Corona Virus Updates
Dear clients and friends,
It is the first time i personally write to you, unfortunately in a world crisis. Many of you know me, but for those who don’t, my name is Nitzan (Nick) Levi. i am the managing partner and sales manager of MSDI. I also have a degree in business and economics and i consult to small businesses and dental clinics.
I am sure you follow the news, but in case you don’t here is a short update of the situation in our company and in Israel. At the moment, we have 529 confirmed cases, mostly in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem area, far away from our factory and offices. We are in self-quarantine and should stay at home until further notice. Our factory is still working but at a slower rate and all non-essential workers are working from home. We have enough stock to supply any demand, and we still ship worldwide.
The COVID-19 plague effects EVERYONE EVERYWHERE and we find ourself in a crisis, like the rest of the world.We will survive it and come back even stronger, but we also want to make sure you, our clients and friends, are doing everything you can to survive.
At this time, it is better to be proactive and ask yourself what can i do now that will help me and my patients during and after the crisis. In the following hours and days i will publish recommendations that might help you deal with situation and come back even stronger.
I welcome you to message me by whatsapp or facebook messenger if you have any questions. Keep calm and stay safe, we will get through it together.
Sincerely yours,
Nick Levi
Hello friends,
As promised, here is the second part of my article. I know you were hoping for information on how to get through the economic crisis but i thought that stopping the spread of the virus is more urgent, especially since most of you are in high risk for infection.
To explain the urgency, take a look at Italy’s timeline of total confirmed cases and deaths:
21.02.20 - 20 cases, first reported death
28.02.20 - 888 cases, 21 deaths
06.03 - 4,636 cases, 197 deaths
3.03 - 17,660 cases, 1,266 deaths
20.03 - 47,021 cases, 4,032 deaths
These numbers demonstrate why governments and health organizations are taking precautionary steps, and we should do the same.
As a global company, we work with many different countries, each one is in a different situation. Some of you still work and some are in full quarantine but most clinics worldwide are still performing dental emergencies.
I recommend to take the following steps to ensure your safety and the safety of your patients, employees and community:
1. Follow your country’s rules and WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines.
2. Study the COVID-19 to understand how it spreads, its risks and how to manage it. Share the information with your colleague and family.
3. Clean and the disinfect your work environment AND the waiting room after each and every patient.
4. Limit the amount of people in the clinic - make sure there is at least 2 meters between patients and employees outside the working room.
5. Question every client before they come for COVID-19 symptoms (such as fever and cough). If they are sick or didn’t feel well in the past 14 days, consider to reschedule.
6. Patients should sign a form stating they didn’t arrive from an infected country in the past two weeks and that they don’t have any symptoms.
7. All clinic workers and patients should wear gloves and a mask.
8. Print the new clinic instructions and hang them on the door.
Share the post, spread information to stop the virus.
Together we are strong.
Sincerely yours,
Nick
Hello friends,I am sorry for the delay!
It took me a while because i was focused on the survival of my business, mainly:
1. Minimize risks and expenses
2. Maximize income
Although It is very difficult to predict, according to experts we should plan for at least 2 more months in quarantine. Hopefully things will get back to normal sooner, but we should be prepared for the worst. So what can we do?
The first part is intuitive. We react to danger and immediately try to protect our assets by listening to the news, to see what the government gives us (usually nothing), we try to delay any payments and loans, we send our employees to a leave without pay or fire them, we stop future orders and basically shut down everything. We go into our bunker and wait.
Now the second part is tricky and most people won’t even think about it because they are on their dream vacation, watching Netflix and chill all day long. If you do think on the day after, here are some ideas for you:
1. Invest in your clinic - LOW demand and HIGH supply means LOWER PRICES. Use your cash to make your clinic more inviting by buying new equipment, paint, redecorate, etc.. and also get new supplies for better price that will serve you in the future. It may sound counterintuitive, but it will save you money in the long term.
2. Improve your online presence - mainly a website, Facebook and Instagram. Connect with your audience by uploading relevant content. Most dentists don’t do that and it will automatically place you ahead of them.
3. Make a client database on your phone - Send messages and promotions to all your clients and leads in 1 minute. I use WhatsApp but it can be done by other similar apps like Viber or Telegram.
4. Close future treatments - now is not the time to rest. Offer clients special prices if they close today to ensure you have enough business for the day after.
I hope these ideas inspire you to act and take control of the situation. Time is our most important resource, even more now than ever, use it wisely!
Sincerely yours,
Nick Levi
Dear friends,
As we pass the 200,000 deaths worldwide, we can see the end of the of the first wave of the pandemic. There isn’t enough data to say what will happen next but one thing is certain, the lock-down must end soon or the impact on the economy will be too great to recover from.
As a business owner, i am very concerned. There are many people who are happy with the current situation, especially the rich and the poor, as they they either receive money and support from their government or they don’t need it.
Unfortunately, many dentists don’t fall under that category. Doing only emergency treatments doesn’t generate enough profit to keep the business alive for a long time. If the lock-down will last longer I suspect that many businesses will close in the coming weeks and months.
But not all hope is lost. In Israel, similar to few other countries, we flattened the curve. The lock-down is practically over and most businesses will open in the next two weeks, including dental clinics.
As an optimistic, i hope that many countries will follow us soon. Yes, it will take time to recover but the majority will prevail and come back even stronger. If you haven’t done so by now, i recommend to start preparing your clinic for the grand reopening.
What about you, what do you think will happen next? When will you get back to work?
Let me know in the comments sections below
Stay Safe!
Nick
