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could be either of them, although thinking about it, hairs too tidy for Boris 

I've been asked to circulate this.

The threat from mandate fraud has increased during the COVID-19 response. This could result in organisations losing substantial amounts of money that will be difficult to recover.

You think you have heard it all. You think there is nothing Trump could say now that would surprise you.

Then you look at what is trending on twitter and realise you were wrong...

I actually think he is insane 

I've no problems with cards or contactless card payments. I hear you about mobile apps and I know you are right, but somewhere in my primitive dinosaur brain, it just doesn't seem right to set my mobile phone up to make payments. 

Maybe I watch too many FBI or NSA related drama's and convinced everyone is trying to hack my phone and nick my brass 

I think that's human nature and my brain has certainly dived to the bottom of the pyramid a few times, until rational thought finally kicked back in.

Although the current situation is serious, it's not unprecedented. If you run a business for more than 10 years, you will experience multiple crisis's and business threatening decisions and realise it's all cyclic. Each event may impact businesses differently, but it's how we approach each crisis that counts.

I remember the banking collapse and thinking this is the end and we had to lay off 5 guys. Then Google decided back in 2012 it hated me and overnight we lost 70% of our revenue. This time, our biggest revenue months for our Trusted Trader business are March and April. Could not time it any better if we tried

But as the US Marines like to say, adapt, improvise and overcome 

I'm always a bit cynical when it comes to sales trainers, and I've met some great ones and some awful ones.

But Andy Bounds is in a class of his own. I've been to his presentations before, but I got invited to a webinar he did yesterday.

The guy is absolutely amazing,  a straight-talking Yorkshireman and really focuses your mind when it comes to generating leads and sales.

Key takeaways

Forget about your sales pitch, you've been around for 10 years, you've done this, you've done that. Instead, focus on what you can do for the client, or as Andy calls it, AFTERS.

In other words what will your relationship with the client look like afterwords? What can he expect?

My favourite bit though is his objection busting. Andys advice is to spend a few weeks roleplaying objections with a partner or coach so you are pitch perfect and then remove any fear or anxiety about overcoming objections.

Great example, "You are too expensive"
Answer: " I don't often hear that, can you explain why you think that?"

Turn objections round and spin into positive questions.

There is a load of stuff on his website and he does a weekly newsletter called Tuesday tips, so encourage you to sign up for it, it's well worth it, regardless how long you have been in business.

www.andybounds.com/TuesdayTips

That's terrible. I thought South Africa had progressed and was moving forward. I know there have been political tensions and disproportionate wealth (like India) is a worry, but I'd assumed the Government was pretty solid.

But this paints a picture of widespread corruption of officials at all levels

You may be already familiar with the Maslow pyramid, but if you're not or need some refresher motivation, read on.

An American psychologist called Abraham Maslow came up with a theory in 1943 which became Maslow's hierarchy of needs, based on the concept of a pyramid and different levels.

At the bottom of the pyramid are your basic physiological needs, food, water, rest. This is followed by your safety needs, security and safety. Then comes your belongingness needs, intimate relationships and friends, followed by esteem needs, ie your feeling of accomplishment, before the top of the pyramid, which Maslow called self-actualization. In other words the realization of your full potential. 

The idea being that you would progress through the levels to achieve your full potential. This theory still stands today, although most people concede that levels will overlap as you progress up the pyramid.

Maslow principles applied to business

You can apply the Maslow pyramid to business and is a tool used by a lot of business coaches. There are a multitude of interpretations, but they all follow the same principle.

In times of crisis, where do most business owners head to from a physiological point of view?

Straight to the bottom of the pyramid. Our brains kick into fight or flight survival mode.

• Can we pay the bills?
• Is there money coming in?
• Will I lose all my clients?
• The world as I know it is ending

Businesses that survive or prosper in a crisis have leaders, mindset and culture that can adapt. They will live at the top of the pyramid, looking for opportunities, diversifying, solving problems, creating solutions.

The bottom 2 levels of the pyramid are the danger zone. You may be able to weather the storm, but you will be left behind by competitors who will be innovating, communicating to your customers and exploiting opportunities.

The middle of the pyramid is where positivity and growth begins. Don't go quiet, even if you are physically unable to trade. Create plenty of noise, let everyone know you are still here. If you have had to reign in marketing spend, then get creative and use outlets such as social media. Tap into a bored captive audience, offer something of value.

Then keep it up, if you have a team and they haven't been furloughed, keep them motivated. Concentrate on positive messaging, stand out from the doom and gloom. Encourage brainstorming, hold regular team meetings, start exploring ideas and possible opportunities.

Sole Traders

If you are a team of one, then there is no reason why you can't follow the same formula. Keep communicating, evaluate your digital presence. If that old website is doing you no favours, then concentrate on a free platform like Facebook. 

Can you offer consultations for work in the future over video conferencing? If you are a technophobe, Google zoom and follow it's instructions. There are a multitude of simple to use tools out there.

I've seen locksmiths offering a mobile emergency lock repair or key cutting service. Builders planning work with clients over zoom and scheduling for later in the year. Landscape gardeners offering low-cost garden waste disposal, as a lot of Councils have stopped collections, or bored households are butchering their gardens. Glaziers doing online demos of window products and booking in future customers. 

The future

This crisis will end and business will resume. But there will be winners and losers, and the way we do things may be different. More familiar faces will have disappeared from the high street, shopping habits increasingly change and lots of people have had a taste of homeworking for the first time. I suspect this homeworking revolution will remain for a lot of forward-looking companies.

As a business owner, decide where you want to be on the pyramid and work out how you will get there. If you need a brainstorming session, create a forum thread, we're here to help 

I'm saving a fortune in fuel and the suns shining, that's about all I can muster for now

There's been a spate of NHS related fundraising events following on from the amazing Captain Tom (or as Lenny Henry said, we need to promote him to Major ).

I donated to one being managed by a business owner I know, Pete Wharton. His 7 year old has been doing a Garden Marathon, 420 laps  Herbies Garden Marathon Challenge

In uncertain times like this, it can be rich pickings for scammers and fraudsters, particularly on social media.

Please ignore COVID-19 social media quizzes or any kind of quiz or poll. Also, think about all those copy and paste messages people want you to put on your profile to support one cause or another.

The questions are often used to harvest personal data, which can be used by scammers to build a profile of you and can lead to identity theft or fraud.

Common questions can include the name of your first pet, schools you attended, key dates, names of your kids. Then you help promote scam by distributing it to your friends which is why this is such a popular means of social engineering and harvesting data.

What looks like a bit of innocent fun could actually turn out to be a co-ordinated viral harvesting exercise by professional scammers.

In this modern world, you may be surprised to learn it's the younger generation who are more prone to freely giving away their personal data than older folk, who tend to be liberally dosed with a lifetime of acquired cynicism.

There is a reason why there are so many quizzes, polls and "pass this message to your profile" type posts. Because they are so popular, which in turn makes them such an effective tool for the unscrupulous. Not all quizzes and polls are bad, just assume they are.

Start being more shrewd, a little more cynical and start educating younger members of your family or circle of friends that privacy is something to be cherished, not given away on a whim.