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How you interact with customers, suppliers, employees, and investors in the short term will set the stage for how well your business recovers once financial instability subsides. Comfort and Protect Your People Managing your team through a crisis is your opportunity to improve as a leader. People who work with or for you may be worried about their health at work and their families. So the first thing you should do is be transparent in your communications and update regularly on how the crisis is impacting your business. What are your specific plans to deal with it? How will those plans impact the way they work? Be prepared to offer your employees flexibility. Work arrangements and remote communication arrangements. Consider introducing company-wide policies to provide employees with clear guidance and direction such as a work-from-home policy.
Now is also a good time to consider a hiring freeze to cut costs and protect your existing sales staff. Staying connected with your customers and suppliers through a global crisis can strengthen the trust and loyalty you build with your customers Email Marketing List and suppliers. To reassure them that your business will remain stable start by contacting them directly about the status of order shipments, inventory and payments. Post regular updates on your business location, website, email, community page, and social media platforms about the steps you are taking to keep your business running; your business hours; any changes to customer service or delivery times If you sell online this is a good time to remind customers that they can still find what they’re looking for on your website even if they can’t shop in person.
Offer discounts or free shipping to keep customers happy and increase sales. Communicating with Shareholders and Investors Staying connected with shareholders and investors is especially important during times of financial difficulty. They will want to know that their investment is safe and that you are taking every precaution to keep it that way. You should try to meet with shareholders in person but at least take the time to draft and submit a detailed memo reminding investors how your business is performing. Share real-life examples of crises you or similar companies have overcome in the past. Explain what your team did to keep things on track. The risk management or business continuation steps taken will be detailed later. Remember to stay positive, stick to the facts and provide data where possible.
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