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How To Stay Upbeat During A Recession.

Motivational marketing tips to keep you upbeat in a downturn.

According to a quotation attributed to John F Kennedy the Chinese word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

I cant help thinking this is highly relevant in todays challenging commercial conditions. Yes, you could go under the duvet and wait for the walls to come crashing down around you but why not stride out there, take full advantage of your competitors fears and timidity in this recession and crank up your efforts at getting in new clients?

If you think about it, whilst your competitors are "over-responding" to these changing economic circumstances there is more opportunity for you - because your competitors cutting back means there are less people going after potential sales!
And make no mistake; there is still plenty of potential business out there. Have you ever thought about the word "Consumerism"? It literally means "hungry to buy" So whilst there may be a general trend for decreasing sales, people do still want to buy; theyre compelled to it – and its your job to help them to act on this by positioning your business to appeal to that urge to consume.

If you are sceptical about what I am saying lets have a look at the diverse sectors that have unwittingly benefited from the credit crunch.

Apparently Confectionary companies have seen consumption of their products go up during this period of economic challenge. In the main they have done nothing to re-position the brand nor increased the marketing of it. So why would this happen? Probably because confectionery is seen as an affordable treat. By the way this also applies to an increase in the sale of lipsticks!

As we all know the Travel and Tourism Industry has been going through a torrid time, but there is an exception to this - Tour Operators which specialise in Gap Year travel. These have seen a boom despite the downturn as those made redundant spend their money. For the first time this is a new age of people, this is not teens and twenties, this is people in their thirties. So suddenly they have a new and unforeseen client base.

Online dating sites have also received an unexpected increase in business. Why the increased interest? Well probably because people are looking for ways of meeting up that do not involve going out on the town every night! By the way, staying in being the new going out has resulted in increased sales for Ann Summers too...

Now I know it is tempting to cut back on your marketing and advertising when times are tough, but its actually the last thing you should be doing. Its like a farmer deciding not to plant more crops in the midst of a famine! It may save you some money today, but tomorrow where will your food come from?

And dont forget you small businesses have a real advantage in this climate. You have the agility and flexibility to respond to changes in the market - and respond appropriately. The main thing is dont just sit there – do something and remember this – NOTHING beats sheer will, effort and determination delivered on a consistent basis.

JANE BUSWELL

Business Fulcrum Limited. Through consultancy, postcards, copywriting and workshops we have 6 years experience in supporting small start ups who are thinking about marketing but don know where to start; are struggling to communicate their marketing message; are not quite sure of their target audience and wouldnt mind chatting through the thorny problem of pricing. www.businessfulcrum.co.uk

Jane Buswell
Business Fulrum

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