This morning, a headline in the business section shouted “Retail Sales Plunge.”
Wow! How much, 40%, 30%, 25%? No, it was 1.2%. This small percentage might represent many dollars for the mega-business. For the small business, one wouldn’t even notice it. A drop of 1.2% could easily be offset by adding just a few efficiencies. Effectively, a loss OR gain of 1.2% is flat.
This headline caused me to think about recession issues and the hype of headline-news. You may not realize that the authors of news articles don’t write the headlines; the editors do.
Here are a few quick thoughts to make your wedding marketing psyche “recession resistant.”
1) Don’t just read the headline; read the article. Often the item is neither as negative or as positive as the headline. Don’t swallow the headline as thought it’s the beginning and the end of things. And sort out what, if anything, applies to you.
2) The best defense is a good offense. This may be a sports cliche, but it rings true, right now. Now is not the time to go into hiding, based on fear of the recession. It’s the time to ramp up personal public relations and marketing to actively remind people of your presence.
3) Distance yourself from negativity and negative people: We all have friends and business associates who can find the cloud in every silver lining. Keep your distance. To the greatest extent you can, interact with positive, optimistic people.
That doesn’t mean an individual cannot experience a rough patch, but, like you, they should be working on strategies to improve their chances of success.
4) Lagniappe: Lagniappe refers to “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase.” Rather than give discounts, offer ’something extra,’ without being asked. Even if you did not need to make that part of the negotiation, throw something in, and softly communicate its value to the client.
5) Remember to breathe: Slow down, before you react. After a bad phone call or other tough news, take a walk, refresh yourself and start again. Don’t work seven days a week; recharge your body and brain. You’ll be more effective and efficient.
If you have any great ideas that you are using to stay on the positive side of things, please share them by posting a comment. That, in itself, is a feel-good.
Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Related posts:
- Wedding Marketing in the Recession #1 Here's an idea for the recession: TAKE ACTION; DON'T PARTICIPATE!...
- Recession Wedding Marketing Tip: Don’t Participate For many people, 2008 has been a lousy year. As...
- Print Ad Headlines: Wedding Marketing in the Recession #2 When I look through local wedding publications, I'm frankly struck...
- Why there is no recession at the Apple Store; and why AT&T is clueless. In the depths of the economic doom and gloom we...
- Are you focused on the doughnut, or the doughnut hole? A major challenge in today's world of wedding marketing is...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Thanks Andy. Always outside the box.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
love it. thanks for sharing these helpful tips… my favorite - remembering to breathe.
screw the recession - my company is choosing NOT to be a part of it!
October 16th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Good tips. I’ll try to keep this in mind and I think I’ve improved in this area:
Don’t work seven days a week; recharge your body and brain. You’ll be more effective and efficient.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Yes, as a native Louisianian/Southerner - Lagniappe is a regular part of my vocab. Always go above and beyond and of course, out of the box.
merci beaucoup,
elizabeth
the occasionista.