Tough times are bad, but the flip side is creative destruction. New things appear out of the old.
As much as we may hate it, difficulty forces you to be innovative, more focused and smarter, and that’s good.
That’s why, during this current tough time, make sure your brand is positioned right for today and tomorrow.
Some people have to find new opportunities for themselves, or if you’re an entrepreneur, you have to do things in a more economical way, not same old, because business just don’t come in over the transom like before, you have to earn it of course.
In a tough economy, your brand must be different and it must be relevant.
Look at my case.
My focus before 2009 was primarily on individual coaching of entrepreneurs and executives.
One friend even said, with so many people out of work, this would be the best of times for you because so many people will be needing your coaching services.
In fact, it was the opposite. It was the worst of times. With the recession and job layoffs, people either didn’t have the money or were afraid to invest in personal coaching. And I initially saw a drop-off in business.
What I did was expand my brand footprint and change my business focus almost completely to corporate speaking and workshops. I limited my individual coaching to entrepreneurs and senior executives who were interested in either doing an intensive 2-month coaching program, The SelfBrand Strategy and Mini-Marketing Plan, or SelfBrand Speech-Writing, both areas where I could make a strong contribution to their brand.
I focused my marketing efforts on corporations, particularly the human resources area, for my talks and workshops, You Are a Brand! (based on the ideas in my first book that came out in paperback edition in 2009 )and The Female Brand (my new book on female leadership came out last summer).
In marketing yourself in a touch economy, you need to fill a gap – have the right solution for the right price and be different so that you stand out from the competition. That way you’ll be a brand for all seasons.
