Whats That Smell? The Tale of the Customer That Ran Away.

April 2, 2008

Shoooweee, what’s that smell? Did you smell that? Peeee Ewwww. It smells like… sniff, sniff… yes, eu de recession (ree-sess-see-own). That’s French for desperation. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this odd smelling cologne that is showing up in all sorts of business people – up and down the career ladder. Some people are wearing more of it than others, and some plain reek of the stuff.

Seriously, all kidding aside. Your clients can smell recession fear. Call it what you will, but it is real and people who notice it will high tail a fast path away from those carrying the scent.

Those carrying this unlikely aroma tend to be focused on all things recession – gas prices, the cost of the war, how the country is going to heck in a hand basket, the state of the union (or mess of the union as they might describe it), the high cost of pharmaceuticals, how someone else is getting by on a free ride, and ample other mass messages that are freely available on the media airwaves and the Internet. The aroma is doom and gloom and regardless of when the last time the person spewed this recession funk, the smell is likely to linger.

It’s the smell of fear that stays with these individuals who are focused on problem-making and not problem solving. We’ve all been through recessions. We all know that economies go through cycles. I believe most of us can remember the 70s when people were waiting in line for hour to fill up the tank. The point is that we’ve been here before, and likely, before we finally retire, will be here again.

Want to ditch the foul odor of problem-making, recession funk? Then consider these recession problem solving ideas:

Find the good. In each and every day there’s something good. Keep focusing on those good things and see more of them pop up in your day to day. No one is asking for you to be happy about paying $3 bucks and change for a gallon of gas, but we also can be grateful that it isn’t $4 or $5 a gallon like our European counterparts at the same time.
Share the love. Your clients are in a recession too. If you need to raise prices or rates, is there a way you can change service/product options so your clients can stay with you and you can stay profitable? Think choices and think caring and the ideas will appear that serve both you and your clients. If you have clients who love you and can’t fork out $1,500 for consulting or coaching, consider a group option. If you have a service pack you offer, then consider cutting some services so a company can stick with you at the current rate. Be sure that whatever you choose works for your company, too. It’s just as desperate to try to keep everyone and loss-leaders only work when a profit follows them!
Focus Forward. When you are moving toward a goal point it’s much easier to gain momentum than when you are constantly going backwards and forwards from the current to the past to the future. Indecision and second guessing come when you are not clear where you are headed. Focus your vision firmly toward your goal and stay the course. The more you focus on where you are headed, the easier it is for those steps to appear that take you there. Instead of worrying about how far you are from the goal, look at the goal and take just one step toward it. Before you know it, you’ll be there.
Dare NOT to Compare. Business owners love to see what the competition is doing – especially during a downturn. During a recession, the best thing you can do is to take GREAT care of your existing customers and to build in referral opportunities for your advocates to refer to you. The reason? During a downturn, there is a larger emphasis on cutting costs and one-off operators who will work for almost nothing. Relationships really rule during a recession. This is the time to work together.
Watch for Signs. In challenging times, innovation has been at an all-time high. Instead of looking for ways to maintain the status quo (or complaining about losing it), look for ways to reinvent and improve. It can be a wonderfully rewarding and creative time if you shift your mindset toward success and flexibility. Ask your clients and staff what could be better. When they tell you – take action! Often, these innovations are service innovations that can be implemented without additional expense.