Market, Market, Market!!!

[Nelson Tan]

Much has been said and e-mailed around about the global financial crisis (now that the “housing crisis” is not so much on the lips of people) and I feel compelled to pitch in my 2 cents worth of opinion from a marketing perspective.

Surely most among us are concerned enough to stay glued to the news. I don’t live in America so I can’t perfectly comment on your situation there. Although the “housing crisis” is real and the crux of the problem, in the past 5 days I found it really disturbing that stock investors across all industries around the world are selling out like crazy. Words like ‘panic’ and ‘fear’ are printed and some editorials said there’s no solid reason to be irrational. I guess this is exactly how people must have felt in 1929.

The first important lesson is to be at peace with yourself. Even if you have lost a lot of liquidity, as long as you’re not in debt and you owe nothing to anyone or the world, you should put a smile on your face and you deserve it! I think when the crisis creeps into a situation of inflation or deflation, that would have really bite into daily living (is it happening to you seriously, now?). I just read that though the Australian dollar falls drastically, the government is happy that it will bolster their position as a key raw material supplier to China and it will help ‘cushion’ the country from the crisis a bit.

Looking on the bright side, some things just might become affordable. I must be seeing things but major retail chains are advertising heavily slashed prices in the papers over here.

For now, I find it surreal enough our newscasters in nice suit and tie can report negativity with nice Sony Vaio laptops in front of them, while my 4-year-old laptop is filled with dirt and grime and bacteria.

Our standard of living today is much better compared to 1929 really. Over the decades ever since, more people have access to higher levels of education and the technological, wired age is making life exciting and easier for us. In other words, the world gets ’smaller’ or ‘flat’ due to this idea of ‘accessibility’. Will we see people sleeping on the streets in a “day after tomorrow” world? I don’t think so. If we do, what does it matter to YOU?

Think about it. Internet Marketing is still a low-capital, high-value economy…an IDEA ECONOMY. In the most optimistic and strongest state of mind, we can be so full of ideas about making money we can be confident it doesn’t matter whether we work in an office or at a beach. Just give me my laptop back and I’ll sleep with it like my wife ANYWHERE.

Now you might think the way I say this implies being high on ideas is like being on drugs. Truth is, there’s not better time than now to market, market, market your ideas, businesses, products and services to people who are fearing and looking for alternatives. Retrenchment, job-hopping or a desire to change professional interests are anticipated coming to the end of the year. And through the marketing process or your communication with clients/prospects, you’ll unearth something that’s more priceless than diamond, gold, insurance policies or stock certificates, and more than just showing “who’s the expert around here”.

Your relationships.

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