Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
No matter what challenge you face today, you will not get yourself out of it with the same approach to business that may have gotten you into the situation in the first place. It doesn’t matter if your current difficult situation is of your own doing – like failing to remain engaged with your customers, so they’ve moved on to your competitors. Nor does it matter if the situation was completely out of your control – like a recession or pandemic.
If you stick to business as usual, it very likely will not solve the problem or enable you to turn around your current tough circumstance and start moving in the right direction. Maybe you’ve run a radio ad and expect a flood of traffic through your door the following day. Or you’ve run a newspaper ad on a Wednesday and expect to be rich by the weekend. Maybe you’ve simply opened your door and hung out your shingle and hoped – and hoped and hoped – that people would come in and buy from you.
Very simply: We cannot afford business as usual when it hasn’t been working! Let me repeat: If business as usual hasn’t worked, it is not going to work.
Despite years of success in my own store, business as usual wasn’t working for me either during the shutdown. We’ve all been forced into uncharted territory, and at this point there’s uncertainty about a return to “normal”.
So what am I doing? Yes, I am still engaging with my customers and taking massive action with some of the previous marketing strategies I’ve used. However, since the road ahead could be quite different, it’s time to figure out new approaches as well.
Let me caution you to avoid what I call “Number One” thinking. Yes, we all want to be number one in our market, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a “Number One” approach to your marketing – taking out one newspaper ad, one radio ad, one billboard, one email blast, one social media post and expecting that to generate the results you want.
Simply put, you and I need to be aggressive in our marketing and we need to be on multiple fronts with repeated advertising. Clients today have too many outlets available to them for media consumption and the advertising that goes with it.
Gone are the days of a daily newspaper, local radio, and the yellow pages. Certainly, marketing back then was easier because customers’ focus was pretty limited because media was limited. Well, my friend, those days aren’t coming back, which is why I want you to clearly understand that business as usual could put you out of business.
Additionally, not only has media exploded for customers, the places where they can shop has exploded right along with it. They no longer might pick and choose between one or two jewelry stores along Main Street. Now customers can shop in your store, or on Amazon, or from Blue Nile, or from Overstock, or from countless other online retailers.
I trust you see now why “Number One” thinking has got to go. There is no number one any longer, either in marketing approaches for you or shopping opportunities for your customers.
These are just a few of the thoughts and strategies I share in my new book, “The Fastest Way To A Full Recovery – Five Immediate Profit-Enhancing Strategies Jewelers Can Use Today To Create A Thriving Business”. Pick it up today either on Amazon or at www.diamondbillmarketing.com where you’ll find an audio version of the book with an extra “Bonus” chapter. Either way, don’t let “Business as Usual” mean “Out of Business” for you!
