How have the elections impacted your business?

For many, especially those who sell large ticket items like machinery, cutting edge technology, or even facelifts, its like a large number of clients have hit the pause button. They’re waiting. Not sure for what exactly as life goes on either way. It’s a pattern we see before every election, most especially the week before – and if you know it’s coming you can not only prepare for it, but profit from it too …

“Good products can be sold with honest advertising. If you don’t think the product is good you have no business advertising it.”

- David Ogilvy

Yesterday I went to see the kid-friendly movie The War With Grandpa. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the movies. We sat the obligatory 10 seats apart from the group over, bought a large popcorn and patiently waited for the movie to start.

But first, the ads…

So here we are. So much for post-COVID. With numbers soaring, the media screaming recession and many schools and universities not opening in the fall, it seems the end to this madness is not in sight afterall.

Onward. 

We’re too busy to pay attention to the media hysteria. We have businesses to run, clients to serve, new projects to launch, supply chain issues to solve, staffing challenges to sort and consumer demand to reignite.

The way I see it every business has three options . . .

COVID. I know you’re sick and tired of reading about it. I certainly am. The media have had a field day spreading doom and fear like a suffocating blanket over the world. Nevertheless I strongly believe that COVID is an incredible opportunity for all of us - if we choose it.

You see I think of COVID like the "Sorting Hat” in Harry Potter - the magical Wizard’s hat that quickly sorts new students into different houses. Every business, and every employee will be “sorted” thanks to COVID - into success or failure. The very good will rise …

This past weekend I ate a restaurant that had a “C health-sanitation rating. A long electrical cord hung from a light bulb in the ceiling. The blinds, half broken, did their best to keep out the sun’s rays. The tables, made of formica looked like something straight out of Granny’s kitchen, the mis-matched wooden chairs had surely been rescued from the Salvation Army’s give-away pile. The floor – large grey linoleum tiles that were cracked and faded - had certainly seen better days. The walls covered with yellowing newspaper cut-outs and old horse posters really made you feel like you were walking back in time 40 years. And the menu (don’t expect any at the table), was scribbled on a white piece of paper in sharpie and scotch-taped on the wall.

Picture this. You’re thumbing through the pages of a slim, elegant, catalog that arrived via mail earlier in the day.

The pages feel crisp to the touch, and you notice how vibrant the illustrations are. Captivating even. You glance over and something catches your eye.