Business changed permanently because of this current recession. Permanently.
Businesses that adapt, will go forward, recover and grow. Those that don't will struggle as they try without success to get things back to the way they were.
What's changed permanently?
Credit
Lots of us woke up to having too much credit debt. It has been a bad time for many, many people. Millions lost homes. Millions lost jobs. Debts piled up. Interest on debt went through the roof for ... >>full...
I believe I have found what is probably the most important long range economic indicator ever charted. It's the "Nut Factor".
It starts with lots of UFO reports. (90's?) Then you start to see TV shows of people 'contacting' the dead. When you see rises in these two things, you know the nuts are gaining steam and things will start to decline.
Recession is right around the corner when you hear about the government cover-up of the ... >>full...
What If Things Don't Get Better Than They Are Now?
If our economy shrunk as result of being washed in the hot water of this recession never to stretch back to its former size, what would happen to your business?
It could do quite well. Perhaps your business could do better than ever. You'd have to make some smart moves, but they are inexpensive moves to make.
You could actually improve your service instead of just talking about it. You could improve quality instead of making ... >>full...
If you're in, or as some would say 'into', business, you've probably looked at the statistics for Gross Domestic Product per capita in some almanac or world factoid book. With pride and amusement we would always see the United States far ahead of every other country in the world. Far ahead. For further amusement, you probably looked at countries like China and India and noticed the huge difference in GDP between 'them' and 'us'. ... >>full...
Building community around your product is the most important marketing step you can take. It used to be branding. Now it's community. People have less brand loyalty than they have business loyalty if they feel that they are important---part of something.
You build community by opening every line of communication possible. Answer the phone. Reply to emails. Call back.
Look, it's a lot cheaper to give great service and make people want to talk about ... >>full...
If you want to increase market share, now is the time.
Yes, sales are down. In some cases way down. The pie available is smaller. So what?! You have to live with that. It's the way it is. But there is great opportunity if you work on your marketing.
Work smart. Be aggressive. Most of your competitors are cutting everything---to survive. If you continue marketing, continue building relationships, continue providing great service and continue innovating, you ... >>full...
OK, have I got your attention? You know (I hope) that frequent hand washing can protect you from the flu. But did you know that the rubbing is as important as the medium?
In other words, just a quick wipe with hand sanitizer will not kill 99.9% of the germs on your hands. That's a bit like saying applying tooth paste to your teeth prevents cavities.
To clean your hands, apply a generous amount of hand ... >>full...
