I’m almost embarrassed to say that our company is thriving in this down economy. The last three months have been the best ever by more than 10%.  What’s the secret?  One word: TRUST.  In this environment people are looking to trade their hard earned dollars for an experience they trust.  In entertainment, ticket sales for movies are strong.  My wife and I were at the theatre last week and the house was packed. Why?  Because we trust the experience we’re paying for.  In business, this principle works the same way.  So how do you build trust amidst this chaos?

What we’re doing is focusing on articulating our customers core values and then infusing them into the work we are doing for them.  It’s cutting out all the extraneous B.S. in their marketing materials and making them leaner machines that get to the heart of their customer’s needs. When their core values are accurately expressed in their marketing materials (writing AND design), their customers have a subconscious reaction to their materials, an intangible feeling of love or hate. What happens is that they attract the customers who are most perfect for them, while turning others off so they’ll not waste their time!  This leaves our customers with more time to nurture their perfect customers, deliver results to them and increase orders as our results drive more customers to them.

And you don’t need to hire a company like ours to help you to articulate your core values and then infuse them into your materials. Send me an email to corey@writersoftheroundtable.com with Core Values in the subject line and I’ll be happy to send you a step by step approach to help you articulate your core values. The process will take you less than 30 minutes in total!  Then you can take those results and hand them over to your own writers and designers to ensure your marketing materials are built around the values of your organization.

It’s actually really easy once you understand the power of the principle.  I was fortunate to learn about core values when working with Bea Fields on EDGE! A Leadership Story. I truly believe that the power of core values can make the difference between thriving and dying in this economy.

My husband Mike and I had dinner out last night (was a great break after a long day.) The restaurant we chose is one that has great food, but….the service is sometimes a bit on the slow side. The last time we ate there the service was just downright lousy. I was served the wrong drink, we never got our salads, and I ordered butter on the side and it came plopped right on the potato.

But…last night was a completely different story. When we walked up, an employee opened the door. We were seated and immediately greeted by not 1 but 2 eager, happy, upbeat waiters. Our drinks came to our table in about 2 minutes, salads came in about 5 minutes then dinner (all served to perfection). We were in and out of there in about 45 minutes. As we left, another employee kindly opened the door for us, thanked us for coming, wished us a great night and asked us to come back again. Guess what? We will!

This restaurant has figured out something very important about what it’s going to take to survive during this down economy! Customer service has to be tip top. They are going to have to go over and beyond to make their customers happy (which does not include lousy service.) My hunch is that some customers complained about the service, and they answered a few questions and got their act together.

So, as you are considering your situation in 2009, before you start cutting out money, people, training, products and services, sit down and answer these 10 critical questions and THEN, make your decisions about what to do next.

1) What strategies have made your organization successful in the past that just aren’t working today?

2) What are the current and future opportunities for growth your organization? —What territories/markets have you not tapped that are prime targets for your company given the state of the current economy?

3) What skills do you need in your organization to be successful in the future?

4) Who on your team has the skills you need in your organization to be successful in the future? (Hint:  These are the people who can help get your team trained up!)

5) —How have you been able to improve profitability in the past? —Which of those strategies need to be ditched? Which ones are still relevant?

6)How have you been able to stay competitive to this point? —

7) What steps do you need to take to stay competitive? (i.e. when was the last time you performed a competitive analysis?)

8. What funding is available, and how can you get it? —

9)What low or no-cost services can you enhance or improve to add value to your customers and build customer loyalty? —

10) What are the 10 ways you can increase both the efficiency and effectiveness in your organization?

Once you have answered these questions, it’s now time to sit down and formulate a plan. This action plan should include people, processes, funding, equipment and the training you need to move ahead sooner rather than later.

If you are someone who is looking for an opportunity to expand your business and grow your leadership in 2009, please contact me for a 15 minute complimentary consultation at (910) 692-6118.

And…if you have not yet read EDGE! A Leadership Story, I encourage you to do so.

With unemployment on the rise and a recession not looking like an eventuality, but in fact, more like a bed partner, businesses have got to make some decisions to survive and remain competitive. What is imperative in an environment such as this is that communication be more clear, more effective, and more to the heart than ever.  Why? Because this is an environment of fear, and in such a state, people need to feel a sense of confidence with the people they are choosing to do business with.  The takeaway here is three-fold:

1. Communication. In these times, do not isolate yourself. Isolation breeds fear and fear is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over-Communicate.
2. Persuasive brevity.  Use as few words as possible to get your point across. People’s patience is focused on their own survival, so respect that!
3. Consistency.  Now more than ever, you need to ensure that your message is being demonstrated repeatedly. What is working for Barack Obama can work for you. Be consistent and repetitive.

In times of trouble, there are great opportunities for those who can see above the low hanging smog of crisis. Keep your head on, keep your head up, communicate, respect your audience’s position, and be consistent with your messaging. Do it through articles, blogging, email marketing, press releases, and individual phone calls and emails. If you need a serious partner to guide you through this communication process, give Writers of the Round Table a shout.  Words are our business.

The cover of the May Issue of Inc. Mag displays a picture of confident and quite sporty looking Gary Erickson who hit the big time from 1990-1991 when he developed the Clif Bar. The interesting thing about this story is that Erickson made the bar a household brand during a recession.

The article shares case studies of companies who did the same thing…they built a successful start-up during a down economy.

One case study that I found most fascinating was the story of Method…one of the coolest companies you’ll find today that makes soap and cleaning supplies from environmentally friendly supplies. The company built its recognition shortly following the Dot Com Bust, and founders Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan believe that the slow economy helped Method become one of the fastest growing companies in today’s biz world. As Ryan said in the Inc. article, “The hungriest wolves hunt best.” Tis so true.

I am not going to tell you all of the nitty gritty details about the article…pick up a copy and dive into the information…it is really great. However, I will give you a few tips offered:

1) During a down economy, it is a great time to sign up new customers who are looking for a more competitive price.

2) Look for opportunities to barter for or hire outsourced talent. Companies will be looking for ways to keep their talent busy as customers drop off.

3) Contact companies who are going through layoffs to inquire about seasoned talent that might be available for your start-up.

4) Offer a discount to customers who pay upfront or in full.