New CEO of Saks Global, Geoffroy van Raemdonck, sent me an email. Okay, it was sent to everyone on the email list. In it, he made it clear that Saks was not going out of business, and you can still make returns. It was a small gesture to try and assure its customers in the midst what feels like impending doom.
After Saks Global filed for bankruptcy, it led many to question the future of the brand. That would of course include the very people who could speed its turnaround: the people giving them money. This email is a first step in that turnaround process because it helps to (potentially) calm fears and build trust.
If you are going through a crisis, no doubt you aren’t the only one feeling it. Your most important stakeholders are right there with you. This letter from van Raemdonck is an example of what businesses can and should do in hard times. I’m not saying the words are exemplary but the method.
Don’t just do interviews with news outlets and hope that will somehow trickle out to the masses. Talk directly to your people. Craft a message specific to them being as honest as you can. At the end of the day, your customers are perhaps your biggest stakeholders as a business. Treat them that way.
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