What does franchising and business look like for business owners a year after COVID-19? We ask franchise expert Derek Cafferata to share his thoughts on the topic.

The COVID-19 pandemic took the entire world by surprise. Governments, economies and societies had not predicted and were not prepared for what was about to spread throughout the globe. Our way of life has changed, for who knows how long. How we socialise, how we do business, how we travel, how we educate, how we provide healthcare, all these everyday tasks have changed for us, at least for the foreseeable future.

So, what does that mean for everyday business? Franchise expert Derek Cafferata, CEO and President of All State Franchise Finders, shares three key points that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted throughout the business world.

Commit to Your Mission

When normality is stripped away, complacency has no place to hide when it comes to business.

“Throughout this last year, customers have become more attentive to what they want from a product or service,” says Derek Cafferata. “And even more resourceful and focussed on finding out which companies actually deliver on their promise.”

Whether your mission statement is based around being the fastest, offering the best value for money, providing the highest quality or being the most reliable, the post-coronavirus marketplace is full of customers who are looking for honesty. So be sure to match what you claim and provide customers with exactly what you promise them.

According to Derek, any hint of falseness and your customers will take the time to search for a competitor who is honest about who they are as a company and who does exactly what they claim to.

Realize How Flexible You Are

One thing the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us is that we all need to be flexible. And the majority of us have come to realize just how flexible we are. With social distancing, shutdowns, lockdowns, restrictions and the like, businesses have had to be flexible and swift in their change.

“Businesses have had to implement a vast range of small and not-so-small changes in order to keep going this past year,” says Derek. “The trick is to be willing and prepared to adapt and change as necessary, and to change quickly.”

Change was predominantly driven by consumers needs. Society found restrictions and lockdowns were introduced suddenly, throwing our concept of normal out the window. Businesses have had to learn to adapt to changes as quickly as they were being introduced into our new way of life. As consumers have had to quickly adapt and change, business has as well.

Our idea of normal will continue to be tweaked and adapted as we continue to deal with this global pandemic, which has so far seen more than 580,000 people die in the US alone.

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing

“Fear, isolation and uncertainty have, unfortunately, crept into our communities, homes and families,” says Derek. “Marketers have had to learn to be very sensitive with how they market now.”

The focus of marketing has moved towards a more personal approach as people deal with life in restriction, lockdown and isolation. And the trick for marketing departments to balance this with the demand for online information and access to products and services.

“The Coronavirus pandemic has certainly put a strong emphasis back onto marketing,” says Derek. “Relevance and a sensitivity to customers constantly changing needs were where businesses found success in marketing throughout the past year.”

Franchise Experts All State Franchise Finders

With more than 30 years of experience in the franchising industry in the US and around the world, Derek Cafferata has enjoyed being a part of this constantly changing franchising business world, offering advice to franchises around the nation as they come to terms with a new way of reaching their customers in this era of Covid-19.

Derek and his team at All State Franchise Finders are considered the leading franchising experts and are ready to offer advice and guidance to business owners. For more information, call 1-800-544-2161 or visit allstateff.com today. All State Franchise Finders – your franchise experts!