Melissa Middleton, from PNE Group, shares these top tips to help your business survive the pandemic…

  1. Write a business plan for the next 90 days and make sure you review it regularly.
  2. Good cashflow management is always important; during a crisis it is critical! During the crisis, you should be doing cashflow forecasts per quarter and only including income that you are certain will come into the business; do not think money will come, know it will! It’s common sense but you need to keep money coming into the business and to do that, you’re going to have to sell, sell, sell!
  3. Re-evaluate your business model (if necessary): is your market still there? Are your customers / clients? Has anyone else entered the market? Which sectors and businesses are thriving? Where are they? What do they want? Can you provide services to them?
  4. Marketing – re-evaluate your core messages. Are you trying to sell to a market that is simply no longer there? Is your message still relevant?
  5. Understand your customers’ / clients’ needs, pressures and experience caused by the coronavirus crisis.
  6. Provide great customer service to get repeat business and / or recommendations (‘Selling the Invisible’ by Harry Beckwith is recommended reading).
  7. ‘Virtual’ is the new normal. The take up of tech and digital solutions has jumped forward about five years since the Covid-19 lockdown began in the UK.
  8. Be positive with your communication to your own staff and to your existing (and potential) customers / clients.
  9. Get the most from your staff: are people in the right roles for the current needs of the business? Can staff be trained to do other roles?
  10. Look ahead and again, plan for the future.  Write a business plan and cashflow forecast for the next two years. Be positive, confident and take advantage of new opportunities!