Winning in a Down Economy

We live in interesting times. The rapid changes that thrust Wall Street into a tailspin these past few weeks has created a business environment that is far different from anything we've seen in the past. The panic on Wall Street has rippled quickly from the investment community into the executive suites of all of organizations and down the line to each and every employee. Everyone is talking about how to react. What are the impacts to our nation? our economy? our business? us?

Pragmatic Marketing is a great reference site for Manufacturers and I encourage you to follow their blog. In the upcoming weeks they will be discussing: these three macro ideas:

1. Accept that you don't know what you don't know right now. Get real and increase the reliability of your decision making by gathering the data your organization craves about the market ... the thoughts of your buyers, their likely actions and your most valuable solutions to their problems.
2. Develop a conservative plan of attack. The filter for your strategies needs to be built on a solid foundation ... a real connection to what the market needs now and what your organization has a unique ability to deliver and execute flawlessly. Focus your action plan on that core.
3. Overhaul your marketing engine. Now more than ever, you're going to need to be able to create an authentic relationship with your buyers that are based on a solid understanding the realities they face and how they want to do business with you. Provide a more flexible mix of services vs. hype that builds an experience that they'll appreciate.

This is syndicated from Tuned In: Uncover the extraordinary opportunities that lead to business breakthroughs., and written by Phil Myers.

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Can you tell your business story in seven slides or less?

This weekend, I was attempting to get lean and mean with my Duct Tape Marketing Story and pulled out a book of mine called “The Seven Slide Solution” by Paul Kelly. I had used this book to put together several presentations and had not re-visited it recently, MY MISTAKE. It is a practical approach to building presentations around how people think about information. The following day, I received information about applying to give a presentation to the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce as part of their Slingshot presentation. The application is actually a slideshow based on very similar principles. You talk about Karma!

My point to all of this is that you should review the Slingshot presentation and see if you get your company story on 7 slides. If not, maybe you should buy the book. A basic principle of Duct Tape Marketing is telling your story in a compelling manner. But if it takes too long, how many people will listen?

I am finishing my 7-step slide show for you to review. It is amazing how tough it is to get your story on 7 slides. Too much BS, (Basic Information).