Are Your Clients Worried?

I’m lucky to have a lot of B2B readers.

You provide a service or a product for other businesses or entrepreneurs, and those clients are worried now. I see a recovery, waiting in the wings. They don’t see three feet in front of them.

They’re worried sick, some of them. They’re cutting back frantically, and one of the places they’re cutting back is in working with you.

I know, and I am sorry about it. When panic hits, reason runs. That great service you provide, the great products you offer… they’re just not sure whether they need you, or whether they should “wait things out.”

“Let’s see where ‘this’ goes.”

“Not sure how we’re handling our budget right now.”

Well, all right.

There are other fish in the sea.

Fewer fish, but ones who still understand how much they stand to benefit from what you offer.

What can you do?

For starters, forget about the possibility of looky-lous. Expect success with every potential client.

You can’t staunch the bleeding for your clients’ businesses. You can’t tell them where “this” goes, even though the answer is “up,” and you can’t help them get sure about their budget.

Just do your work, do it better than ever, and stick a smile on your face.

When the recovery comes roaring out of the wings, you’ll have some very happy customers spreading the word about you. Now’s the time to turn customers into Propheteers.

Oh, and yes. I know you were wondering—this is partly a pep talk from me to me. I can’t staunch the bleeding, especially not for folks who don’t hire us.

So I’m making sure we do what we do for our clients, better than ever. You do the same.

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

P.S. If you’re in the U.S., VOTE TOMORROW. [Insert flag-waving comment about our freedoms and rights and how very lucky we are, here.]

9 Responses to “Doin’ It Better Than Ever in B2B”

Friar says:
3 November 2008, 10:28 am

What about Reverse-Propheteers? (Customers who are so ticked off, they go out of their way to spread the word how BAD a business is?)

I’ve (er) been known to do that. On rare occasions. (Heh heh heh)

As for the economy, you know, once Obama gets elected, all of that will be INSTANTLY FIXED.

(No, the Friar is NOT taking sides here).

Just that after 8 years of hearing Democrats complain how things are being run, here’s a chance for them to put their money where their mouth is, and prove themselves.

Let’s see what they’ll do different.

I suspect that they’ll it’s not as easy as they think.

Friar says:
3 November 2008, 10:29 am

“that they’ll FIND it’s not as easy as they think”.

I can’t write this morning.
Friar’s last blog post…Great Moments in Small-Town Fine Dining

Graham Strong says:
3 November 2008, 11:31 am

Went through this recently with a client of mine, though there are other issues affecting him right now. I told him not to cut out Google Adwords completely — less people are advertising now, so you’ll get better results from cheaper ads…

There is always an upside.

~Graham

Graham Strong’s last blog post…How to Backup Your Blog Automatically

Kelly Erickson says:
3 November 2008, 3:46 pm

Friar,

Reverse-Propheteers is reality. There used to be an urban-marketing-legend that for every 1 complaint you hear, there are 100 who don’t bother to complain, and another that 1 happy person will tell 3 friends on average, where 1 unhappy customer will tell 20 (if I’m remembering my stats correctly). So take heart, when The Deep Friar writes a letter to the editor, 99 other folks wanted to.

Now, with blogs, if I’m miserable, I can tell several hundred. (As can you!) Or maybe several thousand. Reverse Propheteering can become an enormous problem almost instantly, so we do have to do better than ever before just to stand still. Even more true for big companies.

& about that other issue: Fixing a mess never as easy as anybody thinks. And as I’ve said before, there’s never a time when everything’s for sure. That, too, is reality. Nobody is going to wake up Wednesday with all their problems solved, no matter what the outcome is tomorrow.

Graham,

Reminds me of a song…

Regards,

Kelly

Friar says:
4 November 2008, 12:17 am

Kelly,

Actually (this is later in the day), I’ve just jumped into FULL REVERSE-PROPHETEER mode, myself.

(You’ll find out when you read my latest post!)
Friar’s last blog post…No Soup for Me!

Karen Swim says:
4 November 2008, 7:19 pm

Kelly, this post hit the bull’s eye. People are freaking out. It’s sad really and of course it gets tough to keep smiling because their panic is affecting you. Yet, I do. Today a small client that I do some subcontracting for, asked if I could take a price cut. Their client had asked them to cut their rates because of the economy and they “needed to pass it along.” I passed. My prices are fair and reasonable. I didn’t charge more because the economy was booming. Lowering my prices for the same level of work and quality is insane and then I will be bleeding. I have created lower price offerings and offer payment plans for my best customers, but I’d rather have a lighter roster (more time for the great clients) than to arbitrarily cut prices. Thanks for the pep talk!

Karen Swim’s last blog post…I’m with Stupid

Kelly Erickson says:
4 November 2008, 10:42 pm

Friar,

No Soup for Me was a classic, well-deserved rant.

Karen,

You’re welcome. I hear you… and is “pass it along” code for “we can’t take the hit so we’d like you to”? Yikes!

Lowering prices arbitrarily is a tough trap to avoid, but worth it, because it’s deadly. When do you arbitrarily raise them back up? And what happens when your best clients hear that they should have whined longer, because you’re apparently not “worth” what you charge them? Best not to go there. Those great clients will thank you, because they’ll get a little more value than they expected. That’s where to put the extra effort—into the clients who know your time and work is worth the same amount it was worth yesterday.

Until later,

Kelly

Karen Swim says:
5 November 2008, 11:48 am

Kelly, yes, yes, yes! This is why some businesses will not survive this period. In my opinion, an economic downturn definitely exposes the cracks in a business. Thanks for the moral support and on target advice! I hope you’re having a better day today! This has been a week!

Karen Swim’s last blog post…I’m with Stupid

Kelly Erickson says:
5 November 2008, 2:38 pm

Karen,

Let’s just say it’s a great day to be an American and leave it at that. A lot of folks are having a fine, fine day today, and I don’t mind counting myself among them. I’ve had a couple of very irritating weeks ending with two really awful days this week, but who’s counting?

[Friar: over 64% of eligible Americans went to the polls. Best turnout since 1908. That's what it's all about. Hooray for many voices being heard! I wish it were always like that.]

Later,

Kelly

Friar says:
3 November 2008, 10:28 am

What about Reverse-Propheteers? (Customers who are so ticked off, they go out of their way to spread the word how BAD a business is?)

I’ve (er) been known to do that. On rare occasions. (Heh heh heh)

As for the economy, you know, once Obama gets elected, all of that will be INSTANTLY FIXED.

(No, the Friar is NOT taking sides here).

Just that after 8 years of hearing Democrats complain how things are being run, here’s a chance for them to put their money where their mouth is, and prove themselves.

Let’s see what they’ll do different.

I suspect that they’ll it’s not as easy as they think.
Friar says:
3 November 2008, 10:29 am

“that they’ll FIND it’s not as easy as they think”.

I can’t write this morning.
Friar’s last blog post…Great Moments in Small-Town Fine Dining
Graham Strong says:
3 November 2008, 11:31 am

Went through this recently with a client of mine, though there are other issues affecting him right now. I told him not to cut out Google Adwords completely — less people are advertising now, so you’ll get better results from cheaper ads…

There is always an upside.

~Graham

Graham Strong’s last blog post…How to Backup Your Blog Automatically
Kelly Erickson says:
3 November 2008, 3:46 pm

Friar,

Reverse-Propheteers is reality. There used to be an urban-marketing-legend that for every 1 complaint you hear, there are 100 who don’t bother to complain, and another that 1 happy person will tell 3 friends on average, where 1 unhappy customer will tell 20 (if I’m remembering my stats correctly). So take heart, when The Deep Friar writes a letter to the editor, 99 other folks wanted to.

Now, with blogs, if I’m miserable, I can tell several hundred. (As can you!) Or maybe several thousand. Reverse Propheteering can become an enormous problem almost instantly, so we do have to do better than ever before just to stand still. Even more true for big companies.

& about that other issue: Fixing a mess never as easy as anybody thinks. And as I’ve said before, there’s never a time when everything’s for sure. That, too, is reality. Nobody is going to wake up Wednesday with all their problems solved, no matter what the outcome is tomorrow.

Graham,

Reminds me of a song…

Regards,

Kelly
Friar says:
4 November 2008, 12:17 am

Kelly,

Actually (this is later in the day), I’ve just jumped into FULL REVERSE-PROPHETEER mode, myself.

(You’ll find out when you read my latest post!)
Friar’s last blog post…No Soup for Me!
Karen Swim says:
4 November 2008, 7:19 pm

Kelly, this post hit the bull’s eye. People are freaking out. It’s sad really and of course it gets tough to keep smiling because their panic is affecting you. Yet, I do. Today a small client that I do some subcontracting for, asked if I could take a price cut. Their client had asked them to cut their rates because of the economy and they “needed to pass it along.” I passed. My prices are fair and reasonable. I didn’t charge more because the economy was booming. Lowering my prices for the same level of work and quality is insane and then I will be bleeding. I have created lower price offerings and offer payment plans for my best customers, but I’d rather have a lighter roster (more time for the great clients) than to arbitrarily cut prices. Thanks for the pep talk!

Karen Swim’s last blog post…I’m with Stupid
Kelly Erickson says:
4 November 2008, 10:42 pm

Friar,

No Soup for Me was a classic, well-deserved rant.

Karen,

You’re welcome. I hear you… and is “pass it along” code for “we can’t take the hit so we’d like you to”? Yikes!

Lowering prices arbitrarily is a tough trap to avoid, but worth it, because it’s deadly. When do you arbitrarily raise them back up? And what happens when your best clients hear that they should have whined longer, because you’re apparently not “worth” what you charge them? Best not to go there. Those great clients will thank you, because they’ll get a little more value than they expected. That’s where to put the extra effort—into the clients who know your time and work is worth the same amount it was worth yesterday.

Until later,

Kelly
Karen Swim says:
5 November 2008, 11:48 am

Kelly, yes, yes, yes! This is why some businesses will not survive this period. In my opinion, an economic downturn definitely exposes the cracks in a business. Thanks for the moral support and on target advice! I hope you’re having a better day today! This has been a week!

Karen Swim’s last blog post…I’m with Stupid
Kelly Erickson says:
5 November 2008, 2:38 pm

Karen,

Let’s just say it’s a great day to be an American and leave it at that. A lot of folks are having a fine, fine day today, and I don’t mind counting myself among them. I’ve had a couple of very irritating weeks ending with two really awful days this week, but who’s counting?

[Friar: over 64% of eligible Americans went to the polls. Best turnout since 1908. That's what it's all about. Hooray for many voices being heard! I wish it were always like that.]

Later,

Kelly