Stop Feeling Down and Get Energized

Eric Groves
Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:50:00 +0000

With a still-sluggish economy and predictions of a double-dip recession on the horizon, it’s not surprising that business owners are feeling a bit overwhelmed. No one likes getting hit the gut even once — nevermind repeatedly. Small business owners are uniquely positioned to look at the bright side and take advantage of it! Now's a great time to stand out from the crowd.

You should be using this time of less competition to gain market share by inspiring your customers and community. There’s no story more inspiring than small business owners who are passionate about what they do and are committed to providing a great customer experience, even in the face of an adverse economy. Rather than focusing on the negativity, take this opportunity to focus on positive things, big or small, that have an impact on your business.

I love this advice from Dr. Jeff Cornwall, the Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in Nashville, and author of The Entrepreneurial Mind, who says to small business owners:

Celebrate each small step forward. Set short-term, realistic milestones for your business. What can you get done this week, this month, to make modest improvements in the performance of your business? While you still may have big dreams for your business, take the time to enjoy the smaller accomplishments. For over time, it is those small victories that will lead to achieving your long-term goals.

With less competition, there’s an opportunity to make noise and create buzz around your business. Utilize all your communications channels to share and celebrate these small steps forward. Share the stories in your email newsletter, through your social media marketing channels, and wherever you connect with customers and prospects.

Even better, the hard cost associated with these communications channels are minimal. Email marketing is relatively inexpensive and there are no hard costs to getting started using a social media networks. Yes, you do have to take the time to check on your social media networks, respond to customers, and share some insights. But if you’re focused, it can be done in relatively little time each day.

When everything is down, the return on investment doesn’t have to be super — it just has to rise above the others. People like to hang out with people who are positive. Use the power of positive thinking to build relationships with prospects and customers, so that when they do open the purse strings, the money is spent with you and not the competition.