SPECIAL REPORT

The Sky is Not Falling; Seize the Moment

by Gail S. Bower

Early one morning in October, in preparation for a series of strategy meetings with a client located on Florida's Emerald Coast, I took a walk on the beach. The economic crisis had just begun to permeate the global markets, and the presidential candidates were advocating, a month prior to the election, for Congress to pass the unpopular Wall Street bailout bill. In short, it seemed the world had begun to come unglued.

Walking along, I began paying attention to the sandpipers, my favorite coastal birds. They had no idea there was a financial crisis happening, and they continued their work with laser focus. Sandpipers constantly move about, their senses highly acute in the search for morsels of food. As marketers what can we learn from their behavior?

Focus and be nimble.
• Calm determination, undistracted by (but not unaware of) what's happening in the world, will serve you well. Yes, allow the news to inform you in your initiatives and discussions with donors, customers, clients, constituents, or event-goers, but don't become paralyzed by fear and anxiety.

• Keep your radar alert to opportunities. Sandpipers don't stand in one spot, pecking where there's nothing left to eat. And neither should you continue tactics and strategies that no longer get results. Smart marketers seek new markets and new audiences, despite the conditions.

• Sandpipers always work sections of the shoreline that are just out of reach of potential threats. Sometimes, all of a sudden, a small flock simply flies away to an area of the coastline that's even richer with opportunity and with fewer risks. How nimble is your organization? How easily can you see an opportunity or decide that you're stuck in a market that once served you but now no longer does? How quickly can you respond?

Here are a few more tips for these turbulent times:

Don't stop marketing.
Now is not the time to pull back from your marketing and promotional efforts. First, retreating and battening the hatches is not the behavior of a leader. What kind of message would that send to your customers, constituents, and donors? Secondly, your competitors, themselves, may very well pull back, giving you the opportunity to gain during these times, and when things recover, you'll be in a stronger position. Plus, you won't have to spend more energy and resources starting all over.

Donors and funders count on your perspective to understand how best to make their investments. Constituents, clients, and customers may need your services more than ever. Don't stop communicating with them.

Talk to your audiences.
Consider this time as an opportunity to wake up and take a new perspective. It's easy to get into the habit of doing the same things over and over and to not notice when they aren't working. Talk to your clients, your constituents, your members, your customers, your donors, your sponsors. Develop your ability to feel empathy. What's going on for them? How are they feeling? What changes in lifestyle or needs does this time of economic uncertainty present for them? How can you respond with information, new or enhanced programs, or some other engagement that considers their needs?

Consider internal and external factors.
Take a look at your operation, your staffing structure, and your programs. What do you see that you might not have recognized before? Now think about the external landscape. How are you better positioned than ever to address some societal opportunity, or problem, or challenge? Maybe this is a just the right time to create a new service, program, or event and promote your organization's expertise.

Think about this: do you know when the iPod was launched? Less than six weeks after 9/11. Can you remember life before the iPod?

Try something new.
Take a look at your marketing efforts. Come on. Really take a look. Does the graphic design say something positive about your organization or business? Are your messages compelling? Are your audiences able to glean the value you offer to them? What's working? And what's not? Be honest.

Then try something new. For some, that may mean developing a clearer strategy. For others, it may mean improving something or going where you've never gone before. Using social networking media, for example, or developing an event strategy. Go for it. Just make sure it's tied to a sound strategy and that the investment will have a measurable impact.

Don't freak out.
It's tempting, given the constant barrage of news reports, to feel suddenly like we're in some parallel universe, one in which commerce has stopped. We're not, and it hasn't.

So, if you find yourself sounding like Chicken Little, for whom the sky was falling, stop. Your words and energy have a negative impact on you and the people around you. Find strategies that help you curb your own anxieties:

• Go for a walk in nature and take in the abundance.

• Get a massage, go to a yoga class, meditate, or do something that helps you pamper yourself and calm your energy. Right now, if you want.

• Find ways to laugh and play. Watch a funny movie - Eddie Izzard often does the trick for me - play with a child, or take up some creative hobby that allows you to express yourself in a nonverbal way.

• Stay in the present moment. Taking periodic news fasts can help you maintain perspective.

• Think about someone you admire or enjoy-real or fictional-and how that person might handle these times. For example, have you ever watched I Love Lucy? Sure, she's a bit daffy and in most episodes, she certainly could have used a better strategy. But she was creative, resourceful, and unstoppable, and somehow things always worked out. She had a love of life, craftiness, and a willingness to try new approaches. What would she do in your shoes?

Your goal is to resume the frame of mind that helps you be creative, thoughtful, resilient, and productive.

Yes, the markets are crazy, and, as if you didn't know, we're in a recession (it's official now!). But things will recover. Let calm and focus prevail. Stop talking about how terrible it is out there and do something positive with it.

Special Reports for Turbulent Times