Red-hot realities

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear someone wishing for the good old days to return. The days when business was booming, people were buying and the economy was strong. Life was so good back then they lament, as they stare off into space dreaming about days of yore.

Wake up! is my battle cry to them, get your head out of the past and into the now. Business is booming for those certain ones that have learned the rules of the new economy and are playing the game well. You also can play this game, but first you have to get your head out of the sand and embrace the way that business is being done today.

If you want to run with the big dogs, absorb these Red-Hot realities listed below.  If you’re not quite ready to change and play, stay on the porch and watch business run by you. I hope you choose to run, now let’s play!

1. This is the economy now. This is not the new economy; this is the normal economy now. Wrap your mind around that and deal with it. You will have to start thinking in a different way and allow changes to occur in your business model if you wish to succeed.
2. Don’t hold onto the past. Holding onto the past will not serve you; far too many companies are in crisis mode waiting for a brighter future to reappear. It will not reappear the way that it once was. You have to understand that the crisis you are in creates opportunity itself. The positive upbeat impact of crisis is that your competitors can become mediocre and ambitious companies find ways to grow.
3. Reinvent what people want. Times of change always give birth to unconventional ideas and products, just be open to the possibilities. What could you add or change up in you offerings to your clients?
4. You will need to break some of your old rules or beliefs that may be slowing you down. Stop saying things like, we’re too big, we’re too small, we tried that before, we can’t do that. You have to learn the pursuit of opportunity will require you to think differently and break the rules that paralyze change.
5. Question rational thought. Many decisions business owners and management make which they deem critical to the success of their business can also be their downfall in this current economy. Don’t be scared of fringe new ideas.
6. Obsess about your customer. You have to know your customer, and don’t tell me it’s everyone, because it’s not. You have to understand what you market to your client becomes and is a part of their identity. To create this type of connection, you need to understand your specific customer.
7. Build a creative work environment. A traditional and boring work environment will result in traditional and boring ideas. You must pursue revolutionary ideas!
8. Always give them more than they expect both to your staff and your customers. If you just give average anything, you may as well have stayed on the porch friend.

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This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.