The election results on Elm Street

Don’t worry, this is not a partisan rant… just the usual observation/implication, as it relates to the mid-term elections, the results of which were pouring-in all night.

Observation: People remain frustrated and very much in a “trial and error” frame of mind. Two years ago, the Obama administration came in on a platform of change. When solutions were not felt fast enough—and economic matters are still not clear—that same wave of change has washed control of Congress to the conservatism. (But not control of the Senate.)

And we’ll be watching this same process resume again, in about a twelve months from now (when campaigning will likely be underway for 2012 elections.

Implications: Set your political opinions aside, for a moment, and look at this from a consumer's point of view. I’m looking at general numbers for a variety of races across the country, and at a glance, I’m seeing a deeply split and discouraged electorate.

First of all, the campaigning was particularly bitter, given the fact that this was a mid-term election. People feel like they’ve been through a lot with this economy, and we spent a lot of time hearing that all that work, effort and cost has been a waste of time and money. One would think all of these heated campaigns would have brought a majority of voters to the polls.

As of 3:00 a.m. this morning (Eastern), voter turnout was projected to be somewhere around 41.3%. Granted, more western states still had many ballot boxes uncounted at that time. But if it stands, I’d read that number to mean more than half of voters either didn’t like their choices, or they felt like they had something more important to worry about on election night. We'll hear a lot about a mandate (it's a popular word after every election), but at this writing, it's looking like we couldn't even muster-up a quorum.

Is that an inappropriate conclusion? Do people feel like Washington is unlikely to solve these issues, regardless of which party is in power? (That’s a good question: Consider the share of White House and Congressional control over the past decade… or, over the past two decades.) My hunch is that voter strategy right now is trial-and-error… and nothing they’re trying seems to work.

What does all of this lead to? I think voters (consumers) will continue to take financial management issues into their own hands… not waiting for some magical solution to come from Washington.

As a business owner, manager or marketer, that has important implications to you. Continue talking about the value you provide (not just the cost people must put into a product/service, but the enrichment they get out of it). Talk about the fairness of your price. Talk about quality of life. Talk about how you can reduce stress, offer simple truths, and save people time (so they can continue working harder than ever).

The election continues… and people will be voting with their dollars. What do your constituents, in particular, want?

Mike Anderson