April 7, 2020
Beyond face to face
Perhaps most changes to businesses caused by COVID-19 were caused by adjustments to the customers’ preferred buying channels or relationships with other businesses. Many small businesses excel at customer service; they establish face-to-face relationships and create loyalty to both the enterprise and the owners.
What happens when face-to-face is no longer an option?
Different businesses have been affected in different ways due to COVID-19. Some are struggling to keep up with the demand for safety and medical products ordered by contract. Others have turned to export markets. Some businesses are searching for online customers that can replace their loyal face-to-face customer base.
Web-based sales channels have become more critical to most direct-to-consumer businesses; companies need to translate their personal interaction to online interaction. The goal is the same, and that’s to know your customers as individuals and to anticipate their needs.
Social media presents an opportunity not only to push sales but to communicate authentically through live video, posts and comments. Build your relationships and be honest about how COVID-19 is affecting your business. Customers want to help; tell them how.
Business-to-business companies may find their purchasing patterns have changed. If the business was selling produce to restaurants, they might start selling through home delivery boxes or to grocery stores, for example. New customers may require new distribution channels; governments have registration requirements, exporting requires shipping channels, and large companies have varying requirements for new suppliers. Businesses interested in selling to the government can receive free help from the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the NC Military Business Center. Rely on peer groups, your chamber of commerce, and ECU for help.
The first businesses to navigate changes will be the first to secure channels.
As a small business, how have you adjusted your sales channels? What’s working for you?
David Mayo
David Mayo is the director of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center and an instructor in the Miller School of Entrepreneurship. He has worked directly with small businesses in eastern North Carolina through six disaster declarations. Mayo has assisted with the development of multiple new technologies, helped businesses raise $30,000,000 in capital, consulted with more than 400 companies, and sits on two startup board of directors. He also is a small-business owner, running two businesses in the Greenville area.
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