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Making Your Business Work
Tim Broadwell
In the months
following the terrible tragedy of September 11, 2001, the headlines
were less than optimistic. Job losses, plummeting consumer spending,
GDP decline, cut backs, and poor quarterly revenue dominated the
news. Consumer confidence was reported to be the lowest in decades.
If you had been operating a business during these months, you
basically had two choices: spiral down into defeat or adapt!
The masses use the economic decline as an excuse for low sales and
lack of motivation. As a result, confidence dampens and activity
slows. With less activity, sales slow down. When sales slow,
confidence drops another notch, activity slows even more, and sales
plunge. Both business owners and employees alike start questioning
the worth of what they are doing and start trying to remember the
names of headhunters from the past. This is the norm. This is the
average person in business. This is 95% of the sales force of
America.
The thing to be feared most in a slow economy is not the downward
spiral, but the amount of strength and confidence it requires to
turn your motivation and attitude around. This is especially true
when every form of media confirms that a decline is your inevitable
outcome.
There is, however, another alternative. Do what the masses don’t do.
Here are the surprising headlines of the automobile industry that
set record level sales during the same period when others were
losing ground.
Nov 1, 2001, Reuters
Toyota logs second-best sales month ever in October
November 1, 2001 AP News
Infiniti Reports 18.8 Percent Increase in Sales-New 135 Leads the
Way With 25.0 Percent Increase in Sales
November 1, 2001 Reuters Business Report
Nissan Division Reports 7.1 Percent Increase in Sales in October
November 1, 2001 CBS MarketWatch
America Suzuki Notches Best October Sales in Company History
November 1, 2001, Industry News
Lexus Posts Best-Ever October Sales: Year-to-Date Sales Up 9.1
Percent
November 1, 2001, AP News
Ford Motor Company Breaks 24-year-old record as U.S. Sales Soar
34.4%
How is it that the month following the most catastrophic event in
recent U.S. history these car companies excelled in a far superior
capacity than they were doing before the event occurred? It’s
simple. They adapted to the event and responded by offering 0%
financing and a heavy advertising campaign. They lured the tentative
world into their door like never before and as a result reached
record sales. The automotive industry didn’t go to Uncle Sam for a
hand out. They offered a better way to get their cars to the
consumer. They increased their activity to get the idea in front of
the consumer and sold more cars.
When an economy goes sour and bottoms out, we may need to radically
change our present strategies in order to succeed in the new era of
economic uncertainty. Unfortunately, the easiest thing to do, the
most common response, is to “keep to the present course” and hope
the economy will improve. Too often these businesses fail.
When the automobile industry decided to implement 0% financing the
month after the World Trade Center tragedy, they were “changing to
meet the demands of the new era of economic uncertainty.” As a
result, most companies who offered 0% financing had record months.
What if they had waited, hoping things would turn around? Imagine
the layoffs. Imagine dealership lobbies filled with depressed
salespeople. Instead, dealerships were celebrating banner months
with balloons and parties.
So what does this mean for you?
If you find yourself with a business that is spiraling downward or
one with sales lower than you want them to be, you need to change
the status quo. Be honest and objective about yourself and your
situation. Change takes strength and courage. Be creative. Be bold.
Make blatant changes in your attitude, strategy, and approach.
Start by going through the motions. Your attitude and motivation
will follow later. Attitude adjustments can be made by simply doing
the things you know are good for you. Exercise. Eat right. Hang out
with positive people. Have lunch with people who are succeeding.
Success breeds success.
Right now the most deadly thing you can do is to stay the same
course. You might not ever be able to sell the way you did before.
You might need to change the way you make your presentation. You
might need to see if your company can change its pricing structure.
You might need to start doing 200% more research on your potential
clients. But you do need to quit whatever you are doing that is
unproductive and time consuming. If there is something about you,
your strategies, or your attitude that needs changing, do it now!
________________
Tim Broadwell
is the owner of Broadwell Consulting, an industry leader in
leadership training since 1985. His company has worked with
over half of the Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of
“How To Sell In a Tough Economy – A Guide To Increasing
Revenue”. He is a tremendous asset and friend of The Edge
Connection. Please visit his website at:
http://www.broadwellconsulting.com.
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