Shonali dancing on her birthday“Twistin’ the night away”

I am SUPER excited for tonight.

Because, after more than a year of limited human contact, most of it virtual, I get to go dancing.

DANCING!

With REAL people! At a REAL dance hall! And REAL music!!! OMGGGG I’m so excited I’m practically squealing!!!

The pic of me dancing is from my birthday last year.

Now, it’s not like I haven’t danced at all this past year.

I’ve cut a rug with my “pod people” at home and, in the last few months, taken virtual dance classes over Zoom with Gary & Sue (check them out in the below vid; their virtual classes worked really well).

 

But for a dance-bug like me, there is nothing – NOTHING – like getting ready for a hop, swing shoes, water bottle, and all.

When I told Debra, Gottaswing co-founder (where Gary & Sue teach), how excited I was, she responded:

“I vacillate between never wanting to put on underwear again to being very very excited!”

And it struck me that that is how pretty much EVERYONE is feeling.

  • We want to go back in the office and see people, but OMG #nocommute
  • We are SO tired of Teams/Zoom/FaceTime/whatever but OMG #nopants
  • We’re finally in a groove with kids/pets/etc. and have “work life balance” … how will “reopening” affect that?

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It will be interesting to see how businesses bring back not just their employees, but their customers as well.

I suspect we’re not going to have a “new normal” for at least a year.

I also suspect that those who navigate the “next normal” successfully are the ones who:

  • were nimble to adapt their business models to the realities of COVID-19
  • figured out how to leverage technology, even if they hadn’t had to in the past

And, most of all:

  • put their customers’ needs first, making sure they felt HEARD and SAFE every step of the way.

That last bullet point is super-important.

Everyday living was tough enough during the height of the pandemic. The last thing any of us needed was a business/service that made it tougher.

But those that put our safety first and foremost, that figured out how to keep things going online/virtually, even if it was on a “lite” level… they’re the ones whose doors we’re likely to knock on first IRL.

(Gottaswing did a great job of this, which is why I feel so comfortable – and EXCITED – to go back in person.)

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What does this mean for you?

Whether yours is a merchandising, manufacturing, or service business, or some combination thereof, you must must MUST find a way to listen to your customers… and then show them that they were heard.

Thanks to social media, it is not difficult to get your “social listening” program started.

If the concept is new to you, this post I wrote a while back should help (I’m also developing some cool resources to go with my book, so keep an ear open #seewhatIdidthere? 😉).

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Gotta get ready for this weekend’s dancecapades. Happy weekend!