Still trying to solve last year’s problems?

We just received the latest ezine from the brilliant company Media Skills Training, headed by our dear friend Lorraine Howell. Imagine our surprise and delight when we saw that our lunch with her last week had been so enlightening that she wrote her ezine about it. We’ve quoted it below, because the message we shared with her is likely just as relevant for your company as it is for ours and Lorraine’s.

Lorraine writes: “I had lunch with two great women last week, Sara Harvey Yao and Michele Lisenbury Christensen. They are the two brilliant minds behind a company called Working with Power. The conversation naturally drifted into a discussion about the current state of business locally and globally.

“With one insightful sentence, Sara & Michele gave me a wonderful dose of clarity. They said "This year's problems are not the same as last year's problems!" And then they asked "What are you doing to solve this year's problems?"

“Whether you are a business owner or working for someone else, there has been a lot of soul searching and reevaluating, trying to figure out how to adjust and ride out this economic turbulence. The people who stay current and create ways to respond to this year's problems are the ones who stand the best chance of making it through and being well positioned when things finally turn around.

“So I am passing along Sara and Michele's question to you. What are this year's problems for your clients or customers? And what are you doing to solve those problems?

“My clients and prospects include job seekers and entrepreneurs. Their current challenge is to clearly and quickly articulate their value in the marketplace. They must stand out in a very competitive business landscape. Using some of my tried and true tips and strategies, I'm helping people get back to basics of identifying the needs of their target audience and communicating with confidence and clarity.

“I'm also going back and contacting clients I have helped in the past, reestablishing the connection and finding out how they are doing and what they need. If there's something I can do to help, I'll suggest it or I'll pass along a referral to someone else who may be able to help them.

“If you are looking for affordable ways to improve or refresh your skills, check out my new webinars and small group classes that focus on communicating for networking and presentations. To find out more visit www.mediaskillstraining.com/classes.

“Sara and Michele helped me stop the "worry machine" and look for new ways to help my clients. They could do the same for you. If you'd like more information about Sara and Michele, check out Working with Power at www.workingwithpower.com.

Lorraine”

Lorraine’s company is always instrumental when we need to refine or articulate a message for the media or for new customers. If you’re retooling to solve this year’s problems, check out her retooled, accessible offerings. And congratulations: you’re going to weather this recession just fine. If you’re not retooling, be prepared for a scary and scarce few months (or years). We’ll keep preachin’ it, though, so maybe you’ll smell the coffee soon and learn to thrive by meeting your customers’ current needs. We hope so. Your company still has lots to offer and your customers still need you; there are just a new set of problems to solve. Enjoy!