Focus on three critical areas of your business during this temporary down time so you can take advantage of the up-swing when it comes.
Last one out, turn off the lights! Is that what business this year has come to? Granted there are many negatives staring us in the face everyday. The scary thing about times like these is that there have always been times like these.

Yes, holiday business was a little slow, yes we have had an "old-fashioned " winter, yes people are watching how they spend their money, yes Easter falls in April this year, and yes we are looking at war square in the face. I live my life by an old book that says, "This too shall pass" NOT "This too shall stay"!

The "hurry up and wait" game can take a toll on your business from many sides. It is a negative reinforcement and unproductive at best. My advice is to take off your hip boots of worry and focus on three critical areas of your business during this temporary down time so you can take advantage of the up-swing when it comes.

Survival Tip #1-Get Back to Basics

Reality check! What are the basics that made your business prior to this year? Have you noticed how many "reality shows" are on TV recently? The reason is that they are fairly inexpensive to make, the producers advertise heavily, and voila, they draw huge audiences! Now, how's that for business savvy?

What items do you sell that represent the "meat and potatoes" of your business? Those are items you sell everyday and that your customers would be upset if you were out of stock on? Make a list of those items and how many you plan to sell for the next three quarters of 2003. What price are you going to sell them at? What is the gross margin? What type of advertising are you going to use to promote this merchandise? Finally, what new "spin" are you going to put on promoting this item to draw the customer in?

Survival Tip #2 - Train the Troops

This is the perfect time to do extra training with your employees. Invest in the down time you have to teach your staff some new communication or sales skills. Be positive in your approach and have fun with it! Purchase or borrow some motivational or sales tapes and have a "box lunch" party. Preview the video and decide what three things you want your employees to gain from watching the videos. Plan a couple of role playing activities afterwards. Then reward your employees when you find them using the skills they have learned.

I just ran a "teleseminar" training with a jewelry store in the mid-west! This type of training is done by having each employee call in to a specific phone number like a big conference call and when all are on the line, the training is conducted like we were all in a classroom together. We got everyone on the phone one hour before the store opened and I trained them on how to recognize different behavioral styles of customers and what ways work best when

Survival Tip #3 Keep in Touch!

I am sure you are familiar with the statement that success in business is location, location, location. I disagree. I believe it is communication, communication, communication. Period! All of us look forward to Christmas cards, or holiday cards or birthday cards even if we say they are too expensive to buy and to send. There is something about seeing a handwritten signature that helps make a human connection. It is a personal relationship and one that needs to be nurtured between you and your clients.

I have a "fan club" list. These are my clients that I do or have done business with that I love to keep in touch with. We may not have done business recently, but I know I could pick up the phone and catch up on their family or their vacations or even business at any time. They are the people I know who would refer business to me and vice versa, because we have that kind of relationship. Who makes up your "fan club"? Who are your cheerleaders?

It could be 25, or 250 or 2,500 people! Make a plan of how you’re going to communicate with them over the rest of this year. Also, involve your employees when possible! Have them write postcards to their top customers. Start an email newsletter that you can send out once a month. Challenge yourself to make four, "I appreciate your business" phone calls a day. Think of unique ways to keep your name always in front of your current and past customers.

So the question is, "What are you investing your energy in?" during this uncertain time period? Is it in negative thoughts? Are you joining the "pity party" with other business owners? Do you read all of the negative media reports on the downturn of business?

Or, are you willing to invest your energy in positive ways that will bring a return not only within your business but within the relationships that you foster? Hurry up! Let's take a positive stand, move forward and keep the lights on!

About the Author

Anne M. Obarski is the "Eye" on Performance. She is an author, professional speaker, and a retail consultant . Anne presents keynotes, seminars and workshops nationwide. She works with companies who are people, performance, and profit focused and helps leaders see their businesses through their customers’ eyes. Anne’s mystery shoppers have secretly “snooped” over 2000 stores searching for excellence in customer service. Reach Anne at www.merchandiseconcepts.com or anne@merchandiseconcepts.com