What do you do in your business when the unexpected happens? You know, when an event that you did not see coming happens and it impacts your business in a most dramatic way. Do you panic? Do you act like it didn’t happen and go on your way just like the day before? Both of those responses will lead to trouble. Let’s take a look at unexpected change from both a business and a marketing point of view.

Let me give you an axiom of life on planet earth: Very few things in life stay the same. Most of them are only temporary, even when we perceive that they will last forever. I lost my father after he had a heart attack earlier this year. I never thought my dad would have a heart attack, but he did. When I got the call that he was in the hospital with heart problems, my first response was "Surely not! There has to be a misdiagnosis.” The same is true about your business. Changes happen, sometimes very suddenly. The classic response to sudden change is to deny it is happening. The second response is to panic. My good friend, Dr. Scott Livingston, describes the brain science behind that sudden panic. Our brains are made to react to fear with what is described as the "fight or flight” reaction. In other words, when confronted with danger, we either rise up and strike back or we run away. As Livingston describes it, our thinking mind is hijacked and all we can do is react in one way or the other. The problem is, we need our thinking mind when something big catches us off guard in business. He says that after a few minutes, our brain chemistry returns to normal and we can think again. So he suggests that we put off decision making when we are surprised, but not indefinitely. Give it about 14-20 minutes and your heart rate and breathing will return to normal. It is the sign that your brain is fully functioning again and you can make a rational decision.

And what about that decision? What should you do with unexpected news? From a marketing perspective, there is always a zig to a zag. Evaluate what you have heard. Do you need to change something you are doing in your business to counteract the unexpected? If so, marketing will play a key role in getting the message out about the changes that are coming. Many times, an unexpected change brings a marketing opportunity with it. This is crucial to doing business moving forward.

For instance, 16 years ago, Blockbuster Video was the big gorilla in home entertainment rentals. But the times were changing and small upstarts like Netflix were making changes to the way videos were purchased. Streaming video was in its infancy. Blockbuster had an opportunity to purchase Netflix*, which at the time was doing business by mailing DVDs to homes. They took a pass… and were surpassed by Netflix. Ignoring the news of a new trend in home video entertainment, Blockbuster sealed its fate. It filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

Changes are bound to happen. Unexpected changes may take you off guard, but there are marketing opportunities for those who think through a business plan of action and react appropriately.

*”Blockbuster's CEO once passed up a chance to buy Netflix for only $50 million”, Celena Chong, Business Insider, July 17, 2015