What Business are You Really In?

By Liz Kohler from Kohler Marketing

Your office may be empty or your business may be closed, but that does not mean you should sit back and wait. Now more than ever, customers have time to listen to you and welcome any sort of friend, social interaction or suggestions on how to improve their lives. This is an opportunity to show customers you care and redefine your business.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs may have been operating on a shoe string so the world wide shut down will truly impact their bottom line. So now is the time to redefine your business. What are you really in the business of providing? For example a restaurant may be in the business of providing food, entertainment or a place to socialize. A travel tour company may really be in the business of providing an escape, a learning opportunity, or an entertaining place to meet new people. What problem are you solving or goal are you helping people achieve?

Once you redefine you business to cast a wider definition of your business you will need to think outside the box on how you can still help people achieve those goals. If you take our restaurant example and after redefining your business decide that you are in the business of providing a place for people to socialize think how else can I help people socialize? What about setting up a restaurant Zoom with a background from the restaurant? Or if you decide you are in the business of providing excellent food you recommended menus, provided cooking demonstrations, or had interviews with the chefs offering tips for quality cooking?

In the travel tour example, if you redefined your business as a way to escape the stresses of life, you could provide tips on ways to destress from movies of your favorite destinations, tips from yoga retreats along with mediation tapes, and your favorite de-stressing products along with an online store. Instead if you are in the business of offering a learning experience for your clients, you could offer videos from some of your tour guides talking about the history of various locations. You could sell books or offer courses on history, the arts, nature or famous people.

Once you are back up and running your customers will feel like they have gained a friend, bonded with you and will ultimately reward you for your ability to think creatively about how to solve their problems or reach their goals. Get creative and think outside the box!