Throughout America and around the world, business leaders are reeling from the impact of COVID-19. How you respond will determine the success of your business—not just during the immediate pandemic, but in the years of aftermath to come.

We’ve observed three different kinds of responses that business leaders have had to COVID-19. Which one describes you?

Business Leader Responses to the Coronavirus

To describe it metaphorically, imagine if business leaders are all on a road trip. Each one is on their way to fulfilling their company’s mission. En route to their respective destinations, a common obstacle arises—in this case, COVID-19. In response, what a leader does with their business can be likened to what a driver might do with their car.

1. Parking
   These business leaders pull over and stop any forward movement. There is no plan B, and plan A can’t be implemented. So, they intend to wait it out, and they assume business will return to normal once restrictions are removed.
2. Detouring
   These business leaders want to keep going, and they realize that things must be done differently—at least, for now. They come up with a plan B for the time being to keep some business in motion. But they intend to return to plan A once the pandemic subsides.
3. Rerouting
   These business leaders assume that things won’t return to normal. They come up with a plan B that becomes the new plan A. They reinvent how they deliver products and services for the long-term. It’s a completely different way to achieve their business goals.

Business Leader Case Studies

Here are some case studies that illustrate the three different responses. All of these come from people we are working with through this pandemic.

1) Parking

Business Leader: Hair salon owner

Plan A: Give haircuts in the salon
Plan B: None

We know a hair salon owner who is waiting at home until her business can reopen. She is still getting paid through the government’s unemployment benefits. So, for her, it’s a welcome break from work. Now she has time to pursue hobbies such as gardening. She assumes that once hair salons reopen, her regular customers will be back just like they were before. No more at-home haircuts for them.

2) Detouring

Business Leader: Makeup artist

Plan A: Give makeup services in the salon
Temporary Plan B: Create video tutorials on do-it-yourself makeup tips

Some business owners are using COVID-19 for creative business opportunities. For example, this makeup artist has started her own YouTube channel to teach people how to beautify themselves at home. It might only be temporary, but it still helps clients while they can’t get to the salons.

UPDATE: We just learned that this business leader is also considering starting a new online product to train others in the industry. By creating digital video classes that can make money during a prolonged shutdown, she is moving toward “rerouting” (see below).

Business Leader: Commercial equipment distributor

Plan A: Sell equipment in person at tradeshows
Temporary Plan B: Market equipment through print and digital media

Another example of a detouring response is a retail company we’ve helped. They sell and distribute commercial equipment. Their plan A was to sell equipment at tradeshows and at potential customers’ workplaces. Once COVID-19 hit, they came up with plan B.

They assume that customers will still need the equipment. Instead of in-person consultations, however, the new marketing plan involves direct mail and social media campaigns. Once social distancing restrictions are lifted, this company plans to resume attending tradeshows and visiting customers.

3) Rerouting

We’ve helped various business leaders who are creating completely new ways of delivering their products and services—not just for the immediate future, but perhaps permanently.

Business Leader: Workshop trainer

Old Plan A: Give workshops live in a classroom
New Plan A: Give workshops virtually through webinars

We’ve helped a workshop leader who used to provide in-person training. When COVID-19 made that impossible, he was stuck. “I guess I can’t do any training this year,” he figured.

When he came to us, we coached him through the process of reinventing his delivery method. That’s when he realized he could go digital. We helped him leverage technology to offer a series of webinars. This included helping him create the webpage, training him on the video platform, and creating an online system for students to register and pay.

This new delivery method benefits both the workshop trainer and his trainees.

Business leader benefits include:

• Saving money. The operation costs are lower because the expense of rented classroom space is eliminated. Therefore, the trainer can offer the workshops at a lower price.
• Having a scalable model. Instead of being limited to the classroom space, this trainer can now open up the workshops to anyone with an Internet connection. This provides the potential for exponential business growth.

Client benefits include:

• Learning incrementally. Each webinar is only one hour. This bite-sized chunk of time is easier for learners to digest, compared to the previous in-person classes that lasted several hours at a time.
• Having greater accessibility. Since the training is even more affordable, more participants can attend. Also, due to the digital platform, people can join from all different locations and time zones.

In fact, the virtual training is so advantageous, the workshop leader is now thinking, “I might do training like this all the time.” The pandemic forced him to think creatively, and as a result, he’s found a solution that really works for him and his clients.

Business Leader: Career coach

Old Plan A: Provide all coaching and training in real time
New Plan A: Provide some coaching and training in real time and some on demand

We’ve also helped an organization that offers career coaching and training. Originally, all of their coaching and training took place in real time, whether it was in person or remotely. Once the pandemic hit, this organization saw it as an opportunity to revamp their services.

As we worked with this organization, they realized that some parts of their program were standard for everyone. For example, each client would receive the same explanation on how taking a particular assessment would help them. The organization realized that they could record these parts on video and make them available on demand.

We helped them develop an online program that incorporates the newly digitized teaching segments. It features training modules, videos, PDF files with instructions, and step-by-step checklists to move from one level to the next.

Consider how this new platform benefits both the coach and the client.

Coach benefits include:

• Saving effort. Now coaches don’t have to repeat themselves unnecessarily for each client.
• Saving time. Before, 5 hours of coaching might take the coach 7–8 hours, due to the extra work needed in addition to the actual coaching time. Now, thanks to leveraging the power of technology, the same content can be covered in only 2–3 hours.

Client benefits include:

• Increased flexibility. Clients can walk through the training modules step by step according to their own schedule and can track their progress.
• Greater retention. The new learning management system uses methodologies that are proven to aid learning and retention.

This is just another example of how creative collaboration during a pandemic has resulted in a successful new business model.

Map Out a New Business Route

What if life doesn’t return to normal, as we know it—soon, or ever? The novel coronavirus crisis can be your opportunity to create a novel business strategy.

If you decide you want to reinvent your business, then we’re here to help. Our creative team collaborates with you to design and implement something new for the COVID-19 era and beyond. We have the out-of-the-box thinking to come up with new solutions, and we have the technological capabilities to make it happen.

Together, let’s come up with innovative ways of delivering your products and services—ways that benefit people who are at home all the time, all around the world. It’s the route to success.

Congratulations to Rick Staton and Dave Warnick of CMIT Solutions for winning their franchise’s 2019 Marketing Excellence Award.

We were delighted to see our client honored for their commitment to marketing excellence. In our conversation with Rick Station, he talked about the significance of the award.

Top Out of 180 Franchises

We understand that CMIT Solutions has over 180 different franchises throughout North America. Many of them have been established for decades, whereas yours has only been in business for nine months. How did you earn the top marketing award?

Every year, the CMIT Solutions home office hosts a national conference. During that time, they present various awards, and one of them is for marketing excellence. The staff looks at all the franchises and asks, “Who is displaying the highest level of marketing skills? Who is worthy of this award and why?”

My success coach at CMIT nominated us. He said, “They market everywhere.” We have a marketing presence in multiple channels—creative brochures, print ads, social media, telemarketing, direct mail, and sophisticated email marketing campaigns. No other franchise is in that many channels. We’re coming at things from a new, disruptive perspective. The award validates the effort we’ve been putting into our marketing work.

Why Accent Interactive?

We’ve had the pleasure of creating several creative brochures and print ads for you. Why did you choose to partner with Accent Interactive?

Ken and I developed a relationship through our local networking group. In little Hunt Valley, Maryland, I found a world-class marketing team. Your work is recognized around the country. When I show it to the rest of my franchise during a convention, not one of the other 180 owners has any negative feedback. Their response is, “Stunning! Beautiful! Where can I get one of these?” Now at least 12 franchises across the US have continued to purchase marketing materials that Accent Interactive created.

Marketing ROI

Instead of relying only on the franchise’s ready-made marketing materials, you decided to invest in creating new ones. How has that helped your business?

It gives me a lot more confidence when I meet with a prospect. When I give them a brochure, they understand immediately what we are about. People remember the material, and they keep it. We haven’t produced stuff that people throw out. Some of my partners who refer customers are now happy to include my marketing material in with theirs. But before, that wouldn’t have happened.

Considering your deep commitment to marketing and the value it brings back to your business, what advice would you give to other business owners?

Marketing generates leads. And it’s up to us business owners to turn the leads into sales. The more leads and opportunities we have, the more sales we’re going to have. At CMIT we are investing across the board in marketing because we have a fundamental understanding that not all customers respond to the same kind of marketing. It’s important to be at the forefront of the customer’s mind and to be findable when a need arises.

There is nothing worse than dragging your audience through bad marketing copy. It actually hurts your brand.

Good marketing copy excites your audience. It shows how working with you brings value to their life and work.

But, as any project manager can tell you, it’s hard to carve out time for focused writing. The daily demands of work and the usual distractions in the office can derail you from making good progress.

Bridging the Gap

That’s where we come in. We embrace the challenge of bridging the gap between what you know and what your customers need to hear. We specialize in getting your expertise onto the page to boost your brand.

Coaching Out the Content

One way we are unique as a creative agency is that our writers are also certified coaches. We leverage our coaching skills to draw out content from our clients—by asking questions that lead to insights, by listening attentively to catch the details, by helping you process what’s happening to get to the heart of the story.

Here are a few examples of our proven results. (Note: Names and project specifics have been changed to protect the clients’ identities.)

1. Finding the story.
   Ryan is a project manager at a local construction company. He wanted to feature a school renovation project on their website. When we met with him to get the information, he easily rattled off the specs—what materials they used, how many square feet they built, how long it took them.
   However, we wanted to uncover the story in the project. To coach Ryan out of the mindset of technical details, we asked him powerful questions, which led to interesting discoveries. We learned how Ryan’s team built a new ramp to the cafeteria, which made it easier for the five students in wheelchairs to join their friends during lunchtime. Our approach enabled Ryan to confidently show the value that he and his company brought to the school community.


2. Making the abstract concrete.
   Susan is the president of a consulting company that provides training throughout the US. She often travels to train teams of executives on conflict management skills and reconciliation methods. But she couldn’t reveal who her clients were or what problems they were facing. How could we show the value of her training when the results were confidential and hard to measure?
   By asking Susan strategic questions about her observations and experiences, we helped her describe the value of her work without revealing specifics and compromising her clients’ confidentiality. Now her marketing communications are clear, concise, and memorable, and her organization’s budget has grown 300% in just 5 years.


3. Engaging the audience.
   Andrew is a successful agent at a real estate company. The company’s owner wanted us to create marketing videos, featuring different agents and properties. When we met Andrew at one of the houses for a video shoot, we were delighted by his natural charisma.
   However, once the cameras were rolling, Andrew became nervous. All of a sudden, he wasn’t sure what to say or where to look. Through our empathetic encouragement and coach-style support, we helped this camera-shy real estate agent become a burgeoning YouTube star. Now his company has marketing videos that really engage their audience and show their real estate expertise. The videos even got picked up by a national real estate newsletter and distributed throughout the US.

Crafting Your Marketing Message

If you want customers to immediately understand the value you add, and appreciate the story you are trying to tell, then let us come alongside you. We’ll coach you through it.