No one could have predicted what Covid-19 would mean for us, how it would change our working lives and how we would have to come up with new ways to keep businesses going, growing and thriving. The pandemic has been (and continues to be) a very difficult time for many, but one thing is for sure: It has taught us lessons about marketing and business that we can continue to use to make our businesses stronger than ever before.
Here are six lessons I’ve learned that we can all use to ensure our businesses are ready for anything.
Lesson 1: Have The Right Talent On Hand
Have a pool of talented professionals ready at all times. Complacency or a narrow vision for what your team should be can lead to catastrophe when a crisis actually strikes. If you’re hesitant to assign responsibility and trust that something will get done, you hired the wrong people. It’s difficult to let people go or admit you were wrong about who you hired, but it’s often a reality we need to face in order to grow.
If you have great people but they aren’t experienced enough to take on more responsibility, train them. It will create loyalty, team spirit and a strong team for the future. If you don’t have the cash flow to hire your A-team, then seek out freelancers and contractors you can turn to who are willing to be an extended part of your team.
Lesson 2: Have A Defined Workflow
Systems work. In fact, these predetermined systems are the only way huge corporations are able to work, and the only way you’ll be able to grow significantly, too.
In my business, and I expect in yours, too, we experienced dramatic changes when the pandemic sent the world into lockdown. It’s easy to panic in this situation, but it is really worth investing the time to build a solid workflow for all aspects of an operation, including meetings, check-ins, productivity timelines and more. Preparing your workflow before you start isn’t time lost, but actually, time saved in the long term.
In difficult situations, it will give you and your team, and anyone who needs to step in, a predetermined track to follow. This is invaluable at any time, but especially when you need to collaborate remotely. When we’re working remotely, we can’t guarantee that the person we need to talk to will respond immediately.
Lesson 3: Communicate An Opportunity, Not An Obstacle
Remote collaboration creates pitfalls due to a lack of communicative immediacy. You must be more explicit and direct when working remotely, even when you are using real-time chat programs like Slack. Make sure everyone is explicit in what they say, and if there are simple instructions you find yourself giving more than once, put them in a workflow app or even a simple Google doc so you can share it next time.
When it comes to communicating with clients and customers, avoid reiterating the problems the pandemic is causing you. Remember, they are living this, too, so try to bring light and excitement to your team and clients when possible. Look at these new challenges as an opportunity to discover new ways of serving your customers.
Lesson 4: Communication May Change, But It Never Goes Away
Just because the pandemic brought the majority of physical engagement to a halt didn’t mean that we weren’t interacting with one another. It just meant that we had to find alternative ways to do so, namely social media and videoconferencing platforms.
You should always look for ways to connect with your clients and customers wherever they gather — online or off. There’s no excuse for radio silence, even in the most challenging of circumstances. Remember that if you’re not showing up, you can’t expect clients to.
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