Are You Doing What it Takes to Thrive
in a Recession?
I was part of a panel discussion this week with some other fabulous business experts and we were talking about thriving in these tough financial times.
The people on the panel help a diverse range of businesses but we came to a couple of conclusions and they were that to survive a recession
There are two things you must NOT do and they are:
1. Stop marketing
2. Stop learning
These three things you MUST do and they are:
1. Market to the needs of the moment
2. Market shamelessly
3. Use whatever vehicle you can to get your
message
to your target market and beyond
You might say well that is pretty much common sense.....and it is....... but you would be surprised how many people are doing just the opposite of these simple survival strategies.
I’d love to tell you to just ignore everything and think good thoughts and yes to a certain degree we have to do just that PLUS ignore all the fear mongering in the media. But at the same time we have to up our effort so we don’t become a statistic.
I've survived three recessions now so I can quite honestly tell you that the market will recover but you can't become complacent because I also know from experience that the landscape can change quickly.
In a recession people think and act differently and their circumstances can change rapidly. Your products and services need to be able to change in an instant to meet this demand.
Here are 10 things you need to be aware of in tough times – its not a menu – you need to do most of these things.
- Find what the market want and need and match those wants and needs with products and services – even thought they aren’t perhaps what you would ideally like to be doing, if you service the market now you can become choosey again when things pick up (and they will!)
- Learn to be creative and keep re-inventing your offerings if demand dies
- Have a crystal clear vision that makes you stand out from the crowd
- Find new ways to deliver your message and attract new customers
- People are seeking respite from the doom and gloom – be sure you have services that help them get away from the negativity and be positive yourself!
- Spread your net wider and find new audiences
- Create on-going relationships with past, present and potential clients
- Make it easy for people to get into your system or way of working
- Never forget the clients you have already procured and have multiple strategies to communicate with them - they are referral machines
- Offer impeccable service to your current clients – they are referral machines
- Do a lot of active marketing (things that see you right in front of a potential client - so close you could reach out and touch them)
Are you are getting tired just reading this and understanding the level of effort you are probably going to need to put in to be "recession proof"?
Don’t feel alone, I’m exhausted already and the media say we have another two years to go.
Do some of the tactics sound a lot like what you have to do in boom times? Actually, that is exactly true. What you need to be doing now is exactly what you need to be doing at any other time. Only difference is you need to do MORE of it now because less people are spending, not necessarily because they don't have any money but because they are being cautious.
Everyone in small business is feeling the effects of this recession in some way or other. Some are having their best months ever but are still realizing they have to keep marketing to get those results. Some are in areas hard hit and are really feeling the pinch.
There isn’t just one answer that fits all in a recession but you do need to be out their marketing your gifts, talents, products and services shamelessly.
To survive a recession you do need to double if not triple the amount of energy you put into your marketing.
Don't Think You Have to Do It Alone
Get support, you won’t survive without a strong community, solid support, constant new knowledge and unwavering commitment from your peers and mentors.
Now more than ever you need to be doing a LOT of marketing but you will waste most of that effort if you aren’t marketing CORRECTLY. You need to learn the correct strategies that will make it easier for you to get your message out to the world.
Serious About Success is my new program especially designed to give you the committed support and tried and true systems and techniques to get you through the next twelve months.
If you truly want to recession proof your business sign up for a complimentary assessment consultation to see if this is the right level of support for you.
More info here |
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