The phones aren’t ringing.

Registrations are down.

Products aren’t moving.

Customers aren’t re-ordering.

Subscribers are canceling.

Let’s just “shut-er-down” and chalk it all up to the crappy economy, right?

Not so fast…

Sure people are being careful with where they put their dollars, but not everything can be blamed on the economy. I think some small business owners could be using Mr. Economy as an excuse – a good reason to stay right there in the safe and cozy comfort zone.

If your beloved pet was acting strange would you say, “Oh, he’s probably dying of old age. We better put him down”? Probably not. You would first take Fido to the vet to find out what the problem was and if it could be cured with medication or a change in diet I would hope you’d try to fix him instead of go ahead with putting him to sleep.

If that’s the case then why would you cancel an event and chalk low numbers up to the economy without first doing what you could to add more value and broaden its appeal?

Is it just easier to blame the economy? Maybe. I mean, then you wouldn’t have to revisit your marketing plan, have your website copy rewritten or enhance your other marketing materials. You can just stick your head in the sand and wait for it all to be over.

The problem is…will your customers be there when it’s over? Why would they wait for you if you didn’t hang in there with them? If you disappeared at the first sniff of a recession, they’ve forgotten all about you.

Instead of playing the blame game, why not take a good hard look at your business? Why not create some economy-friendly packages or promotions? Why not create new services that cater to people in times of economic recession?

Get in touch with your past prospects and former customers. Follow up on your old leads. Do something. Anything! Let everyone know you’re still there and you’re still interested in helping them with your product or service.

The economy stinks – that’s a given right now. But it doesn’t mean your business has to suffer. Get out there and shake your money maker because people are still spending money. You just have to find those people and cure their pain – whatever that may be. After all, just because we’re in a recession doesn’t mean you stopped being the best at what you do, does it?

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