We want to begin by letting you all know that despite having our services suspended, we are STILL OPEN for business.
This doesn’t have to be lights out for your business, and its definitely not lights out for ours!! If you can trade through this period with retail it could make all the difference to your survival, and the survival of our economy.
We will continue to supply your products for as long as we can, and for as long as we have product, and you should also do the same.
Just because you can’t do treatments, now is not the time to lay down and let your clients shop at Mecca, Sephora, Department Stores, Pharmacies and Supermarkets. The last thing any of us want is to see is our Youngblood clients buying Nude by Nature from Priceline or seeing our Image clients buying Natio or Nivea from their local pharmacy.
Right now, our biggest competitors have the green light to sell inferior ranges to our clients…it is crucial that you don’t just give up and shut down for the next however long.
You need to be more competitive than ever and I don’t mean discounting competitive, I mean compete with your expertise and with your unsurpassed knowledge. Contact your clients and remind them that you are still here for them, offer virtual consultations and home deliver if you have too.
One of my favourite quotes is
"Circumstances don’t make the man (or woman) they reveal them."
The next 30, 60, 90 days will reveal what we are made of as entrepreneurs and as an industry. We have all worked too hard for too long, to let our businesses go without a fight!!!
Below is a graph of what happens if you do nothing. You want to be the blue line, not the red line, so the next steps you take could make all the difference.
Infographic credit to FBZ Financial. www.fbz.com.au
So, here is a list of the things you should be doing right now.
🤜 1. Talk to your team and stand them down
In these unprecedented times, we need to take actions we probably never thought necessary. It’s the most heartbreaking and horrible thing I have ever done, but due to the government shutting us down, you have rights to, and need to, stand your team down. They will need a letter stating this has happened so that they can apply for emergency income support. We will post a link where you can find this below – or I will just post the letter below.
🤜 2. Talk to your customers to let them know you can still supply them with product
Let them know that although you can no longer supply treatments and services, they can still get their products from you.
Retail stores are still allowed to be open, so that is what you should become. A place where people can still purchase their skincare, makeup, tanning, body products and internal beauty products.
If you can’t stay open, give them a way to do this online. Ask them to email you, or Facebook message you, or purchase from your website if you have one. Freight is still operating, so you can ship products, or in some areas, you may want to hand deliver them.
Make sure you stay on Facebook and continue to communicate with them during this time. Video your own home skincare routines. call everyone on your database to discuss designing at home skin care regimes to keep your clients looking and feeling their best during this time.
Make it fun and give them something to focus on while they are in lockdown. Be a source of support and happiness and laughter, and also a source of good healthcare advice (just make sure you only share advice from our Government's Dept of health). Let them know you are there for them and that you are in this with them. The more you do this, the faster you will recover when this is all over.
Do not roll over and hibernate. Now is the time for action and positivity. In fact, you need it now more than ever, so dig deep everyone, we are here with you doing the same.
🤜 3. Call your banks and landlords and request a mortgage or rental deferral
Just having that weight off you will help you to think straight during this time. We have done this today and received a 6 month holiday on our mortgages already. The banks are being very helpful, but you need to call them asap. Do not waste another day.
Your landlord should be receiving holidays from their mortgage too, which means a rent holiday for you. If anyone is being bullied by their landlord, let us know and we will see if we can assist with any advice from our legal team. Everyone is going through the same thing and the government has instructed the banks to be supportive, so make sure you ask for this.
🤜 4. Start planning
Use this time to plan for the next 6 months to take care of yourself, your families and your health, as well as your business. You need to know how you will best ride the wave that comes when we get to the end of this.
This is also where we can help, I will offer FREE online group coaching to any clients that want it over the next 6 months so that when the dust settles you are primed for the best year of your life.
Finally, as we have said before, we are in this together with you. The majority of our team is currently on stand down, and we are experiencing the exact same circumstances that we have outlined for you. However, we do have a small team that is here to process orders, ship orders and answer your questions. Due to a very reduced team, please be patient with our turn around times, your orders may take a little longer to get to you than normal. We may not answer the phones as quickly, so please don’t hesitate to email your orders through if you can’t get us on the phone straight away. We ARE HERE, and we will keep you posted if, and when anything changes.
We want you to know that our hearts are full of gratitude and love for you all. To you and your teams and our team, we will get through this. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road sometimes, so we want you to know that we are here to talk if you need it.
All our love, blessings and strength
Matt and Lisa xxx
