Tuesday, July 15, 2008

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Deep breath time….

by Cinda Baxter on July 15, 2008

in Economy

Yes, the news is scary. According to a CBS/New York Times poll released today, Americans judged the economy this way:

Getting better…. 3 %
Getting worse….67 %

Like the retailers don’t already know that.

The reason I bring this up is to remind retailers of an important lesson we all learned as kids.

Thank back to first time you recall getting a shot at the doctor’s office. Odds are, you were scared silly about the idea of some guy in a stiff white jacket shoving what looked like a javelin-sized needle into your sweet little arm. And, odds are, your mom or dad looked you straight in the eye, calmly told you everything would be fine, then gave your hand a good, solid squeeze of support before you slammed your eyelids shut, bit down, held your breath, and counted on them being right.

My point, dear reader, is that that attitude of positive confidence is what sold you. If they said you’d be okay, well…you’d be okay. Period.

The same rule applies to how you approach customers right now. Yes, they’re scared; they feel the “sharp pointies” as much as you do. The difference is that they’re looking into your eyes, listening for your reassurances, seeking proof that their neighborhood haunts are safe havens where things remain solid and safe and familiar.

“Psychology is critical,” reminds CBS correspondent Anthony Mason, “because fear comes out of uncertainty. Psychology and confidence are critical.”

So as hard as it is…as scary as it might be…you’ve got to be the parent. You’ve got to look customers straight in the eye, smile with confidence, and tell them in a calm tone that everything is okay. Doesn’t matter if you believe the polar opposite or are jittering beneath that calm exterior. Give their hand a squeeze and convince them their world is solid. Make your store an island of “normal” and there’s a better than good chance yours is the one they’ll continue to visit, continue to shop in, and continue to spread the good word about.

Don’t give them that safe zone and they’ll run like rabbits faster than it would have taken you to bundle up your sleeping bag, fuzzy bear, and lucky nickle, headed to your best friend’s tree house.

Besides, maybe…just maybe…you’ll feel a little bit better too.

This psychology thing works both ways, after all.

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Uncle Steve leaves the building

by Cinda Baxter on July 15, 2008

in Culture, Mac, Web

Admission #1: I’m an Apple junkie (duh).

Admission #2: I’m also addicted to “The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.”

For those of you who don’t join me in either of those joy-filled habits, this means little. For the rest who recognize Dan Lyons as the guy behind the curtain, well….swan song time.

We, the devoted, knew this day was coming. After outing Lyons as the author of the sometimes raunchy, always cerebral, and constantly entertaining blog supposedly written by Apple’s founder, Forbes began actively supporting-—and advertising on-—the site. Now that Newsweek’s snapped Dan up, well…. The old employer wasn’t likely to continue promoting the author while the new employer had him. End of blog.

This morning, I stumbled across this video of Dan Lyons doing the keynote at Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco in April, before the leap. Gotta admit, he’s funny, in spite of the language (a bit, um, risqué for many) while completely in awe of the fact what began as a joke turned into a cultural bookmark.

Farewell, Fake Steve. We’ll miss you. Namaste.

Editors note: Having had sufficient time to peruse Mr. Lyons’ new blog (posted under his real name), I can’t say the warm fuzzy feelings have held. As himself, he just comes across angry and bitter-—no interesting wit or clever edge to the text. Sorry to say it, but Uncle Steve truly left, in every sense of the word. Bummer.

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