Apr
12
I like spiders and wasps, and so should your business
Anyone who has known me long enough knows that I have always hated spiders. Hate is not a strong enough word. I fear them. I am arachnophobic. But lately I’ve noticed that my abject terror of them has lessened quite a bit. Just last week I saw two spiders in my garden, and I didn’t start running around the yard screaming like a little girl (which has happened before in the presence of arachnids). It all has to do with my recent foray into organic gardening. Spiders kill bugs that eat plants that give us delicious veggies.
The same goes for wasps. Yes, wasps. Those mean flying jerks who sting you with burning acid. Like the spider, the wasps primary prey is not humans, but buggies. Wasps have a particular taste for caterpillars — cute little caterpillars who have German accents and are comic relief in pixar movies. The same caterpillars who represent new life and beauty. Well, if you saw what caterpillars did to my poblano pepper plant last year, you’d feel the same way as I do.
Bring on the wasps. Eat some caterpillars.
What’s the lesson to be learned? A negative isn’t always as negative as you think. Or, another way of putting it, your enemy isn’t necessarily an enemy.
So who do you see as “enemies” to your business? Here’s a few:
Competitors: Competition only exists when you aren’t the only one doing what you do. “But there are hundreds of realtors in my area!” Yes, but there is only one you. There is only one person who has the exact experience you have, the exact training you have, and the exact ability to close the deal like you. You have a unique niche. Once you understand that you have something very special to offer your customers, competitors are no longer competitors. They have their own special niche. Who knows, maybe you’ll pass business to them. Yes, I just said it’s possible to share business with a competitor. The trick is to know what you do well, what makes you unique, and who your ideal customer is. Your list of competition gets infinitely smaller.
Disgruntled Customers: They may be jerks. They may have never given you a chance. They may have caught you on a bad day. But they are not a thorn in your side. They are an opportunity to learn, grow, and to show everyone around you that you have what it takes to make things right. It’s also an opportunity to engage your top customers and let them be champions for you. I always say that three good reviews can nullify a bad review. Reviews that begin with “I have no idea what that other reviewer was thinking, because we’ve never had that experience” are powerful in people’s minds.
Of course, the trick to appreciating the wasps and spiders in your business is to have a strategy to deal with them. What makes you unique, and how do you communicate that to the world? How do you respond to bad reviews? As always the tools are in front of you. An effective social media strategy that incorporates web video is a fantastic way to engage your customers, set yourself apart, and diffuse situations positively.
So, who are your enemies? And how can you make nice with them?
