The Vernal Equinox has arrived once again, signaling the change of seasons in Minnesota.
Just like the seasons, every business changes and the pace of that change is happening at an alarming rate. What drove your bottom line yesterday probably won’t work today.
It’s been nine months since my move from an office and co-workers in Minneapolis to our new office in San Diego; and it’s been a learning experience for all of us. To those who have been freelancers or tele-commuters for years, I salute you!
As I’ve struggled to retain the balance in my life; either facing the difficulty of focusing on the tasks at hand or forcing myself to shut down for the evening, it has occurred to me that there is a parallel to what it’s like for corporate meeting planners hiring outsource assistance for the first time.
Years ago, a company could schedule a meeting and the attendees would show up to hear whatever the company wanted to tell them.There was much less scrutiny of corporate expenses and everyone was happy to take a few days out of the office on the chance they might meet someone, see something or learn something that would help their business.
Today, the “if you hold it, they will come” idea is no longer valid.Attendees are much more discriminating for several reasons:
Many people are talking about strategic meetings, but what are they and how are they different from what you are currently doing?
Strategic meetings are meetings that literally change the status quo. They are specifically designed to align with your business initiatives to produce a measurable change in behavior that directly impacts your bottom line. Regardless of audience, strategic meetings provide knowledge and tools that motivate attendees to take action to achieve specific outcomes.
While attending a recent industry event, I overheard someone asking the ubiquitous question, “How’s business?” I found their friend’s answer confusing. “It seems to be picking up, but I’ll be glad when things return to normal.”
There is an increasing likelihood that your best employees will quit in the next 12 months. Recent surveys indicate that 54% of employed Americans are likely to look for a new job once the economy improves. For employees between the ages of 18 and 29 that number increases to a whopping 71%. Although the number of employees that actually make a change will be lower, there is the potential for a tremendous upheaval of talent and resources at a time when few companies can afford it.
So why are they dissatisfied? Why would they leave the company that stood by them while others were laid off? In short, what happened to employee loyalty?
If your company is like many small and mid-size businesses, the economic recovery is simply a rumor. While economists and politicians trumpet the latest figures, you just aren’t seeing the recovery on your bottom line. In fact, many companies have cut expenses to the bone and increased their marketing efforts yet are facing economic crisis because of lagging sales and depleted cash reserves.
So, what happened to their loyal customers? Where is the pent-up demand they keep hearing about? In short, where did all the customers go?
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