Open for Business — Kerry Anderson

As rural businesses prepare to reopen or ramp up to full operation, and the community starts to emerge from self-isolation, communication will be essential to entice customers back. Customers understand the benefits of shopping local. They want to support you, but protecting the health of their family and household budgets will take priority. Now is the time to assess what has worked well in the past and what opportunities there are to introduce change. It should be a blend moving forward. Going back to ‘normal’ is NOT an option!

Here are a few thought starters.

How will we …

#1 Visibly demonstrate we are keeping customers and staff members safe?
It is not just enough to do it. You have to show how you are doing it. Explain how you are keeping everyone safe via a notice on your shop front, social media and website. And make sure you back it up by actually doing what you say.

#2 Operate and offer services differently?
Think about what you want to keep doing and what you want to start doing. Home deliveries and online orders will continue to be welcomed by locals as well as our city friends who are itching to give their support to the bush. What a good time to review your opening hours and a host of other things at the same time. This is the perfect time for change.

#3 Provide alternate priced/portioned offers to accommodate limited budgets?
Sadly, this will be an important consideration post September when government Job Keeper payments cease and as unemployment continues to rise. Consider smaller portions/sizes or maybe bulk cheaper buys.

#4 Offer a choice of payment platforms?
Now that more people are familiar with paying for goods and services online it makes perfect sense to offer more than one online payment platform as everyone has their favourites. Research shows that many online customers are still wary of sharing their credit card details and pull out of a sale if their preferred platform isn’t on offer. In response to customer enquiries we have introduced After Pay to our family’s online business. When Facebook / Instagram introduces its recently announced SHOP sales platform to Australia we will be installing that as well.

#5 Communicate … Communicate … COMMUNICATE?
For all rural businesses, this is a time to reconnect, reassure, and stay connected. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just do it and keep doing it consistently. If you don’t have the skills, consider paying a tech savvy local to take care of your social media and website (a great opportunity for someone to create a new business). And, don’t forget, there is a whole world of customers out there for you to tap into online.

Finally, for those of you saying ‘She’ll be right mate!’, NO it won’t! Normal is NOT an option, it is a risk!

KERRY ANDERSON: Founder of the Operation Next Gen program and author of ‘Entrepreneurship: It’s Everybody’s Business,’ Kerry works with small businesses and rural communities to help them embrace new opportunities. In 2018 she was named as one of Australia’s Top 50 Regional Agents of Change. READ MORE Kerry is available to speak with rural communities and business groups across Australia.