This morning I read and commented on a blog post that my friend, Kevin O’Keefe, owner of LexBlog, wrote. It was about seizing the moment, and it got me thinking, so I left the following comment, and thought I would share it with you as well.
There has never been a better time to take a risk. I tell my clients and friends that this economy is the perfect time to step out of the box, and to figure out what marketing techniques and tactics you should be using. If you don’t know which ones to use, and many don’t as they are busy with their practices, then they just need to ask for help. Many professionals and firms are scared to death, and have retreated in to their seemingly safe worlds of cost-cutting, lean staffing, reduced marketing and hiding their heads in the wrong sand.
Firms, whether solos, small, medium, large or mega, should be seizing this opportunity to stand out from the crowd…and yes, there is definitely a crowd, and they are competitors, and they just might step up if your firms don’t.
Don’t let fear paralyze your growth. How will you feel a few years down the road when asked what you did to weather the economy, what you did to maintain and grow your practices and your firms? Will you be slightly embarrassed when you answer that you cut staff, cut marketing, cut participation in the community, reduced your ability to have discussions with current and potential clients…on and on and on…which helped cash flow but didn’t result in any growth? Or will you feel great because you took advantage of the silence being created by that first group I just mentioned? Will you be able to hold your head high, knowing you took advantage of this time to focus on communicating and marketing like never before, and that your clients knew how you felt about them and their needs, they knew you were the market leader, knew you were bold, decisive and knew how to take risks?
You know, the choice is really yours, no one else’s.
