Tough Times Don't Last--Tough People Do

The title of this article is attributed to Gregory Peck, but applies well to business owners. I remember many years ago when I was in sales and sales management, fighting against the urge to use a soft economy as an excuse for not producing results. I now see my TAB members fighting that same urge. Forget the excuses and make the following three commitments. If you do, you can actually improve your position during the slowdown.

Maintain Excellence. Customer expectations don’t decline with a slow economy. Be certain your organization promptly returns phone calls to all customers and prospects. Make sure your sales people remain busy with informative follow-up calls, cards and e-mail messages. Absolutely do not let the quality of your product or service slip.

Stand Out. Everybody claims to offer the best service. If you haven’t heard “The Story of the Rose”, ask your TAB facilitator to tell you. You need not only to be excellent, but also to be remembered. I read recently about a retail flooring store (do you think they have many competitors?) that delivered a homemade apple pie with each installation. When they sent a follow-up questionnaire after the job was completed, they included a high quality measuring spoon and asked the question, “How do we measure up?” I know a roofing company that takes photographs of the homes of their customers and publishes them in their newsletter announcing that this customer has been named their “customer of the month (or quarter or year)”. In addition, the customer receives a gift certificate for dinner at an exclusive restaurant.
Expand Your Offering. Offer as much product or service to your existing customers as you can competently deliver. A fabricator observes a customer who buys a fabricated part and then paints it prior to using it. The fabricator has a paint operation and offers to paint the part and save the customer money in the process. A manufacturer’s representative expands her product line to offer more of what her current customers are buying. A fire system inspection and maintenance company adds kitchen hood cleaning to their service card.

If you find yourself “sharing the pain” more frequently these days with your TAB board, get back in balance. Spend more time reviewing the opportunities available to you, and then move forward. Remember: tough times don’t last; tough people do.