In Trying Times like this, do the Uncomfortable.

I am a marketing professional and, at least I think, am a pretty good consultant to my clients. Most of the time I consult on basic marketing principals like “what do we say about our new product/service and how do we get that message to our customers” and “why do we need a logo?” But, I also speak daily to a multitude of marketers, many in unique industries. And that alone gives me remarkable insight to problems we all face that others rarely have.

So, with the Coronavirus, we’re all in untested waters no matter how we compare this to life after 9-11 or Katrina. The whole nation on lockdown is not something we’ve done. And, we have the proverbial “Replay Officiating” where everyone on social media is dissecting every move of our leaders and offering an opinion of whether or not he/she made the right call.

Now, during this time, we all have to figure out how to keep our businesses afloat. That’s everyone. Unless you work for the government, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we had discussion about cutting government jobs, you are in danger of losing your job, full-time work, or at least bonuses. It’s now time to do whatever it takes to help your company make it through the next few months. It’s time to somehow to be creative and put your company, and yourself, in survival mode.

It’s really time to do the Uncomfortable.

By uncomfortable, I want you to understand that with businesses having unprecedented successes the past few years, we tend to develop some bad habits. It’s time to break those bad habits and start new initiatives in your company. Everyone of these is what I call uncomfortable. But, it’s a challenge of growth. It’s a challenge to enrich your job. It’s a challenge to make things better for your company. All of these can be considered uncomfortable for you. Not only you, but your staff. You have to be ready to do some things that you thought unnecessary a week ago and now are uncomfortable. You have to do it now to survive.

I’ve put together a quick list of things to consider that, though uncomfortable, can make a difference in whether your company survives or not in the coming weeks. Read this over and do it today.

1. Put more (if not all) people on the phone calling clients. Some will hate it. Some will consider it a challenge. It’s a great way to see how people adapt and how people do things for the company that are needed, though uncomfortable.
2. Expand your company’s hours to conform more to your clients’ needs rather than your own.
3. Find something that is of value to your clients and add it in to your sale for added-value. Don’t do it for the sale, do because you just are going to do it.
4. Figure out a way to get your product to your customer in a more timely fashion. Does that mean you put it in your car and drive it to them on a Saturday? Yes, it does.
5. Work on your website. It needs it.
6. Create a list of projects that you have neglected because you thought beneath you. Assemble a team of go-getters in the company and get those projects done. After hours.
7. Have lunch inside the office. I’m a big proponent of getting out of the office at least once during the day so a walking around outside for a few minutes is imperative. But, instead of going to Chili’s, take a sandwich and meet a co-worker at the conference table. Talk about your day thus far and what you are going to do to change it this afternoon.
8. Think of an article that you can write that will help other people in business. And write it so that they will see it and appreciate it. That’s what I did and I have a lot of other things to do too. But, I want my colleagues, friends, family and even competitors to get through this time the best they can.

I hope this article was of some use to some people. I’m Bob Colloredo and I am the president of Colloredo & Associates in Knoxville, Tennessee. My company is a fully-integrated marketing and advertising agency that offers everything a client needs to prosper through the world of marketing. During the course of working in a variety of industries, I come across some new, old, tried-and-true, never before used, but mostly innovative ideas and sometimes get a minute to share them on here. Til next time!