Wednesday, April 8, 2009

If you?re running a business or simply trying to build your career, you want to take action to move forward. But when times are tough, the path to follow may not be as clear. Executives, leaders and business owners are challenged by uncertainty and ambiguity.

Whether markets are up or down, now is the time to return to, or start, solid business practices to achieve results now and build resilience for the future.

Here are four key strategies:

Increase Your Visibility

All the dismal news might make you want to crawl under a rock or hibernate in your office until the storm blows over. But one of the best ways to stay top of mind with your clients or customers is to stay in front of them.

? Attend civic and professional association meetings. You never know who you might meet or run into. Don?t rule out fundraising meetings for charities and non-profit organizations.

? Speak in public. If you have expertise in your field or advice that would be helpful to other people, share it in the form of a speech. Spread the word that you?re available to give a talk.

? Write an article. Target professional journals or industry publications that your market reads. Publish the article yourself and send it to your market directly if you want to get your message out quickly.

? Advertise. Don?t stop advertising especially if it?s helped generate business for you in the past. Be more strategic with your advertising dollars. Consider sharing an ad with a complementary service or product. Co-promote.

? Seek publicity. If you can?t find it, create it. Develop story ideas related to your business that are linked to current events in the news.

? Blog. Keep your online visibility strong by blogging on issues related to your industry or area of expertise.

Build Better Business Relationships

Face it. The success of most businesses is based on the quality of relationships with their clients, customers, referral sources, patients, strategic partners, etc. Make this a priority.

Some of your most fruitful relationships can come from unlikely sources: the person you sat next to on the plane, a parent you met through your kid?s soccer team. Nurture your relationships one-on-one, in groups, in professional and informal settings.

A variety of executive peer groups and mastermind groups are forming. Join one or start a group of your own. The power of peer support is strong, and needed now more than ever.

If you?ve lost touch with professional contacts in your past, reconnect. Communication is key to building relationships. Just because a person is in your database doesn?t mean the relationship is there.

Don?t forget to leverage your online network. Many professionals are still trying to figure out how to use social networking sites. Get started, and learn as you go. Your relationships hold the seeds for opportunities that will grow over time.

Tap Your Talent

Organizations are forced to do more with fewer people. Employees complain about being overworked. Don?t add to their ?to do? list. Tap their ideas.

In tough times, employees still want to know they are valued. They appreciate opportunities to share ideas and solutions. Give them a chance. Leaders don?t always have all the answers. Some don?t ask the right questions.

Ask for your team?s perspective, ideas and solutions. Try questions like these:

? What are you hearing from customers?

? What are some things we could do differently to be more effective?

? What new ideas should we consider?

? Where can we make the best impact right now?

? What opportunities might we be missing?

Foster innovation

In times of disruption, the need for innovation is even greater. Innovation is not a ?nice to have.? It?s a necessity. Encourage breakthrough thinking in your business. Look at the situation from all angles. Gain perspective from friends and colleagues outside your own industry. What can you improve in your firm or business? How can you view your organization through a different lens?

Innovation will come by being responsive to your market. As an example, one organization I consulted with offered two main product lines. Their market demanded a combination of both, so they created a hybrid solution.

Without focus on innovation you risk being stuck in status quo. Challenge your team to brainstorm as many ideas as possible. Don?t be too quick to rule out possibilities. Reward creative thinking.

Turn the recession blues into green for your business.

This article may be reprinted in your own print or online publication as long as the following paragraph is included.

Gayle Lantz is president of WorkMatters, Inc. and author of Take the Bull by the Horns: The Busy Leader?s Action Guide to Growing Your Business?and Yourself. For free biweekly leadership tips, sign up for WorkMatters Tips at www.workmatters.com/signup