Subject: Ontario Business Closure Mandate
“What can SCM’s Valued Business Partners be doing during the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Everyone is now well aware of the global threat to public health that COVID-19 poses. Here at SCM Products Inc., we immediately responded by having all of our non-essential personnel work from home. Also, and in respect of the recent Provincial mandate requiring that all non-essential businesses close for the next 14 days, SCM is complying with the order, and has set up a safe shipping facility that does not put any of our staff at risk. This means that your customers will still be able to receive their beloved products, and you may continue to bring in revenue during this challenging time. For more information on how this works, please see the “online sales” section below.
It is important to come together and focus on the various actions that we can all employ to keep our businesses running, and as successful as possible, until this unfortunate situation improves.
Detailed below are “10” possible tactics that a small business owner might consider utilizing during the coronavirus pandemic. Please keep reading to the end of this blog, and you will find a link to a very positive recent clinical trial that pertains to our “GliSODin” product line!
- Teleconference:
The technology available to us today means that “physical distance” does not mean “complete isolation” – there are plenty of ways to stay “in touch” without ever having to be close enough to actually touch. With teleconferencing, you can easily stay in touch with your customers.
Your patients likely have a bit of extra time on their hands these days for home facials and other beauty care practices. Think about making customers aware through email, phone or social media that while your clinic may be closed, you’re still available through alternative means to answer their questions and provide valuable consultations.
Here are a few examples of tools that you can use: Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype and FaceTime.
Each of these platforms has its own unique pros and cons, but for simplicity’s sake we would recommend using what you know. If you already have a familiarity with a certain platform and it works, stick with that. If you are completely unfamiliar with the world of teleconferencing, use Skype.
Skype is one of the oldest and most commonly used video conferencing platforms out there right now. With a wide user base, cross-OS compatibility and robust group call functionality, Skype is a great tool to stay in the loop with your customers and co-workers. If you’d like to allow customers the ability to schedule call times with you, check out Calendly.com
- Online Sales:
SCM Products Inc. has created a temporary “on-line” program that will allow your customers to purchase some of their favorite brands listed below, directly from SCM:
- ZO Skin Health
- Skincode
- Lycogel
- Pyratine
- Marena
- Revivogen
- GliSODin
This program will work as follows:
- Should you agree to participate in this program, your SCM “Medical Business Consultant” will first assign you a unique numerical “clinic patient code” that will be exclusive to your practice
- You will then advise any of your patients who are interested in purchasing some of the above products, to email their desired order to SCM Products Inc. at info@scmproductsinc.com, along with both the “name of your clinic” and the “clinic patient code” which we will already have provided you. (No orders will be processed unless we have both the code, and the clinic name with the consumer’s request).
- Patient orders will next be assembled at our SCM distribution center, their “Visa” or “Mastercard” credit card payment processed for the “regular clinic retail selling price” associated with each item on the order, and the order itself shipped via UPS courier directly to the patient’s home address provided. Please note that our normal UPS shipping fees will be charged to all orders that are less than $200.00 (excluding HST) – “no charge shipping” however, will apply to amounts that exceed the $200.00 minimum.
- SCM will forward you confirmation of each sale, along with a copy of the actual patient invoice. Within a week following the conclusion of each month that this program is in operation, we will also send you a “summary report” for the month previous, which lists all patient transactions associated with your clinic during that time frame.
- Finally, and based upon the above referenced monthly summary report, we will send you a cheque (or if you would prefer, provide you with a “credit”) that is equivalent to 40% of all branded retail product sales that were made by SCM directly to your patients within that month.
- Livestream:
Hosting a Livestream or “going live” as it’s referred to on some platforms is a great way to stay connected and offer value to your customers. A Livestream is essentially like a Skype call, but instead of talking to one person, you’re talking to many and your audience is more limited in the ways they can communicate back.
There are many streaming services out there, generally, for business use, we recommend Facebook or Instagram. On these platforms, you have a built-in audience of your friends/followers and the features and quality are likely sufficient for your needs. If you’re looking for something more professional or you’re wanting to sell tickets to your steam, check out your options here.
- Refresh Your Website:
This temporary slow down has offered us more time than usual to tackle tasks often pushed to the backburner. Take a step back and see what needs to be done, for example, it may be time to refresh your website.
Experts recommend that businesses do a complete website redesign every 2-3 years in order to stay up top of design trends and to ensure functionality is optimized for new devices and search engine algorithms.
If you need access to money in order to make these changes or simply continue daily operations, Business Development Canada (BDC) has recently announced 10 billion dollars to help small businesses in Canada make it through this economic downturn.
Use this time and availability of funding wisely. Use this time to build something great, so that when things pick back up you’ll be ready to capitalize. More information on BDC’s Support for entrepreneurs impacted by the coronavirus.
- Online Learning:
Offering courses online is a great way to bring in revenue during that pandemic because thousands of people are now at home looking for something to do.
This is also a time where you might want to reinvest in yourself by upgrading your skills through an online course.
Platforms you can use to buy/sell course: Udemy, Coursera, OpenSesame If you’re interested in selling a course, make sure you read each site’s terms to see what percentage they take per sale. If you want a bigger slice of the pie, we recommend selling courses directly through your website.
- Blog/Podcast:
Writing a blog is a great way to improve your search ranking on Google while also helping to connect you with your customers. Whether you have a long-running blog or haven’t posted anything in your life, now is a great time to write and post more. More information on how to write an awesome blog post here.
Podcasts are another option to connect with your audience. Answer questions, offer advice, interview guests (from a safe distance) are all options for you to explore on your podcast. Podcasts can also help improve your search engine ranking, simply post a link to the show along with the show’s transcript as a blog post and you’re all set!
When planning your blog/podcast, keep in mind that it should be informative but also entertaining, no one wants to read a technical manual or a sales sheet, be casual, friendly and have fun.
If you’re looking to launch a podcast there are many services out there that will host your site, we recommend Anchor for those getting started because it’s simple and free. More information on how to start a podcast.
- Social Media Strategy:
Now is a great time to take a step back and look at how you’re doing on social media or to construct a plan for your launch into the social sphere.
How does Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, your newsletter, etc. all come together in order to elevate your businesses’ online presence?
Here are a couple of resources on social media strategy that we recommend: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-marketing-strategy/ https://buffer.com/library/social-media-marketing-strategy
- Online Advertising:
It’s very important to let your customers and potential customers know how you are operating these days. Are you offering delivery? pick-up? online services? If you are not active in educating your customers they may just assume you’re fully closed.
One way to reach a large audience with your message is through online advertising. Google and Facebook both provide timely access to targeted audiences with fees that are quite reasonable in comparison to more traditional advertising channels.
More information on Facebook ads.
More information on Google ads.
- Gift Cards:
One way to set your business up for financial resilience during this situation is to ask customers to purchase gift cards. Everyone is aware of the economic impacts of this pandemic and many are willing to help especially their beloved local shops.
If you don’t already offer gift cards, here’s a supplier that can get you started.
- Innovate:
Every big world event provides an opportunity for positive change. Is there an opportunity for your business to offer something new? An online course? A new service? This is an opportunity to get creative and dream up something new.
Looking for more ideas? Mark Cuban posted a thread on LinkedIn about small business. The thread now has over 8,000 comments consisting of questions, answers, and commentary about this crisis.
We’re all in this together, please stay safe!
Valerie Potter-Johns
Vice-President, Business Development
GliSODin Clinical Study:
We came across the article below and wanted to share it with you, as the key ingredient in our products, GliSODin, is the only orally bioavailable source of superoxide dismutase (SOD).
It has been clinically proven to help raise antioxidant defense levels
and reduce the damage due to oxidative stress.
Here is the link to the article:
