Conditions Aren’t Perfect. Market Anyway.

“In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.”
--Miyamoto Musashi

You can hear it every time you turn on the television. You can feel it emanating from those you work with. Perhaps it even keeps you up at night: fear. Fear of our uncertain economy, of loss, of what the future holds. Because we’re going through a state of flux right now, many people have adopted a siege mentality, hunkered down in a metaphorical bunker, waiting for the challenging times to pass by.

While that approach seems safe, it really isn’t and here’s why: the siege mentality is ruled by fear, which leads to indecision, which leads to inaction. Inaction is the kiss of death for any company’s growth and success.

Now is the time to invest strategically in those things that offer the greatest potential return for your business, your skills and your life. Eventually the economy will pick up and when it does, the ones who have been continuing to turn the flywheel of marketing will be in the best position to ride the wave.

The truth is, conditions are never completely perfect. I used to think I had to have a complete strategic plan before undertaking even small marketing initiatives for my business, and while strategic planning is important, so is action. Now I understand the importance of taking consistent action during good and bad times.

• TIP: Notice what causes your fear to increase and then take steps to decrease or eliminate those things. Consider new habits, like turning off toxic, sensationalistic television news shows and getting your news from the Internet or avoiding friends who share “doom and gloom” stories and spending more time with optimistic people. Brainstorm small, inexpensive marketing tasks that can keep your flywheel turning.