
“What have you done as far as customer safety during COVID-19?”
Dan
“I implemented a photo-estimating app. We send a link to clients. They access it. Our system gets the photos so we can do an estimate. When they come in, we are operating with CDC guidelines. Cars are sanitized on intake and delivery. Also, most people wear masks. Some people feel like masks infringe on their rights. I’m not here to say what’s right or wrong. But the safety of our crew and guests are of paramount importance. We just take them outside.”Michael
“All of our guys use gloves and masks. They wear gloves to protect their hands already during moves. We clean the trucks every day and wipe steering wheels between jobs. Social distancing good practices. We are trying to adopt the guidelines as much as possible.”
AJ
“End of March/April we had to pull away from in-person meetings. In some areas, rules are different. If you choose to go out in person, you take your branded mask. Company-wide training includes our ability to meet face-to-face which is unique for a digital marketing agency. We had to shift that narrative. We remain local. But we also respect business owners’ wishes. If someone wants to meet in-person, we will accommodate that request. Mutual respect for other people’s opinions. I think it’s safe to assume for the next year, people will be dealing with a level of fear.”Dan
“We’re definitely here to make people comfortable while doing business with them.”
Swire:
“What have you learned that you are willing to try to implement after all of this (COVID-19) is over?”
Dan
“In this situation, it is really important to keep an open mind about what you can provide. Be the best you can be. That is going to stand out no matter what. For us, we have morning meetings and have decided we are going to do our best. Any customer who comes in is like gold for us and we treat the like that. We will even do house-calls to provide estimates. I will go to their house with mask and gloves. Doing our absolute best. Even after all of this is over, we will continue in that vein.”
AJ
“If you are working, you owe it to America to do that. If you have a way to contribute, whether that’s online or in person and you can do it, do your part. This opened my eyes to the fact that, if you can open a business helping someone, your community…if you can hire during these times since so many are looking for work. Just seeing you’re open for business is inspiring to people.”Michael
“I would echo all of that. I have been in business for 22 years. At one point, I invested in gin and have pursued lots of different options. Over the years, I’ve learned to picot quickly. I have focused on meeting needs. I have focused on making changes according to the playing field. We are very, very busy every day. When you look at a P&L at the end of the month, is to see your labor costs and not only think of it as an expense but to realize that it is tied to people’s livelihood. It’s motivating to keep the economy going and to keep your business going and to keep food on the table by keeping your biz going.”Swire
“Right now, I feel clients are more open to using technology to meet. This has opened people to the idea of using digital tools to meet. I think the trend is going to continue. We can meet outside of the US. I am glad I’ve been in the Chamber of Commerce and I met all three in BNI, and I am glad I did that. I became a resource for my clients. They’re confused. They are asking who I know for home repair, etc. I became a conduit to networking. I have access to a lot of business professionals. Becoming a resource for my clients is one of my goals.”
Michael
“Combating people’s desire to compare completely based on price. But the things we offer that differ from other moving companies, we forward their mail. We’ll switch over their utility bills. We do box deliveries and auto services. Ancillary to moving process. If you can offer that, you add value and differentiate yourself from someone else who is doing the bare minimum. Story about an island and piece of jewelry. Piece sat without attention, so they lowered price. It still didn’t sell. So, they raised the price above the original, so the perceived value was higher, and it sold. We all intrinsically understand that there is a correlation between price and value.”
Swire
“Can you offer business owners one note of encouragement for the days ahead?”
AJ
“Communicate. Now, more than ever. It’s time to move on. We’re back in biz. We’re here for you. Communicate how things have changed. Use free platforms. Reach out to your existing customer base. Utilize these to get your message out.”Dan
“Don’t get stuck in a rut. Keep moving. If anything tests your ambition, it’s something like this, if you can get through it and survive, you’ll be way ahead.”Michael
“Watch your costs. Communicate. And stay flexible. Email marketing. FAQs on our website. Stay positive. Look for opportunity. Come from a place of service. How can I help?”Swire
“Pick up your client list. Reach out to old contacts. People want to talk to other human beings right now. Offer to help them.”