I was discussing this with one of my market-
ing team a few months back. We were debat-
ing the price of a ticket to our Business Chicks
breakfast events, and wondering if our num-
bers would be affected by the current climate.
When we broke it down and justified what our
customers were getting for their $80 or so, we
realised that the value we provided them far
outweighed the ticket price they get to eat a
scrumptious multi-course meal including hot
and cold food; they get to go to a five star ven-
ue and enjoy being taken care of for the morn-
ing; they get the chance to win amazing prizes
like the last series where we gave away Gucci
watches and holidays to Queenstown; they get
a gift bag valued at over $150; the chance to
meet people who they may go on to do busi-
ness with (these deals/relationships are sure
to be worth more than the $80 ticket price!);
they get to be surrounded by uplifting, inspir-
ing people that will help them in their careers
and businesses; they get to know they're sup-
porting a top charity with real needs just by
being there; they get top class event produc-
tion and international guest speakers, well
known emcees, and loads more! When we jus-
tified it we realised just how high the mostly
intangible, but very real, value was.
and fear too. My personal trainer was telling
and said she couldn't train with him anymore
because of the new conditions in the econo-
my. She explained how she had a mortgage to
pay and that the cost of training was now out
of her reach with how tough it was `out there'.
My trainer thought about this and then said to
his client "Ok, so has your salary decreased?"
to which she said no, it hadn't. "And have your
mortgage repayments gone up?" to which she
shook her head and had to admit that they'd
actually decreased due to a lowering of inter-
est rates. The client was actually in a better
financial position in this economy than she
had been before, but had been so lured by
the media and had believed that she must cut
costs to avoid a personal financial crisis. Try
not to join the negative attitude that the media
can be prone to propagate.
You may look around you and be scared that
the firm is cost cutting by reducing headcount
and your position may be on the line. See my
tips below for how to combat this.
friends know, be aware that everything is a
cycle and what goes around, comes around.
See these times as an opportunity to learn
about yourself and craft new ways of being
what fun!
clearly outlining the intangible value they
receive.
2.
the front foot always, being proactive and
upbeat with your customers, always
looking for ways to provide more value
than your competitors to further build the
relationship.
3.
even more fervently no one wants to
work with a negative person or someone
who isn't a team player. You'll often find
that if an employer has to choose who to
let go, it'll be the high maintenance team
members that are chosen.
4.
ways these will be infectious, and your
employer will want to have someone like
you around during the tough times.
5.
company and your colleagues.
6.
seriousness about your position will
influence your manager's decisions.
7.
solutions to the changing economic times
this might be by way of cost-cutting
measures or new business activities.
8.
show them what you're working on by
copying them in on the occasional email
to a new client and include them on your
achievements. If you handle this the right
way, you may be surprised at how
effective it can be in shaping your
manager's opinion of your value.