"They exposed me to a different world, and showed me there was hope."

I promise.

This isn’t going to be the 97,514th article you’ve read about how to survive the recession.  In fact, I hate to break it to you. None of those 97,513 articles you’ve already read about the recession is probably going to help.  The cold hard truth is that, instead of articles, what you really need is incredibly smart people really digging into your individual businesses in a deep and meaningful way. 

Everyone’s situation is different.  Everyone’s solution is different.  Vistage gets that.

Don’t feel bad, though.  I still read my share of articles.  Maybe not the 97,513 you have, but a decent amount.  Guess what?  I got more value out of the first five minutes of my latest Vistage meeting than anything that could be mined from all those countless articles.

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you know I’m in marketing.  Yep, after luxury home builders, yacht salesmen and Circuit City managers, us marketing folks have been hit just about as hard as anyone out there.  It seems everyone everywhere is cutting back on marketing.  Heck, it seems marketing firms have even cut back on marketing!

Despite our industry’s woes, the input and impact I receive from Vistage isn’t just allowing me to survive the recession, it’s actually allowing me to take advantage of it.

Here’s how Vistage helped me in one of my most recent group sessions: With many of our traditional services not able to generate the revenue they did 18 months ago, I needed to come up with an idea for a new revenue stream.  Finally, at 2:00 a.m. one night, I came up with something.  But I was pretty unsure about its genuine viability.   So I brought it up for discussion with my fellow Vistagers (Well, that’s what I like to call them, now that the name has changed from TEC.)  Anyway, I received challenging questions, honest, candid feedback, and best of all, individuals in my group actually came up with ways to make the new revenue stream more profitable using an approach I never even considered.  We were also able to look at how I could win clients away from much larger ad agencies by strategically positioning ourselves correctly.  It was awesome stuff.

In my latest 1-on-1 session with my group chair, we spent the entire time talking about seizing new opportunities as opposed to “how to survive.”  I probably wouldn’t be in such a fortunate position without Vistage.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are CEOs in Vistage whose companies are seriously challenged by this economic downturn.  Simply joining Vistage won’t make the Dow instantly seem like it’s 5,000 points higher and consumers are back to spending like they used to.  However, what I can tell you is that, in my humble opinion, Vistage will give you the best opportunity possible to succeed now and after this storm finally passes.

With the input of diverse backgrounds in every group – from seasoned vets to young, hungry go-getters, in every industry imaginable, you’ll get the help you need.  Better still, a focused chair will hold you accountable to take action so words can ultimately translate into action. 

So many CEOs around the country are now in a state of perpetual panic.  Worst of all, they have to bottle it up inside because as CEOs, we’re not allowed to show fear.  It’s not healthy.  It’s not smart.  It’s not productive.  The comfort of knowing any problem I face will be dealt with head on by the members of my group and not just me is worth the cost of membership alone.

So what you do from here is up to you.  You could read the 97,514th article on the recession or you could call Vistage.  Hey, some decisions are so easy, they don’t take an entire group to help you make it.  I know you’ll make the right one.

Here’s wishing you a prosperous start to summer!
 

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