So you’re in the middle of a chat with a potential client, it’s super friendly, you get an urgent call from someone else, you’ve got to jump, it’s an urgent matter , do you get off the call with your “pre-client”? #yep
I’m noticing a disturbing trend, people who cannot afford a particular business cancel abruptly, with no notice. Or because of their finances, they can no longer live up to their contract. Or you’re chatting about business with someone new and they realize they probably shouldn’t be doing that particular thing in this moment. Should a cellphone company take your used iPhone back because you can no longer afford it? #nope
These are a couple of scenarios one small business owner is dealing with during the global pandemic. But it’s not just in the now, people can get sketchy around money insecurity. I get it, dang it’s a scary time. It’s about survival, survival of the fittest. So do you try to work out a deal with someone or do you say, see ya? Do you send a goodbye email after years of association or do you make a call? Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been talking to someone, we’ll call them the aforementioned pre-client, I really like them, I think they really like me, but a call related to COVID-19 comes in and as a news person, I’ve got to get that call. I quickly call the pre-client back, we continue on, in a friendly manner. They say to me, I’m entering a restaurant, and I say, no problem, then boom, they’re gone, we’re disconnected. There was no forewarning that they were hanging up. So I text and say, I’m home all day, call me back. Then an one email comes, “We’re not in sync, I’m not interested”. What?
Two weeks ago a long time client, gave me 3 days notice. Today I had a refund request because they didn’t like a couple stories I used. Insert scratchy face emoji here, but. I’m ALWAYS open to learning, but knee jerk reactions are all over the place right now.
What’s to be learned during the pandemic? People ARE willing to work with you, in many more flexible ways than ever before. Why not engage in real talk to see where you ARE in sync, where you can meet in the middle, like, on the phone, ya know, old school…
What are you experiencing during the pandemic as a small business owner?
