It Is Almost Time

It is almost time. Never before I have seen such opportunities to gain market share and potential to lock up assets at pennies on the dollar. My long term strategy clients are starting to chomp at the bit, gearing up for what might be a once in a lifetime chance to gain market share, acquire assets for pennies on the dollar, negotiate prime leases, and take control by eliminating the competition. I have never seen such a feel of despair in the air. Not having lived through the depression but having lived through the 70s and 80s with an awareness of business and business cycles, I think the eve of despair is almost upon us. As the saying goes the time to buy is when there is blood running in the streets. For those of you who have been good shepherds of your resources and tempered your expenditures over the last couple of decades, your hour is almost upon you. It is almost time to start digging into your war-chest and start to spend on marketing from your recession marketing plan. The time is almost ripe to engage your competition and lure their customers that you wow with the superior customer service your staff will give, because why everyone else is cutting you are spending because you have the reserves. Now it about the time to up the ante on your Christmas party, now is the time to give out a little something extra, rally the troops and let them in on your vision. Give them something to get excited about, spend a little on them. You have the money because you were frugal when there was a time of plenty, You should be dusting off the marketing plans, and getting ready to get your bids out for printing. After the holiday, in what should be a dismal spring, should be the time to strike. If you hold off on the printing bids till after the holidays you should be able to get a very good price (at least in my area). Now is the time to execute on those carefully laid plans that may have laid dormant for 3,5,7,10,15, years. Now is the time to thoroughly vet your competition, use those intelligence resources you have and find out their staying power. You may be able to count coup on the fallen soon. Check your reserves and then your gut. Do you simply want to gain market share or are you up for price war where you drive the competition under? Soon will come the time to separate the men from the boys. The men took care of their business, in the good time they were good stewards of their resources, they did not get into expansion wars; they knew that in the coming lean years they would be able to pick the carcass of the greedy and inept little boys. My old clients are up for this. My phone is ringing, they are asking is it time? I tell them soon. Very soon. This spring may be the time to start the marketing campaigns, a great time to take a trial run at a price war, but too early to start physical expansion, commercial real estate still has a long way to go, and too many builders are still holding out for a profit potential that the market cannot support. 2009 is shaping up to be the type of year that can define your prospects for the rest of your life time. Check your gut, check your assets and get ready for the end game of your life. Asset against asset, it is time. He with the staying power wins.