There are many people and companies that transmit the same question to me, how to manage this crisis scenario so that the company is as little affected as possible? It is true that this question has neither a quick nor a simple answer. When I make a diagnosis of a company, the way in which it faces the difficult situation that we now live, is for me a more than sufficient symptom of what potential it has to overcome this situation.
This seems a risky practice, experience shows me that there is a lot of relationship between where we focus the source of the problem and where we find the solution answers to it. Thus I find companies that their obsession in times of difficulties to sell and collect, is the cost cutting. In such a way that staff is reduced, basic services of commercial communication are reduced, prices, diets, social benefits are reduced, salaries are cut, everything that management considers superfluous or dispensable is eliminated.
These measures are carried out with excessive lightness, and is that sometimes we see how certain organizations are eliminated actions, resources or processes that are what allow them to stay alive today, that is, they are weakening with these actions of “false cost cuts “The competitive possibilities of the company. Mind you, I would not like my words to be interpreted as an enemy of reducing costs, sometimes there is no other solution, what I try to defend is that these reductions show us that if we are able to reduce costs and achieve the same or Similar results, we should not interpret that we have a problem of costs but of efficiency. And is that competitive companies know exactly what investment you have to apply according to the objectives you intend to achieve, These companies can reduce costs, but not costs. When you verify that you can reduce costs easily and that it does not affect the value chain of your company, do an efficiency study and process adjustments, as I believe you have problems in that area.
Other companies, returning to the initial question, manage the crisis scenario trying to expand markets to increase billing ratios. This can be an interesting strategy to mitigate the effects of the crisis. The premise is, if we have more clients, we will sell more, we invoice more and therefore we will have better numbers, more solvency, more competitive, therefore solution found. The organizations that decide on this possibility have to take into account if they are prepared to expand their market, that is, in the company we have productive capacity to respond to the new demand indices, or we are trained to give answers to new clients that we do not know, we will be able to maintain our brand image in the new markets, our products are designed to meet the needs of new customers, which is our problem to sell or market profitably, we will play with the same marketing rules in these new markets, or even we are sometimes prepared to export, all these are questions that any organization that decides to expand market has to be done. Obviously, the solution once we decide to look for new markets or expand in which we are not consists of finding customers at any price and in any way, this deficit will have terrible consequences for the company in the form of bad results and even for valid values that before it existed in the organization. We will play with the same trading rules in these new markets, or even we are sometimes prepared to export, all of which I am talking about are questions that any organization that decides to expand the market must do. Obviously, the solution once we decide to look for new markets or expand in which we are not consists of finding customers at any price and in any way, this deficit will have terrible consequences for the company in the form of bad results and even for valid values that before it existed in the organization. We will play with the same trading rules in these new markets, or even we are sometimes prepared to export, all of which I am talking about are questions that any organization that decides to expand the market must do. Obviously, the solution once we decide to look for new markets or expand in which we are not consists of finding customers at any price and in any way, this deficit will have terrible consequences for the company in the form of bad results and even for valid values that before it existed in the organization.
In short these are two ways to face and survive the time of commercial crisis we are suffering, described in a very simplified way, that is true, but I will recognize that they are the most frequent among the business fabric you know. Go ahead that none of the commented in principle I think they are unacceptable and even are not exclusive, although I would like to contribute my vision to improve the management of the crisis in companies. I understand that companies have reason to be because there are people or institutions that buy our products or services or both. We call these customers and they are the ones we live in. They are the solution and the problems to our situation in 80% of occasions. I explain, Companies that know their customers well are more likely to survive than those who boast of having great products or services. In other words, customers will be many cases who decide which company survives and which company dies. This, which is a truism, is sometimes forgotten by the organization, focusing its mission on parameters that go against the wishes and tendencies of the clients.
Do some of the following reflections to establish what relationship your company has with its customers:
All of them are issues that you should review with absolute objectivity to see when you are in a relationship with your clients. If these questions are raised, your company has not done them, they have not been raised, they do not attach importance or they do not have excessively clear answers, you may have to focus actions to improve your relationship with customers. On the contrary, if you have an answer to everything you asked in an objective and complete manner, congratulations have an interesting situation to survive and grow, continue to deepen your relationship with customers.
I defend at all costs that customers is the way out of difficult times we live. For this we will have to make efforts to select the clients that interest us most or that we can better attend, know them better, communicate better with them, listen to them with much more attention and above all adjust our offer in an exact way to their expectations, circumstances and desires. All the work of organizations that are not currently in that “harmony” will have many difficulties to move forward. Obviously this effort in clients must be managed in an appropriate manner with reviewable efficiency processes and with ratios that show us our progress, as well as with the objective of expanding our market more and more, but always with the same perspective of closeness-customer service that gives us good results.
There are no easy times for companies, nor for customers. The work of the former is to facilitate, detect and exploit the opportunities that customers consciously or latently show, in return they want their expectations and needs to be met, to make their lives easier and more enjoyable. The management of the crisis involves making an effort to connect synergies between companies and customers, to have an attitude of permanent and adequate service with these.