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In my last post I talked about the economy, and how many people are lamenting that as the blame for all of their business woes.

In this post, I want to talk about what else has changed. There are several things, and they all matter.

1. What people value has changed
2. Our level of trust and fear have changed
3. New technologies and options have changed.
4. How we discover and choose the products and services that we want has changed.
5. We have changed!

The first one is a biggie!

Regardless of whether our ‘own economy’ has changed (there are many people still working and earning the same salary as before afterall), what we value has changed.

We have become more aware of what really matters to us, and more consciously aware of what we are spending, and willing to pay for.
Those who went to Starbucks and spent $4 a visit on regular basis may not do that now. For others, that is an affordable way to ‘treat themselves’.

For those who shopped in high end boutiques, many are now shopping in stores that are still ‘expensive’ to many, yet less so than where they were. Still others have flocked to discount and consignment stores.

People who weren’t giving a thought to education a few years ago, now recognize the value of improving their skills, or value in the workplace.

2. Since many didn’t value money as much in the boom years, they thought nothing of hopping online to buy a product or service with little thought of who was providing it. Now many people are much more inclined to buy from someone, or a business that they know and trust. They don’t want to risk the dollars on an unknown.

People are also less likely to buy without good information, without knowing what they are buying. Whether they are buying an electronic or a house, they want to be sure that they are spending wisely. Therefore, they are more likely to choose the business or person that helps them with that process. They fear making a bad choice, or having regret and need reassurance that what they are buying will make their life better somehow.

3. Technologies and options have changed. People use mobile phones now more than ever for functions like banking, finding restaurants and more. Free online tools have changed what the marketplace needs to buy. New businesses, and ways of doing business have come into play..

4. How we discover businesses to do business with has changed. Social media is a whole other post in itself, but suffice it to say that the consumer now not only uses the internet, but uses it entirely differently than even a few years ago. Instead of searching for “Real Estate in Raleigh” for exam ple, people now search for “homes for sale in good school districts in Raleigh”. Before going to a new restaurant, people search yelp or foursquare. Instead of finding out about that new restaurant via advertisements, we find out via facebook or twitter posts from friends (I will delve further into this in my next post). There are now a lot more choices! We have the ability to find what is really relevant to us now, not just what we used to have to settle for.

5. We have changed. As business owners, we have changed. In many cases we have allowed ‘the economy’ to change the way that we do business.
Many have reduced staff, leaving customer service sorely lacking.
Have you stopped marketing? Started cutting costs, and corners?

Business owners themselves may be unknowingly driving business away as they stand behind the counter with a scowl on their face as they silently stress about their bottom line. People still like to feel good! I’ve been in a few businesses where the negative energy alone was enough to send me running for the door!
(I’ll elaborate more on this in a future post)

I encourage you to look around and look for ways to build your business based on these changes rather than lamenting them!

If you don’t know where to start, go to the internet! Pretend like you are a buyer and search the way that they would. See what is out there. Search twitter for key words and see what people are saying and talking about. Look for ways to increase the value that you offer based on what they want and need vs. the way that you’ve always done it!

The economy may change, but many of these things won’t! They are here to stay. The market and people will continue to change, and it is up to you whether to change with them, or become obsolete.

Link to September 15th Radio Show, 10am Eastern

 

Whether you are in business,or a professional of any type, odds are you would like to have more money, more success, more fulfillment, etc. We are all typically looking to ‘fill our bucket’ with one or more of these at any given time.

The secret is: fill someone else’s bucket.

This metaphor comes from Tom Roth’s book “How Full is Your Bucket”, but the sentiment can be found in many books. It is a philosophy that has been around for a very long time.

Give more in value, and you will receive more in value, and become more valuable.

Yet, it is a topic that can never be covered enough. There are so many ways of looking at it, and thinking about it, and then of course there is embracing it and actually DOING it.

How many times do you meet someone at a networking event, or at lunch or at work and really talk to them? Really listen to what they are saying? How often do you leave there and immediately think “What or who do I know that could help them?”

Bob Burg, author of “ The Go-Giver” and “Go-Givers Sell More”, tells a story about meeting someone at a networking event. Bob asked him about what was going on in his world (I’m sure) and the man went on to tell him that his daughter had just graduated from college and was looking for a job. Bob asked what kind of job she was looking for (so that if he heard of something he could pass it along). Sure enough, Bob heard about a job and passed the information along, connecting the two together. He did so because he truly cared. He did so because he makes it a habit to serve other people however he can. He doesn’t do it expecting something in return. Bob was however a salesman at the time and that ‘social transaction’ ultimately led to millions of dollars in sales for him.

In Tim Sander’s great book “ Love is the Killer App”, he talks about sharing our intangibles: knowledge, network and compassion. Bob’s story is a great example of how to share those “intangibles”.

You don’t know where those connections or acts might lead. You can’t ‘give to get’.

The important thing to know however is, whether you are in business, in sales, or employed, or whether you are the CEO of your household, you never know where any connection might lead. You aren’t here just to consume. You are here to give and those who give will ultimately receive. And what they receive isn’t just money, it is fulfillment, and satisfaction, and opportunities, and friendships, and love and so much more. It is all of those things that ‘fill your bucket

Thank you for commenting and sharing with your friends!

 

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