Good morning!
Around the time of the Great Recession 10 years ago, I was speaking with my all-time favorite customer and she was telling me how her company had a zero-growth year. Given that so many others in graphic arts were struggling and a lot of printers went out of business, this looked more like a victory than simple mediocrity and I asked her how she had managed to stay steady when so many others were sliding backwards. Her reply: “We meet impossible deadlines.”
That’s it?
That’s your secret?
Yep!
Uncertainty became a wonderful opportunity for her. People were hanging on to orders longer. They were uncertain of quantities. They were unsure if they had the right message. They were hesitant to pull the trigger. The only certainty was the required delivery date. Ongoing indecision only meant less time to get the job produced. But by positioning her company and marketing message appropriately, clients didn’t need to worry.
Today, history repeats itself. Are we going into a Recession? Will the Fed continue to cut rates? Who will win the next election? And what does this mean for business? Hello, uncertainty, my old friend. I’ve come to blog on you again.
Have you noticed the uptick in customer uncertainty? Are they hot on a project and then suddenly ghosting you and dodging your calls? Make certain the customer gets the message they can rely on you to do some delivery magic when needed.
You will lose orders because you aren’t the lowest price, but you will win orders because you can deliver quickly. Those orders are never about price and they’ll lead to something that’s been missing for a long time: Customer Loyalty.
