Californians are well experienced with emergency preparedness. Severe weather alerts, threats of the Big One, keeping a whole survival kit in the trunk of your car—we are ready for just about anything. But is your business ready for when things go wrong? And no, keeping a stock of canned goods in your supply closet doesn’t count. We’re talking about the unenviable situation when a crisis unfolds, and you have to be the one to navigate it. Â
Having a crisis communication plan ready and creating it in times of calm before things go haywire is important for businesses of any level and size, so we’re going to talk a bit about how to prepare for… preparing. Â
From the Desk of CMO Nicole Aguilar
The personal thoughts of CRMLS’s Chief Marketing Officer
Don’t shy away from the awkward or unpleasant topics when discussing your business’ strategy for a crisis. You know best of all what sort of thing would be most damaging if it goes wrong, so apply your experience to some foresight. Getting ready today means less scrambling in the moment. Â
What to Expect
Crises don’t always reach catastrophic levels like wildfires or hurricanes. For businesses, anything that could damage your reputation, affect your finances, or otherwise scandalize your consumer base could be considered a crisis. Sometimes crises come from small places, like if an employee mishandled funds, or big places, like a housing market crash that affects everyone. Luckily, the plan you make can be scaled to accommodate impacts of whatever size. Â
Real estate has the benefit and curse of being a very public industry. It’s common enough for local news media to pick up potentially scandalous stories about controversial building developments, landlord negligence, or environmental concerns. While you may be lucky enough to avoid being directly roped into whatever is happening, your clients may still want to know what your stance is, considering your position in the real estate industry and your community.Â
A Basic, Malleable Strategy
To begin with, don’t run away from the crisis. It can be tempting to try to bury it or ignore it, hoping it’ll go away, but as they say in the legal world, “it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.” Â
Own whatever has happened. By acknowledging the severity of the situation, you seem more in control of it. Playing the blame game only makes you look childish and unaccountable. Even if the crisis was outside of your control, you can control how you take responsibility. Â
Once you’ve done that, it’s important for your communications to speak with empathy and action, but they should be kept quick. The whole backstory of the crisis isn’t what people want to know first, they want to know how it affects them and what you’ll do about it. Be clear about what it means for your clients and the actions you’ll take to rectify the situation. No one’s interested in salesmanship when there are bigger things going on.
Crisis Conclusion
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Crisis ConclusionÂ
You may not have the ability to make things immediately better, especially if you’re dealing with acts of God or acts of the economy at large. But you have more expertise than the average consumer, and they will turn to you when angst is on the rise. Offer the best guidance you can with the information you have. Be calm, take command, and, if necessary, apologize. Showing your humanity in tough times can sustain or even bolster your reputation. And, really, that’s what this is all about. It’s about how you handle stress, try to fix what’s broken, and remember that your clients are people with thoughts, fears, and every other human response. Â
From the Kitchen of Chef Ian
CRMLS Product & Event Supervisor and resident gourmand Ian Huss is serving up his favorite avocado-focused recipes. This month: Winter Avocado and Fruit Salad.
Dressing:Â Â
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegarÂ
- 1 tablespoon honey Â
- 1 teaspoon salt Â
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 minced shallotÂ
- 1 tsp orange zestÂ
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)Â
Salad:Â
- 1 large ripe avocado, cubed and skinnedÂ
- 1 blood orange, peeled and diced Â
- 1 naval orange, peeled and diced Â
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds Â
- 1 peach, skinned and dicedÂ
- Shredded mozzarella cheese Â
Instructions: Â
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combinedÂ
- Add avocado, oranges, peach, cheese and pomegranates, and toss until coated
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