KQ Article

Ben, a longtime business professional we know, was recently laid off. He assumed he’d one day retire at his company, with an everexpanding retirement account leading him into the sunset. Now he worries about paying the bills.

After weeks of fruitless job searching, Ben begins to take some comfort in his other passion: do-it-yourself remodeling. He had been renovating the basement of his home for several months, working primarily on weekends when he wasn’t tied up at work. Now he makes tangible progress every day.

Little did Ben realize that while the framing was going up in his basement, he was also building his next career path. At the urging of friends and trusted business contacts, Ben combined his obvious eye for renovation with his strong organizational skills to launch a remodeling business. This business is currently thriving — and Ben may have overlooked the entire opportunity had it not been for his network of confidants.

In today’s unprecedented economic uncertainty, consumers are more down-to-earth than ever. They’re seeking self-sufficiency and shelving unbridled consumption for something more enduring. They’re spending more time at home. And this is where many are stumbling upon their next career opportunity. Ben found his by applying the skills and resources he already had in place to an entirely new field.

In an economic climate that has shaken the consumer mindset to the core, are you still harping on the passé topic of consumption alone? Or are you restructuring your approach to help customers and members find comfort and deeper meaning — and perhaps a new way to apply their skills? Put another way, are you providing the counsel customers need from a trusted advisor at a time like this?

OUR POINT OF VIEW
1. Experiences should be rooted in your story.
2. Experiences should explore and celebrate customer values.
3. Experiences should be purposeful and inspire the heart.
4. Experiences must be meaningfully measured.
5. Experiences live or die by stewardship.

_{© 2012 Deluxe Enterprise Operations, Inc.}