Okay, business might not be as great as you would like it to be right now, so why not use this time to do something that could “recession proof” your future. The goal is to re-energize not just your business, but yourself as well. To put it simply, if you wish to remain in business over the long haul and fix life’s short time downturns at the same time, you have no choice but to do things differently. Wishing won’t cut through the complacency we’ve built over time, so let's look at six techniques that could make change happen.

TELL THEM WHAT YOU DO
Begin with the assumption that no one, not even your old-time customers, knows exactly what you do. So tell them. Mail them a letter or flyer outlining all your services. Don't give them the chance to say, "You know, in all the years I've known you, I didn't know you did that." Over time you have modified, changed, thrown-out, and re-invented products and services; and you’ve probably changed procedures, guarantees, and other customer-related items as well. Go over everything with the customer in mind. Make a list, contact a public relations firm, and get your story out. It pays.

GET OUT OF YOUR OFFICE
You cannot sell products or services to a customer sitting in your executive chair waiting for the phone to ring. It just won’t happen. Get out of the office and visit your customers and clients. Yes you, the boss. You may have to tell your story in front of a civic or business group or maybe you can do most of this one-on-one. Tell them what you do, and then ask them what you can do for them. Find out their wants and needs. Discover how you can better serve them. Let them see you as a real person. Help them understand that you are there to aid them. Remember, you can't play ball unless you're out there in the field.

SELL WHAT THEY ARE BUYING If you want to sell products or services to customers you need to spend a lot of time talking with your prospect or customer about what they want, what they need, or what their challenges are. What makes you think your prospects want what you are selling? Most customers buy what they want in good times and what they need when things are tight. Why not ask what they want or need, get it or make it, and sell that product or service to your customers? Sell what your customers are buying. When the economy turned down for you, it probably turned down for your customers as well. Find the need, and then fulfill that need. Don't sell what you're selling, sell what they're buying.

GET EXCITED
Remember how excited you were when your first customer said, “Yes?” Recapture that moment again and again with new ideas. Redecorate or repaint, develop a new image, slogan or logo for your company. Create some excitement. Have a “Grand Re-Opening”. Excitement sells! It sold your first customer, so why not recreate that feeling in new prospects? Make buying from you a positive experience.

EXPAND
Increase your market presence and take the industry leadership away from your competitors. While they are pulling in, you expand. Your expansion could be as simple as a small order-taking outlet in a suburb with the work being done where your main business is located. It could even be as simple as a direct phone number in surrounding towns. After you make the decision, build a program that capitalizes on your expansion which includes advertising, direct mail, and public relations.

GUARANTEE EVERYTHING
A great guarantee is probably something you should have looked at a long time ago, but just put it off because it was difficult to do. When the economy is down, customers will trade dollars for a better guarantee, so give them a no-holds-barred guarantee that none of your competitors can or will provide. The few problems that providing this kind of guarantee will bring to the surface should have been brought to the surface anyway, and improving your product or service should be one of your main considerations. Remember, your customer pays your bills.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.)
Paul Tulenko is a Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.