Real Estate & Property Law

Prepare Now!

By Dave Wirsching & Francine D'Elia Wirsching

The despair is palpable ? speak to most people, especially small business owners, and their assessments are dire ? ?slowest I?ve ever seen;? ?we have nothing to do,? ?it just keeps getting worse.? Week after week bad news piles upon more bad news. It?s easy to give up hope.
Clichés hold an element of truth. In the Navy, I spent many nights and early mornings on watch. Just when it felt like the sky couldn?t get any darker, a brightening would begin to appear on the horizon. Dawn was approaching. Right now you have a choice ? you can give in to the market and give up hope or you can look towards the dawn and get ready for the day. Just take care to avoid trouble.

Every morning there is a period of ?twilight.? At sea twilight is the most dangerous of times. In the dim light, danger is difficult to see. Warnings ? markers, buoys and lighthouses - are competing with the sun and aren?t easy to spot. Like the sea, this time is full of hazards, and the dangers can be difficult to see. Beware of easy answers, quick solutions and the ever-present shortcuts. They won?t get you through the night, and they might put you at risk. Ignore these perils and your ?ship? could end up on the rocks.

At sea, the sun appears and moves rapidly above the horizon. Exactly when will the sun rise? While knowing the precise second the sun rises has little benefit, being ready for the new day is a great advantage. In your market, like the sunrise, there is little advantage in knowing the exact moment when the market turns. The distraction of ?watching the horizon? and waiting for that moment is costly. Your time is better used in preparing.

Conserve your resources, but prepare now for your market?s eventual rise. Whether it is rapid or slow, those who are prepared will profit the most. Take time now to assess your market, your clients, and build your plan. Expand your contacts, strengthen your relationships, and broaden your market reach. Be ready to take advantage of the new day.

If planning for the future is the last thing you want to do, then it?s your cue to start planning. It may be dark now, but the sun will rise ? it always does.

This was also posted on the Why About Marketing marketing blog.

Full post as published by Clearing Title on November 05, 2008 (boomark / email).