RealitySells

Long, cold winter.

It’s been cold out.  Frozen cold.  It is the dead of winter in the midwest and as is customary for this time of year, it is harsh.  Life outside has largely been reduced to dormancy, save a few birds and animals left to forage for food.  The ground is covered in snow, and large parts of ponds and rivers have been capped with ice.  It’s been quite the winter.

It’s not just the weather that’s bad, we’re also having an Economic Winter.

Just like the outside air, the economy is feeling quite chilly.  Many businesses are trying to figure out how to survive until spring.  Winter never lasts forever, but unfortunately the economy doesn’t follow the same calendar as mother nature.  Winters are often too much for the weak, and even test the strong. 

In the wild, skills and instincts work together to provide the necessities for survival. 

The Bald Eagle is a perfect example.  As winter settles, and water freezes, the eagles have learned to adapt by roosting near open water.  The rivers of the upper mid-west provide a good source of moving water, particularly around dams.  The eagles have become a tourist draw at several parks and rivers, as they gather in groups of up to 20 or 30 to fish.

The eagles survival depends on their ability to change habits and adapt to winter. This is true in your business as well.

Here are three lessons we might learn from Eagles:

Look for reliable source of sustenance.
When the weather changes you have to adapt to the situation, and may require for you to expand your hunting grounds.  Eagles move to open water, which means moving water, because that is where they find activity. 

Perhaps it is time to round up some fresh business with some new clients in an industry that isn’t as reactionary to recession.  Where is the economic activity?  Where does business function in spite of tough times?  Think about necessities, get to know the companies and organizations that are more stable, and expand your scope to include some of these active hunting grounds. 

Don’t burn unnecessary resources. 
When resources are tight, get focused.  Eagles concentrate on getting to open water, and eating.  The rest of the time they conserve, moving only when necessary. 

When eagles move long distances for migration, they sail on the wind -riding thermals up and gliding for miles.  The giant birds us as little energy as needed to move a great distance by eating in the morning and traveling with the winds of the afternoon. 

Constantly ask yourself the simple question:  Is what I am doing right now adding value to the company?  If the answer is not really, then you better quit burning energy and focus on advancing the business.  Anything short of adding value is taking away value.  Look for ways to save money, follow trends, and expand your customer base.

If you catch a fish, hold on - even if you get wet.
Eagles are good swimmers.  They have to be for the occasion when they grab onto a fish too big for lift-off.  They are able to swim to shore, drag the fish out, and profit.  This is not the preferred way to land a fish. In a time of plenty, it would not be a big deal to drop a fish and grab another.  But not in the winter, that meal is too important.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and you have to get wet to save a customer.  In the winter the customer has the advantage, and keeping them is critical.  The business who doesn’t go out of the way for the customer, stands a chance of losing to a company that will.  Serve every customer like they were the ones that made you. 

We are in winter.  People are still buying, they just aren’t buying as much.  There must be a reason why they choose you.  The customer will easily move from interested to indifferent.  It doesn’t take doubts long to kill a sale.  If something doesn’t meet all their expectations and needs, the customer will simply move on.  Now is the time to be sharp, develop your expertise, and watch for opportunities.  Be quick to move to open water, and when you do catch a customer, hold on!