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Business
Marketing
"3
Things You Can Do to Stop Worrying About the Coming
'Recession'"
by Alexandria Brown
I was catching up recently on the phone with an
acquaintance of mine, and her talk turned to the
coming recession. "Oh no," I thought.
"She's really buying into this."
She went on to complain about the price of gas, how
everything's getting so expensive, how she's worried
about her husband's job, and how the country's going
to hell in a handbasket. And she knows all this of
course because she watches the news.
Then, as our conversation took another turn, she
told me about the fancy new home entertainment
system her hubby just installed in their family
room. And how her daughter now is taking both ballet
and piano lessons.
I don't know about you, but as I look around I still
see people jammed into shopping malls and spending,
spending, spending. Compared with the rest of the
world, we really have nothing to complain about. And
for you reading this article, this recession will
only be what YOU make of it.
Now listen, I know prices are going up for many
things. You may have lost some equity in real
estate. And it may cost $75 to fill your gas tank.
The family grocery bill may be higher than before.
But
it's especially important as entrepreneurs that we
do NOT follow the thinking of the herd. If
you let the news get to you and become mousey with
your marketing or waffle back and forth on firm
business decisions, you WILL feel the
"recession". So it's important more than
ever to simply refuse to participate in all the
worry.
Here are three steps to turning this
"lemon" of a recession into some
entrepreneurial lemonade...
1. Stop
listening to all the media's B.S.
Mainstream news would make no money if it stopped
preying on people's fear. (You realize the news
networks are not a public service, right? They are
in the business of getting ratings to sell
advertising. Period.)
Have you ever noticed that after watching just 20
minutes of CNN Headline News you usually want to go
curl up in a ball and die? I mean, you may as well
because the world's going to blow up, right?
Everything is going to pot. You'll find negative
stories on the environment, war, disease, crime, and
of course... the economy. It's laughable what
they'll come up with just to broadcast some bad
news. A few weeks ago at the gym I spotted this
"headline" story on the tube along with
some sad-faced puppies: "PETS: Feeling the
Foreclosure Boom!"
Everyone is selling crisis! From the news and
politicians. So stop watching CNN all day, refuse to
participate in this circus, and instead start
planning your first (or next) million.
2. Look
for the good news.
If you actually look around you in real life right
now you won't see people holed up at home, huddled
around a fire and eating rice and beans. Yes folks
may be cutting back their budgets a bit, but it's
pretty much life as usual.
I am told that just this past May the U.S. enjoyed
the fourth straight week of a declining number of
people filing for unemployment. And while the media
keeps harping on the disappearance of the middle
class, guess where most everyone is apparently
moving? The TOP. Yes, that's right. Two-thirds of
the middle class are movin' on up - just like George
and Weezie.
A recent issue of Time
Magazine stated that according to federal income-tax
data, "...the pie is [still] getting bigger for
everyone." And a June 18 article in the Los
Angeles Times says, "...there still won't be an
actual recession, UCLA forecasters say."
You can always find doom and gloom if you want to.
So turn off your TV and use your brain.
And even if you think this recession is going to be
a big deal, see what it brings with it: A huge
opportunity for entrepreneurs, along with less
competition from those throwing in the towel because
they aren't made for the game.
3. Go
where the profits are.
Those two-thirds who have moved up are what many are
now calling the "mass affluent". These
folks are a BIG opportunity for we business owners
to re-engineer our offerings for large potential
rewards.
My marketing mentor Dan
Kennedy -- whose "no
B.S." attitude on the recession I adore --
reported in a recent article that there has never
been more discretionary income and spending on a
broader and more diverse range of premium priced
goods and services than ever before.
Dan was the first one to teach me that in normal
conditions less than 10% of consumers truly buy only
based on price. He surmises that number will go up
in a recession, perhaps even double or triple, but
it will still be the minority.
(By the way, Dan has an excellent new book on this
precise topic, The
No B.S. Guide to Marketing to the Affluent.
Everyone in business right now should get a copy.)
So it's funny that many of us are so worried about
what we charge. What we should be doing instead is
looking at ways to make what we offer more valuable,
more experiential, more unique, more indispensable.
AND what we all should be doing is looking for ways
to take what we already do and target it to the
wealthy and soon-to-be wealthy.
For example, can you offer a premium version of what
you already provide? Something that includes more
'hand holding', more services, or a more dynamic
experience with you? Do a quick brainstorm on your
own.
It's
Time to Step Up, More Than Ever Before
NOW is the time to be bold, dear ones!
While your competition sits around and complains
that toilet paper has gone up $1, you unleash an
amazing new marketing campaign that blows 'em away.
While they hem and haw their investments have
dropped, you snap up real estate deals on the side.
While they are convinced they should charge less and
cutting their profits to survive, you choose to
reengineer, raise your prices, and thrive -- growing
your business faster than ever before.
Look for the silver lining... it's right in front of
you.
WANT TO
USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb
with it: Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown
publishes the award-winning 'Highlights on Marketing
& Success' weekly ezine with 28,000+
subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your
marketing, make more money, and have more fun in
your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AlexandriaBrown.com
Alexandria K. Brown-EZINE
QUEEN
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the
award-winning 'Highlights on Marketing & Success' weekly
ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to
jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more
fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now by Clicking
Here.
