Thursday, January 22, 2009
Making the economy work for YOU
By Mike Lake
I received a call yesterday from a reporter of a business publication doing a story on the effects of our economic times. His first question of me was how the economy is effecting creatives. I think he was somewhat surprised by my answer, which was that the effects exist, but not to the extent the doomsayers are proclaiming. In fact, for many, I hear that business is genuinely good. Granted, I’m not hanging out with recently laid-off Bank of America employees or Madoff investors. I truly feel bad for those who are being hurt by circumstances outside of their control, but my comments reflect the freelance individuals, salespeople and small business owners I interact with on a daily basis.
The reporter with whom I spoke yesterday was intrigued, and welcomed my contrarian outlook on the economy. I told him that companies are still spending money on marketing, and the good ones always will. I told him the creative freelancers I know continue to fill their days with paying work. I told him that Redlake’s most recent three clients are in or related to the real estate business(!) and have hired us to create strategic marketing strategies. They’re planning.
Last night I heard for the gazillionth time a popular and self-serving Washington cliche, and for the first time, it made an impact on me. “We want to get the economy working again.” Well, the fact is that the US economy IS working and has been steadily for the past 225 years. There are plenty of places around the world to remind us what a non-working economy looks and feels like! But, this is not a political discussion-for that let’s hang out sometime. Rather, this is my assurance to you that while the economy is in a downturn, there are LOTS of people making great money and the same can be done by anyone reading this.
Here’s how: First, recognize that you must focus on delivering an exemplary quality of work now more than ever. Picking up a regular paycheck by doing “good enough” and taking your clients for granted was never a prescription for grand success, but is less so now. So, how would YOU answer these six questions:
- What is your written plan for success?
- How much of each day do you engage in income-relevant training?
- Exactly how are you applying that training?
- What is your level of engagement in on-line social media? I don’t mean looking a recent Letterman episodes on YouTube, but instead, reaching out and joining the discussion related to your skills or profession.
- What three things within your control can do you this week to improve the quality of your product or service?
- What income-supplementing activities can you enlist outside of your professional job requirements? Examples include multilevel marketing of a great product, active participation in the stock market and selling your knowledge on the Internet. Don’t know how? Then learn! (see #2 above)
Getting your personal economy working doesn’t require an act of Congress! It requires you to take personal responsibility for producing the absolutely best product or service of which you’re capable, and then effectively marketing that product or service to the broadest possible audience. Not sure how? Start by reading aloud your answers to those half dozen questions!
January 26th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I love this piece, Mike, because you’re challenging the reader. You ask us to focus our thoughts, measure ourselves, and take the next step. I’m thinking you could easily turn this around into a self-help book. Even if you don’t, your ability to organize these challenging questions provides another reason to think about hiring you for sales training. Well done.
– Carl
February 4th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Thank you, Carl. I feel strongly that each of us is responsible for our “economies”. And while that post might strike some as harsh, kudos to you for seeing it in the positive perspective in which it was written.