Small Business Preparedness – Planning Tool – NR – Customers and Suppliers
Networks and Relationships
Customers and Suppliers
Positive relationships both within your organization and with other organizations can provide valuable support during crises and build your community's resilience.
They can also be great sources for inspiration or new ideas. When a crisis occurs and you are faced with tough decisions, working together with others can be very beneficial.
Contact a key customer or key supplier and have a "Hi, how are you doing?" conversation.
How do you approach relationships with other organizations - do you work to actively build respecting and trusting relationships with neighbors, suppliers, competitors, and your local community? Pick up the phone or go knock on a door and initiate a "Hi, how are you doing?" conversations. If this is uncomfortable for you, then start with an easy one.
Contact a key customer or supplier and sat that you wanted to check in with how satisfied they are with how your two organizations are working together.
We have identified your main suppliers and customers, and reflected on what you could do if they failed. In addition, we now know what they value from working with you.
Let's now analyze how your products or services reach your customers, that is, the distribution channel.
Your products or services can reach your customers through various channels.
Note which channels you use:
- Direct point of sale
- Through third parties: wholesaler/retailer
- Through social networks: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Business, etc.
- Through webpage, marketplace, and/or e-commerce.
Think about how much (time and cost) it costs you to get products or services to your customers using current distribution channels.
Discuss with your team if you could include any other distribution channels to your business without incurring large logistical expenses, and what main actions you would need to perform.
- Note what other distribution channels you have identified.
- Describe the steps you will need to take to get it up and running.
Now is the time to think about what specific actions you could take to promote your products or services to increase your sales.
Below are examples of possible promotional activities you could carry our. Select which of these you will do:
- I will use word of mouth
- I will do public relations
- I will print a catalog, brochures, etc.
- I will advertise on radio, television
- I will use a website
Discuss with your team which promotional activities could have the greatest impact and at what time, taking into account the budget you have available for it.
- Note the promotional activities that you plan to carry our and the periodicity: Monthly (M), Daily (D), Weekly (W) or Punctual (P).