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Optimism and achievement (sunglasses in the rain)

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Optimists get the job done

Optimists get the job done

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”
Helen Keller

This month has had it all, sunny weather, bank holidays and of course, the Royal Wedding. Whether you’re an ardent royalist or more of a take it or leave it person, you have to admit that we staged a spectacular event, watched by millions, or was it billions ? We do know how to throw a party and celebrate. The wedding, the weather and the bank holidays definitely cheered everyone up a bit.
The really interesting thing about this is that people act differently because they feel differently. Feelings aren’t supposed to be a big part of business, it’s supposed to be about logical thought and proven formulas – in a hold on, here comes the science kind of thing. But in reality how we feel is a massive determining factor in how we behave.

Of course sunny weather and bank holidays aren’t great news for all retailers, but generally sunny weather brings out shoppers, we buy food for the barbeques, for picnics, products to sort our gardens out for summer and of course the latest fashions…

On a more general level how we feel is one of the most important factors in determining our success.

An ability to generate positive thoughts will enable you to do much more than if you’re constantly in a state of doom – the only thing you’ll be able to do from there, is talk yourself out of pretty much anything.

I had a real close up look at this scenario myself recently. I had an idea to promote my city centre – it’s a good idea, that’s pretty much what you need to know. I have no sausage of a clue how to put it into practice, but I’m resourceful, so I’ll figure it out in the next few weeks.

As you do, I discussed my brilliant new idea with some of those closest to me – some were enthusiastic, some were positive (but didn’t want me to fall on my face) and some were downright sceptical !
Which seemed rather funny to me. I can already see my project working, I already know what it’s going to look like, how it’s going to be displayed and who’ll like it (and who won’t) so in my head it’s a done deal. Now I just have to figure out the logistics. So it will happen. This idea and the reception to it from those around me is what sparked this post.

To achieve big things in life, you have to finish them before you can start them… whoa there… what am I talking about – is that even possible ?

Take an example – building a house, if you’re going to build a house you’d better have sat with a planner or architect first, or how would you know what you’re going to build. So, once you have the picture of the house in your head, and you’ve worked out the details – only then can you buy the bricks and commit to the building process.

Same with my idea… Is this ridiculous optimism? I’d say no, it’s a certainty. Doom, gloom and the state of the economy are no reason not to start a project, in fact they’re probably more of a reason.

The dictionary definition of Optimism is” a disposition or tendency to look on the more favourable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favourable outcome”

Optimistic people get things started, advertised, marketed and sold. In a culture where we’re conditioned to spend a lot of our time moaning, Optimism breaks the mould and does a little dance.
Optimists create their own circumstances – others wait for them to happen – they feel good when its sunny, or they have a holiday, or their sports team wins, ie they’re influenced by external events, which isn’t a great place to be – Passing the power to feel good in your life over to a possibly occurring external event isn’t going to make you feel great consistently.

I’m not talking about the ridiculous Pollyanna type of optimism or wearing sunglasses in the rain – I’m talking about the state of mind that gets the job done, whether you just lost a big sale, google changed the algorithym rankings again and your website slipped down the rankings, or your latest employee turned out to be a real numpty. The belief that makes you sit down, look at what happened and then go back to work and figure out what you need to do to get a different result next time.

It all comes down to focus – Deciding where you’re going, what you’re going to do to get there and then taking some action to get those results….

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Posted in Positive mental attitude, Retailing in a recession, Uncategorized, optimism, retailers | No Comments »

Forward motion….

Sunday, February 13th, 2011

Going forward

Going forward

So we’re sliding into February, but most of us are still gingerly feeling our way into the New Year, apprehensive about what it’s going to bring. The good news is scant, there’s job cuts, price rises on just about everything, and the weather is miserable and damp, nothing exciting to really put a spring in your step.

If your New Year’s resolutions have already taken a bit of a beating, how about looking forward into 2011 and putting some forward motion into it.
What’s forward motion? Well, It’s basically movement towards something – the something is up to you. Towards a goal, or an opportunity or a decision, the movement is the important part. This year looks like the big toughie for retail, so faced with a choice of staying where we are and doing what we’ve always done, we just have to keep moving forward. Choose forward motion !

Of course, forward motion might not always be the best choice, obviously you’re going to make a few duff decisions along the way, but at least you’ll be making them. In our frantically paced world with so much information readily available, it’s still hard to get all the information we need to make a secure decision, so we agonise over the details. In reality our gut decisions are usually the right ones, but they’re hard to justify.

The more choices we have the harder it is to make a decision. So I’m advocating that it’s better to make the best possible decision you can with the information you have available, comfortable in the knowledge that if you’ve stuffed it up this time, you can choose something else next time.

When in doubt… choose forward motion !

There’s so much information available, that ultimately it just becomes a personal choice of what to focus on. Why focus on the negatives, which are often exaggerated, instead of the positives?
There are two main reasons. Firstly, we tend to focus on the sensational and the dangerous. One sensational anecdote about a store robbery or completely outrageous customer, outweighs a year’s worth of “I went to work and it was pretty much the same as usual.”

Secondly, choosing to focus on the negatives gives everyone else an excuse not to pursue big dreams and goals either.
There are plenty of people who’ll feed your fears and worries, but really, often they’re talking more about themselves and their lives than what’s good for you…. Psychologists call this a process of projecting, ie they project their fears onto you, but the double whammy is that this keeps you in your place and ultimately reaffirms their view again because you didn’t move on either !

If you’re looking for an excuse not to do something, you really don’t have to look far. Playing it safe is not usually a mockable choice - Everyone understands it.
But all things considered, good things can come from bad experiences too, in fact that’s often where we learn the most.

So, if you’re still prevaricating and pontificating on why you can’t change anything in 2011, just consider the following success stories

• Leo Tolstoy wrote War and Peace while living in a small house with his wife and thirteen children. Yes, that’s thirteen children !

• Walt Disney was a failed, bankrupt, small-time advertisement man before he came up with Mickey and friends.

• J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter whilst on the dole. Her first book was rejected by twelve publishers.

• e.e. cumming’s first book of poetry was rejected by fifteen publishers. He self-published it, and well, you know the rest…

• Abraham Lincoln lost multiple jobs, went bankrupt, and failed in numerous bids for public office before being sworn in as the 16th President of the United States.

• Mary Anne Evans living in truly sexist times, had to change her pen name to George Eliot, whereupon she became one of the most beloved English novelists of all time.

Dissatisfaction with something, such as your shop or your accountant for example isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Dissatisfaction can be a force for change.

Dissatisfaction results “from contemplating what falls short of our wishes or expectations” The funny thing here is that we’ve all got these wishes or expectations but we don’t usually acknowledge them, maybe we’re not even aware of them.

So, my next question, to keep the forward motion, well, in motion really, is :

What are you working on?

Hopefully, you’re working on something that’s big, that’s going to take you to the next level, that gets you excited, so excited that you can’t wait to tell everyone about it.

No matter what your work is, no matter what you do, there’s a way to create a project that has you buzzing with excitement about it, where something big, fun and new that might make a difference is just around the corner….

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Posted in Challenge, Change, Knowledge, Positive mental attitude, Strategy, Uncategorized, game, goals, learning, negativity, recession, retailers, screw it up | No Comments »

Happy New Year ! Happy New Strategies

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

colourful-hatsWell hello 2011,

So, however 2010 turned out for you, now that the tinsel is packed away, and the fridge is full of green healthy food, its time to turn our attention to 2011. As Einstein (or Franklin, depending on who you believe) wrote, “if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll keep getting the same result “ he also put some insanity in the answer, but it’s the new year, so we’re going to keep things a bit more positive here.

So the big question is what are you going to do this year to get a different result ?

Well firstly, start from the assumption that you’re probably the worlds worst boss ? Yes, you ! Even if you’re not self-employed, your boss is you. You manage your thoughts, your responses, your to do list and your career success. So, have you been doing a good job ?

There are few good books on being a good manager. Fewer still on managing yourself. But in these tumultuous times, it’s hard to think of a more essential skillset to learn, or a more essential person to invest in !

Looking back even 10 years, retailing was easy. There wasn’t too much competition, people actually came into town then, (they also had some money here and there) as long as you put up a sign, and had some stock, you were pretty much guaranteed to make some money, but it’s just not that easy anymore. Now, you need to be an accountant, a stylist, a merchandiser, you need to have strong leadership skills, be an astute buyer and negotiator, technologically proficient and with a penchant for hard work.

Now, along with the skill mix of a chameleon, you also need to be communicating your vision, marketing like crazy and in constant communication with your customers and potential customers, using all methods open to you, that’s facebook, twitter and blogging (among other things)

If anyone out there is thinking to themselves – I seem to be working harder and harder and doing more and more for less and less, then you are not crazy, that is indeed what is going on here.
Time management and personal effectiveness has been sideswiped by new media. In a world where we can all be plugged in all of the time, the old principles for success are getting a beating.
But if small business owners and entrepreneurs started businesses to have more time with their family, and enjoy the time here on planet earth, so how come we’re all blogging, tweeting and liking peoples facebook pages all day and night, how do we get back on track with our goals?

Since we all have the same time allotted to us, its got to be down to how we use it … makes logical sense huh ? So what can we do about it?

Well, the nice, simple answer is to stop. Focus some attention on these time management principles and re-adjust.

Stephen Covey, in his best selling book, the 7 habits of highly effective people, stated the importance of putting first things first. ie, plan, prioritise and complete your weekly to do list based on importance rather than urgency !

Pareto’s principle (aka the 80/20 rule)is widely quoted, but not so widely applied. Its a generalisation, of course, but the point is that only a couple of the tasks on your to do list are really going to make a difference to your business…. and you know which ones they are !

Meanwhile, Parkinson’s Law states that “a task will swell in perceived importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion”
So, the lesson here is that good enough is often good enoug ! It doesn’t have to be perfect – use the time you free up on not achieving perfection to do something that’ll really help your business.

So with all the free time you’re going to have with your new effective ways of working, here’s a couple of thoughts to swill around for 2011….

Most businesses look like other businesses,( it makes it easy for our brains to categorise them), so one coffee shop for example looks pretty much like another, but here’s the contraditiction - You can’t stand out if you fit in!

So therefore the decision about which part of your business isn’t going to fit in is probably the most important and innovative one you can make !

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Pro-active v’s Reactive

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Proactive or reactive ?

Proactive or reactive ?

Pro-active v’s Reactive

Strangely enough, this is a definition I only thought about recently when my personal circumstances changed enough to make my usual manner of doing things begin to look a little ropey !

In business its pretty much accepted that proaction rather than reaction is what it takes to be successful – Moto’s like “seize the day” and “go for it” perfectly illustrate this. But being proactive is a skill like any other and it has to be developed over time. Its rather like just going to the gym once, there won’t be much benefit and you’ll probably strain something. So being proactive just the once will have much the same effect, you need to build up a system and a support network for it.

The definition of proactive is planning ahead and anticipating problems. Whilst the definition of reactive is waiting for problems to appear before dealing with them.

If you think about it, how much of your day are you a reaction to what is going on around you ? Grumpy customers? Having to do jobs that you don’t relish doing ? Calling the council ? Tackling staff about things they do that drive you crazy ? Setting budgets ? Dealing with things that you don’t like dealing with (whatever they may be for you ?)

Not dealing with things that you know are looming causes Stress, because at the back of your mind, you know its coming anyway….! Its also pretty unsatisfying, and leaves you in a kind of limbo where you can’t make decisions because you haven’t looked forward enough.

Being proactive can help eliminate problems before they appear, and since you can plan how to deal with things, you can act faster before all is lost ! Its also, believe it or not, less stressful, as taking control of any situation puts you in the driving seat, not the back seat, while the car slowly slides into a skid !

Being proative means planning what you want to do with your store, your staff, your stock, having budgets in place, advertising and marketing plans, and more importantly back up plans for when things just don’t go the way they’re meant to….. It takes a little longer and is a bit more effort, but the rewards are that you are in control, not buffeted by other peoples demands and caprices.

Being reactive is normally fairly stressful. You don’t know what’s coming up next, so you have to be ready for anything, and you’re not in full control of your life or your business.

So, just for fun, have a quick tot up of how much of your day is spent being proactive – or heading off next weeks or next months problems – so you’ll have a peaceful Christmas trading season - Go on, take the challenge and write down the list of 10 things that you know you should be dealing with, that you’ve been putting off :

1.
2.
3.
4.
5
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Now, make a plan for carrying out number one………. Keep it simple, put it in your diary and tell everyone what you’re going to do – that way you have to do it !

Strangely enough this simple system works almost all of the time

Good luck

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What does success look like or feel like…?

Monday, May 11th, 2009

What does success look like or feel like?

What does success look like or feel like?

A quick whizz round all of us has revealed that we all have very different views of what success is…? For some success is a fast car, a hot girl and a lot of money. For others its achieving a goal and creating something, while for others its time for bubble baths !

Even more illuminating are the answers to the question “Are you successful ?” or “Do you consider yourself to be successful ?”

People answer this question from an entirely subjective viewpoint, whether they actually feel that they are successful, this is irrespective of their financial, emotional or work situation, and the answers are surprising !

I asked a good friend of mine this question “Do you think you are successful ? ” His answer was a resounding YES ! Not a seconds hesitation, clear and precise.

I asked him what did he judge it upon to be able to answer so immediately a question that has me pondering the answer ?

His reply - ” I keep trying ! ”

It blew me away !

If this was my criteria for success, then i’d definately be a raging success !

But its not my criteria !

Upon reflection, my criteria are all about how in control of things i am, this can be anything from business to relationships, gardening to laundry.

Obviously the times i can actually be in control of those things are few and far between. To add a bit of spice to it, for myself and make it a bit more difficult, i also see a successful person as someone who’s never flustered and has a fully functioning filofax with neat writing in it !

Yes, feel free to laugh any time you like ! My standards are clearly ridiculous - but i didn’t know that until i actually realised i had some standards.

So, my question to you today is : ” Are you successful ?” and how are you judging your decision?

The answers to the question just might give you some food for thought …!

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Who’s the bogie man?

Friday, April 24th, 2009

bogieman-01-fatmanpress-nm1In the 1950s, Congressman George A. Dondero denounced modern art as a communist plot.

Every day, we hear ideas that some people are annoyed with or more likely, afraid of. And in the face of fear, people lose eloquence and start calling things names, usually names that don’t make a lot of sense.

There is a danger in labelling things, because once you give it a label, its like the wait is over. For instance if an ill patient is told that they’re about to die, chances are they will, there have been innumerable cases where members of the family have forbidden the doctors to relay the news in this way, and guess what the person lived on for several more years.

Of course, that’s illness, but I’m interested in the labelling of the “recession”

Its all in the mindset, your psychology, because sure as eggs is eggs stuff will happen, but its not the cards you’re dealt, its what you do with them ! In my local town there are now about 6 empty stores, but this week one of my favourite shops opened a new store – in a better location, and its been packed all week ! Why, because for the last three years they’ve been quietly getting on with it, building a network, building a mailing list of satisfied customers, not deviating from their USP, trying, refining and getting ready for the next step.

Did they let the “recession” stop them? The answer is a clear No !

Nothing is a communist plot any more, but there’s never a shortage of bogie men available to us, to make us afraid, steal our dreams so we can’t sleep and generally make the world a scary place.

Beware of the bogie men – they’re on your TV, they’re in the newspapers and they could be all around you !

Be careful who you listen to – make sure they’re not a bogie man !

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Posted in Bad news, PMA, Positive mental attitude, Questions to ask, negativity, recession | No Comments »

Snakes and ladders of life !

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Watch out for snakes !

Watch out for snakes !

What if its all a game?

All the stuff we take so seriously. Sales figures and footfall, and conversions. Web stats, staff sickness, customer returns and all the rest of it !

What if its all a giant game?

Sure in a game there’s winners and losers, just as there are in life. Sometimes its in the roll of the dice, you slip down the snake through no fault of your own, nasty divorce, illness, unfavourable partnership, you name it, there’s lots of explanations how, lots of reasons why.

But if it is all a giant game, and you knew this (someone whispered in your ear) then how would you play the game? Would it be different because you knew it was just a game, would you take it less seriously? Would you play to win, or team up and help the other participants to stop someone else winning? What would be your strategy?

Would you be the banker ? or the old boot? In fact, lets take it a step further. What game would you choose to play if you could choose?

Scrabble, Monopoly, Snakes and ladders, Cluedo or twister?

What does that say about you?

Finally, are you the kind of player who has a strategy to win? A long term game plan, or is it all just for fun. Because usually we win the game we play, and those with a plan, a vision and a long term view and a lot of hard work and persistence are the winners. Not always – unforeseen stuff can happen, but usually.

So what game are you playing?

In the long run, though, it’s those with right intention, a long term view and consistent persistence that manage to win.

Good thing, too.

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Words create our world !

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Don't go on a rant fest - Get peeved instead !

Don't go on a rant fest - Get peeved instead !

Words are powerful, they enable us to describe our world, how we see it and what we’re looking at, without words we couldn’t have a shared experience. Just think, instead of this word recession we could be calling it a woobleding, or a shizkayump. Would we feel different if we had to read about a wobble in the woobleding each morning, or a shift in the shizkayump? I think we just might

We are lucky in the UK that we have such a rich language, with many layers of description and finesse. But we must be careful because the words we use shape our world…. Literally. We should be careful lest we conform to Lily Tomlin’s view that “man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain!”

So, taking the process right back to the start, it all begins with thinking. We don’t feel then think. We think then allocate sensations to the thought process, which we then call feelings. So if you consistently tell yourself that you’re tired – you’ll start yawning and you’ll feel tired.

So the key is to stand guard on your vocabulary, I got thinking about this after a recent post on the Springfair trading talk blog. The post was about these tough times we’re in, and while I’m no Ostrich, I think there’s a danger in assigning labels. For instance the word tough, implies difficult, aggressive and unfavourable conditions.

I prefer the term “challenging” which implies something altogether more thought provoking and with some positive connotations. The dictionary describes a challenge as:
1. Calling for full use of one’s abilities or resources in a difficult but stimulating effort:
2. Absorbing; intriguing:

I believe that we would feel different about our situation if faced with a challenging time, rather than a tough time. A challenging time is one where you start to really use your head, you get creative. You look for inspiration. You are thrown down a challenge, whilst you merely suffer a tough time ! Tough implies that its bigger than you, harder than you and you’d best cower away, while challenge implies ingenuity, spirit and smart thinking…

You could argue that this is just semantics, and in a way it is, but words really do create our world – I’ll prove it to you….

Next time you’re really really mad about something, don’t have a rant fest, call in the perspective police and when asked what’s up – say “ I’m really really peeved ! ” You see, even the word is funny, it’s impossible to say this word and still be mad, you have to stop and smile.

When someone asks you how you are today, don’t give our usual British dumb answer of “I’m ok” or “I’m good” or “It hasn’t happened yet” or “still here” “hanging in” or any of that dumbness that’s just a waste of good vowels.

Try (for one day) answering “I’m absolutely brilliant! “ “Fabulous” “Wicked, top of the world – marvellous, magic, any variation of this that suits you in particular…. And tell me you don’t feel better…..! Watch your vocabulary it can literally dictate what kind of a day you’re going to have – words create our world – make sure yours is a fun and zingy one

In fact, here’s my challenge to you today, come up with 10 zingy words that make you smile when you say them, and make sure you use them in conversation with customers…. Try it, go on, it’ll be fun !

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Posted in Challenge, Indepedent retailer, Positive mental attitude, negativity, recession | No Comments »

Spring cleaning :Get your mojo on the move

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Its time for Spring Cleaning !

Its time for Spring Cleaning !

In line with the season I’m going all Anthea Turner on you. It must be the daffodils but I’m suddenly feeling all positive and energetic and in the mood for cleaning…

So, Spring cleaning… Before you reach for the Marigolds and start dividing the shop up into segments and arguing over who has to do the card spinners. Hold up, I want to talk about mental spring cleaning ! Because putting it simply, Spring is a time to sort out our wardrobes, our houses and gardens, but why not our heads too?

We all get set in our ways without really noticing. Anything that’s round us too much becomes familiar and so not really appreciated. So why not take a few minutes to really have a GOOD look around your shop – with a fresh perspective from a customer’s viewpoint, and see what they see?

* Outside sign – Is it clean? Is your name/ logo dated? Does it need a makeover? Is it a good colour? Does it stand out clearly in your street? Do you need a sideways hanging sign for more visibility?

* Is the outside of your shop clean? Are all the bulbs working? Do all your window graphics complement each other? Do you have a bright Spring colours display in pride of place?

* Can you change your window display more often than usual now, to stimulate interest in your store? Have you got set in your way of display Could you let someone else dress the window for once?

* Have you mailed all your customers about your new Spring offers?

* Have you made up soundbite sheets about all your new products so that everyone has something knowledgeable to say to the customers?

* Have you sent out at least one press release to the local media about your new stock?

* Does everyone have keys to all the cabinets or do you have to rush about the shop looking for the right key when a customer wants to view something close up?

* Do you have a shop blog? If you don’t could you start one to drive up website traffic. Is your website bang up to date?

* Do you have a marketing plan for the year? Note, this says marketing, not advertising. You can still market successfully even when there’s no money for advertising, or very little money shall we say?

* Is your website address printed on all your stationary, including your carrier bags? Are your business cards up to date? Do they say on the back of them what you do and what your USP is?

* Have you joined your local chamber of Commerce or networking group, to meet new people and get some new ideas. Check out business link for some great cheap or free courses to get your spring mojo in full working order…!

* If its all a bit much and it feels like you’re walking through treacle – are you talking to someone about it? Don’t keep it all in. There’s always something that can be done to improve things, a problem shared is a problem halved (depending of course on who you talk to - pick them wisely!).
If everything is going well, give yourself a pat on the back, and see what else you can do J

* Finally indulge yourself in some fresh flowers to bring in the Spring and bring the shop to life, women always notice fresh flowers, so share the feel good factor and bring a treat quality to the shopping experience !

In the words of Cliff : Here comes Summer…….! I think he also said “school is out, oh happy days” but i’m going to let that one go !

Enjoy the sunshine !

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Posted in Independent retailers, Positive mental attitude, Spring Cleaning | No Comments »

Why we’ve got to break the rules…!

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Create some buzz

Create some buzz

We’re all under constant pressure to conform. From our earliest days we want to fit in. We want to be liked at school and with our friends. We don’t want to stand out. We’re told to work hard, to get a “proper job”, to do what we’re told and somehow it will all be ok…?

And now, as business owners we’re supposed to do what everyone else does… panic, bed in, and hope for the best, or the swift passing of this recession – Inshallah ! But there’s a problem with this way of thinking…. and the problem is that it takes the locus of control away from us…

Successful entrepreneurs and business owners refuse to conform because conforming means doing what everyone else does. Its clear that many businesses will struggle in the year ahead, and if we do what they’re doing then we’ll struggle too. As the old saying goes, “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got”. The rather more well known version goes – “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” So, we must be different, we must do things differently…. So what can we do?

Firstly, don’t cut our marketing and advertising (unless you know its not working) Look for ways to attract customers at a low cost. I’m a big believer in marketing, especially when we don’t have any spare dosh for advertising – Marketing is just a fancy term for being creative in everything you do that promotes your business, and for a very small outlay you can generate some very positive publicity for your business. How can you get people talking about your business? After all referrals are the cheapest and most reliable way to bring in new business.

Secondly, don’t buy into the belief that people aren’t spending money. While it’s clear that consumers decision making process on how to spend money has changed, if you understand the sales process and the value proposition you can position your business as the first choice for your customers.

The third idea is Implementation – try things, better a good plan today than a great plan tomorrow! Don’t wait until everything is just so, just jump in and have a go! This is a perfect time to try things you’ve always thought about doing…. So loyalty cards, birthday clubs, open evenings, workshops, fashion cafes…. Whatever you go with, the only requisite is that we take action, remember, nodding is fun to do, but largely ineffective.

Finally, whatever you do, don’t conform to the countries negative mindset. There is a comfort in joining in the whole recession conversation, but just as you choose what to wear in the morning, you can choose your mental outlook.
Don’t ignore the recession and pretend its not there in a tra la la la la kind of way, but just don’t act from a mindset of fear, make the changes that need to be made from the mindset of focus and determination. This is really the time to market yourself shamelessly- Have some fun with your marketing – really push the boat out, get everyone together and think of the stories and possibilities around your business.

While we’re talking about money, its worth remembering that the same amount of money still moves around every day, regardless of whether the stock market is up or down, and regardless of whether house prices go up or down, it’s still moving. Whenever there’s a segment that’s going through a down cycle, there’s a segment going through an up cycle. So, bearing this in mind, how could you position yourself and your business to be in the position to receive some of this flowing money?

Which are the media that your target customers read, which places do they go to? Which organisations do they belong to? How creative can you be in getting a potential list of new customers together? Check out the library, the post office, online forums, local centres and community opportunities.

Once you’ve found them, how can you communicate to them in a way that resonates with them, on twitter, facebook, by email, by post, by poster, by banner, an invitation, a declaration, a modification ? – What’s going to work best for your potential customers?

The only limit is how creative you can be – Remember there’s no prizes for conforming ! Give yourself a big target ( It’ll be easier to hit )- So for April, why not make it your goal to create some buzz around your business – with the end goal of converting some buzz into business (sales) and have some fun doing it.

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Posted in Adding value, Building a media profile, Conforming, Independent retailers, PMA, Positive mental attitude, Publicity, Retailing in a recession, consumer trends, marketing | No Comments »

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