March 24, 2020 update
The WHO COVID-19 Situation Report for March 23 reported 332,930 confirmed COVID-19 cases (40,788 new) and 14,510 deaths (1,727 new) globally.
The US CDC reported 33,404 total (confirmed and presumptive) COVID-19 cases and 400 deaths nationwide on March 23, more than double the number of cases reported on Friday and just shy of twice the reported deaths.
Of these cases, 97.0% do not have an identified exposure—travel-related or close contact of a known case—and are still under investigation.
The Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard is reporting 46,485 US cases and 591 deaths as of 8:45 am March 24.
US RESPONSE
At Tuesday’s White House briefing, both Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, remarked that anyone who has left New York City in recent days may have been exposed to coronavirus, and should self-quarantine for 14 days regardless of where they are now.
Pence said the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] was going to provide much needed supplies including 7.6 million N95 masks and 4 million surgical masks to states. The agency told Fox News that at the last minute, it was able to procure coronavirus test kits from the private market and did not need to invoke the “prioritization” clause of the Defense Production Act.
The US Senate is reportedly making progress toward an economic stimulus package which aims to provide financial security for workers and businesses as well as boost funding for hospitals and health systems as they prepare for and respond to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, March 20, the US Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to convert hotels, university dormitories, and similar spaces into hospitals to increase clinical bed space to support the COVID-19 response.
GLOBAL RESPONSE
OLYMPICS FATE DECIDED
The International Olympic Committee published an official announcement: the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed until 2021 in order to “safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”
HUBEI PROVINCE ENDS “LOCKDOWN”
China’s National Health Commission reported today that movement and travel restrictions in Hubei Province are being relaxed starting today. Hubei’s provincial government stated that Hubei Province will restore travel across its border, but travelers would be required to carry a “digital health certificate” issued by the provincial government in order to leave the province.
Using data to reduce anxiety of running your business
Using experimental marketing strategies to drive growth
It may seem overwhelming right now, but letting your anxiety of the world creep into your business’s marketing decisions will not get you the successes you got into this for. Join Brooks Pettus as he walks us through marketing strategies you can experiment with during the pandemic and stay on the course to grow your business over the long run.
Invoke a “wartime mindset“
- We are all in this war together fighting Covid-19
- Panic is a debilitating choice
- Invest in your actions, because action is how you win battles
- Focus on what actions can you take next?
Action is greater than panic
- Do not let the fear of taking the wrong action prevent you from acting – action is still action and a far better alternative to doing nothing and panicking
- Use as much data as you can to make decisions
- Test different ideas and although they all won’t work they are moving you in the right direction
- Borrow from what is working for others especially those in states that have been in lockdown longer or even other industries
Use data to inform your decisions
- Even a simple spreadsheet or Google Sheet is a great place to track those jobs that are flowing through to you right now
- Look for the commonalities such as zipcode, type of job, lead source etc. and track this in a spreadsheet so that you can see the numbers and double down on what’s working
- Track the ideas that you try too so that you can see if it’s making an impact or not
Three actions you can take right now
Make the template for when you contact customers
- Hi ________, how is everything going? I (ex. Cleaned your carpets 6 months ago) and am going to be in your neighborhood, do you need anything?
- Use a simple script to show your customer that you care and are customer focused
- It may not lead to a job right away but you are building goodwill for your brand and adding value for your customer
1. Email outreach
- Export your customer list out of Housecall Pro or whichever software you use
- Send emails using Mailchimp (which is free for up to 2,000 contacts)
2. Call your customers
- Utilize your data to identify your top zipcodes. Export your customer list and sort by zipcode and use this as a call list
- If you are not comfortable cold calling, remember that your livelihood and business depend on this and you can always send the email first and use this call as a time to ask your customer, did you see my email?
3. Postcards
- Your customers have time to actually read their mail
- The White House sent out postcards, you need to as well
- Housecall Pro has created postcard designs for you specifically for this time. If you use Housecall Pro they are already loaded into your account, if not you can access the designs here and take them whichever print house you use
- Housecall Pro users will receive 50% off their postcards through the month of April 2020
