In a downward economic spiral, you can think
thoughts of woe, or you can think thoughts
of “Whoa! There’s still serious
money to be made out there! ”
Walmart is making money. McDonald’s
is making money. There are opportunities to
sell low.
There
are also opportunities to sell high. Some
people still have money. The showroom at the
local Ford dealer is nothing but Shelby GT
Mustangs selling as fast as they can get them
in.
The local fitness equipment store is selling
the most expensive treadmills and just starting
to bring in the most expensive home gyms.
There are opportunities for "inexpensive
luxuries." You can’t afford a new
Mercedes, but for under $10, you can still
impress your friends with Stella Artois.
Starbucks
could have been booming if they
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had
used advertising to position themselves as
an inexpensive luxury, but they thought they
were above advertising, so the consumer was
left to think of them as an expensive commodity
that costs less at Dunkin’ Donuts.
Another
area of opportunity is “experience replacements.”
You can’t jump on a plane to Cancun,
but you might be lured to an “event”
designed to take the place of those bygone
destinations. A restaurant might put on a
Polynesian adventure themed, “Take the
Bus to Bora Bora.”
Take a step back and imagine what people are
missing, what they are doing without. There
is demand there. It’s a little different,
but it represents opportunities nonetheless.
“While you’re at it, why dontcha
come over to the house and crack open a Stella.”
What? You've never heard of Stella Artois?
Let me turn you onto it. I'm a connoisseur
of fine brew. |