Last week I told you about a news article screaming doom over Washington State budget cuts – which turned out to be not cuts to any current budgets, but cuts in the increases the governor wanted over the next two years.

This morning I read a news article about shopping that was along the same lines. The headline said retailers put “little hope” in Monday sales and went on to talk about fewer shoppers on “Black Friday.” They’re expecting this to be “one of the weakest holiday seasons in years.”

But… as with the budget article, the truth came later in the article. According to a company that tracks sales, Friday and Saturday pulled only a 1.9% increase over last year’s sales.

I suppose this has something to do with expectations – we expect to have more and more and more each year. So when “more” isn’t big enough, we see less?

I don’t pretend to understand the intricate balance of the economy, but I do wish the media would tell the straight truth. And I do wish they’d understand that crying gloom and doom will not create prosperity – it will only create gloom and doom.

So… get out there today and grab that 1.9% with some effective marketing – People are spending more, not less, and they may not know they need your product unless you get busy with showing them.

After reading news reports about shopper’s behavior on “Black Friday” I have to think that the retailers who will be most affected are the ones selling “junk.”

You know, all that extra stuff that people buy on impulse – the little trinkets that go into a Christmas stocking and are either lost or tossed soon after the holidays. Also, the gadgets that appear at Christmastime kind of on the lines of the flavor of the month.

I didn’t personally attend the “Black Friday” sales. I don’t do 5 a.m. – and even if I did, I can’t think of anything I wanted enough to drive for an hour to get to one of those stores. So, my observations come from comments from friends and newspaper reports.

What the newspaper reported was people shopping more carefully – trying to get good value for their dollars. They were also buying things that people would actually use rather than buying things just for the sake of more presents under the tree. So the gadget of the year may not fare so well.

It makes me believe that small business people who supply useful merchandise – or even quality handcrafted decor – will be likely to prosper this season.  When shoppers buy fewer gifts, they’re going to want what they do buy to be special.

Meanwhile, it looks like printers will prosper as well. Our Sunday paper was so full of inserts and sale flyers that we could hardly find the news! I tossed a good 2″ stack of ads once we had it sorted. As I did, I wondered how many dollars were wrapped up in that stack…

So, what’s the message for you as an entrepreneur? Keep on keeping on.

• Use creative ways to get your products and services in front of the people who will buy.
• Update your web pages, and use your Google ads to send buyers to the correct pages so they don’t have to flounder around.
• Use your email and your autoresponders well. Take a few extra minutes to add a splash of color – almost everyone will look to see what you have if Santa is sitting in the corner of your message.
• If it works, do some comparison shopping for products similar to yours and show your prospects that yours is the best value for the money
• Send direct mail to a targeted audience – like your past customers
• Emphasize customer service – service after the sale – your guarantee
• Greet every customer – on line, on the phone, or in person – with a smile and a friendly word. (Yes, I know they can’t see you smile on line or on the phone, but when you’re smiling your words will let it shine through… honest!)
• Say thank you – and mean it
• Keep your thoughts and emotions tuned in to success!

The worst thing you could do right now is sit back and say “times are tough.” Instead, go forward with an expectation of strong sales and good profits.

A long time ago Henry Ford said “If you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right.”

So think this: You Can