Five Things to be Thankful for in Business Right Now

by Michele Lando, November 2009

Gratitude is a state of mind.  And gratitude begins with a choice.

I remember reading a line in a Jack London short story that said of the main character, “He was without imagination." I stopped dead when I read that and began to ponder. I was overwhelmed by the notion that someone couldn’t even imagine that he had no imagination. I have cherished my imagination ever since, and I never see it as anything less than a precious gift.

The concept of gratitude is similar to imagination in that you can choose to be grateful that you simply have the ability to choose. Deciding to be thankful sets the stage—then you can look for what’s working, what’s good, and where the blessings are to be found.

Even in this economy. there is much to be grateful for:

Step 1: Turbulent times bring out creativity.
When times get tough, there’s less money to spend. This means we start to look for more creative ways to get things done. Local outsourcing. Job sharing. Part-time workers. Focusing on one of your particular vertical markets that’s going strong. Creating new strategic alliances. It’s a good time to reach out and connect with or survey your clients. Expand your solutions to meet their specific needs. A prime example is the always evolving Starbuck’s brand, which just came out with an instant coffee with a twist:

"Now you can enjoy our bold and roasty-sweet Italian Roast in an instant. Just tear open a pack of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew and add water. Let the coffee brew 10 seconds, stir, savor and enjoy. It’s not instant coffee the way you know it. This is genuine, dark-roasted Starbucks® coffee. 100% arabica and ethically sourced."

Step 2: Having a Job
This may be a first! Entrepreneurs that are in nice-to-have vs. need-to-have businesses are now envious of the person who has a steady paycheck. At this time, W-2 trumps 1099 for many.

Step 3: Opportunity to Become an Entrepreneur
On the flip side: For those who have always wanted to venture out on their own, but didn’t have the courage or perhaps the capital, this may prove to be a timely opportunity to consider entrepreneurship. The prospect of starting your own business is especially viable ifyou were laid off with a package that can sustain your new venture growth period. Go for it! One cautionary note: don’t jump without the right market research! (I recently saw a scuba gear store going out of business in Pasadena—the demographic was ???). This could be a good example of a personal passion that may not be aligned with the right market need.

Step 4: Taking Advantage of Current Events
When the economy is down, companies are searching for new ways of thinking about how they operate and the choices they are making. This means, for example, that there is potential receptivity where you may not have found the door open in the past. GO BACK! Run, don’t walk!

Step 5: A Chance to Reposition Yourself
When the market is down, people are looking for specific things, and they are willing to hear new stories. Ask yourself these questions:

Author: Michele Lando, president of Skilset Communications, Inc., and author of the internationally acclaimed IndiBrand™ Individual Branding workshop series. To reproduce any portion of this article, you may write or phone 626-792-0032.

Do we currently make it clear—right up front and from our customer’s point of view—why we are the partner of choice?

For additional critical key questions to assist you in the repositioning process, you can go to Skilset Questionnaire.

Is there an opportunity to focus in on specific targets, services, products?

For example, at Skilset we observe that services are being shopped. In looking at our positioning, we recognize we have a strong set of experiences with private banks like Wells Fargo, US Trust/BofA and Mechanics Bank.

We also have strengths in marketing, messaging and sales training at insurance firms like Nationwide, Pacific Life and Symetra.

And we have depth of experience in executive benefits with MullinTBG (a Prudential firm), Bolton and First Heartland, as well as with investment banking firms such as Houlihan Lokey. When we stepped back and looked at what this all means, we recognize we have an overarching niche with enormous strength in the ‘professional services’ category. These businesses all have relationships at their core and as their primary goal.

Recognizing this allows us to expand to other professional services areas we hadn’t previously targeted, such as CPA firms, legal firms, etc., and share best-of-breed practices from one vertical business sector to another.

The result? Our clients have a partner with expertise that allows them to leverage branding, marketing and training practices that have all been tried, tested and proven AND may prove to be distinctive from their direct competition. The approach among private banks, for example, may be wholly new when tailored and applied for attorneys.

Let me add a very important sixth area for gratitude. Family and our support systems. Over the past eight years that I have conducted the IndiBrand™ Individual Branding workshops for senior executives and sales professionals looking to evolve their own brand, I’ve observed a consistent puzzlement. Often when they are answering the branding questions posed for them, they will ask for clarification... “Well, do you mean at work or in my personal life?" My answer is always the same: Right hand, left hand, same body. Meaning, we don’t just take half of ourselves into the world. If we have a loved one who is sick or dying, we are not free of that when we are at work. The same is true if we have a particularly stressful day at work—we are impacted by this as we walk in the door to our families.

Remember that whatever area of your life you are examining and working toward improving ultimately affects all areas. So, while this message is about the top five business reasons to be grateful, let us not forget where we start out each day and end each evening—in the company of our loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours—in any economy, every year! Just imagine if you didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy time with your clients, friends and family—and then while you’re with them, remember to express to them the gratitude you feel!