When times
get tough, some people respond. They rise up. Tough times bring out
the best in certain people. They start to think of ways to improve
every aspect of their situation – whether that be in business or
otherwise. If I'm describing you, you can't fail. If I'm not, it may be time to hang up the gloves.
When business slows, remember that the fundamental principles of business and marketing don't change. Slow and steady usually does win the race. And in no other place is slow and steady more necessary than in advertising. When business is down, the worst thing you can do is panic. All shortsighted advertising usually emanates from panic. Whatever
you can do to bait people into an artificial frenzy is just a quick
hit, a flash in the pan, a band-aid that will not correct the problem. A
healthy process in good or bad times is to take an internal exam,
diagnose the problem or the situation and come up with a prescription
for exactly what ales you.
Al Reis and Jack Trout write on this topic in The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,
"The long-term effects of marketing are often the exact opposite of the short-term effects." Therefore, whatever you do to create a false sense of short-term success will ultimately lead to a rocky road in the future.
Trout goes on to compare this point to a few other things:
The
short-term gains of robbing a bank provide an immediate benefit to the
criminal – but not when you spread those gains over the ten years he'll
spend in jail for doing it. Also, Inflation can give our economy a short-term boost but in the long-run, inflation leads to recession. Overeating satisfies the craving, but in the long run it causes obesity and depression. Spending money, taking drugs, having sex – all have long-term effects that are often the opposite of the short-term effects.
Why
is it so hard for people to understand that it takes time for marketing
to have any long-lasting and significant effects on your business?
Short-term is the quick high of cocaine that will do nothing but get you into long-term trouble. There is always a price to pay for engaging in any activity that fails to promote a healthy future. So take note of this law of the universe and be strong but patient when the cards are dealt against you.
Advertising
can help you through a slow period, but only if you respect the need
for a battle plan that can help you to win in the end, over the long
haul. General Patten was not looking for a vile of cocaine when he came up against insurmountable odds in World War II. Take inventory, access the situation, turn your weaknesses into strengths and execute a strategy that can win in the end.
How will you respond when times get tough? Will you spend your days complaining and your nights whining? Or, will you come back bigger and better than ever? Do you still have a tiger in you? I think so.
