Look for Opportunity in Adversity
“Necessity is the mother of invention” is a quote attributed to the philosopher Plato, not as some might think, Frank Zappa (look him up).
Raising the prices of surgical masks and toilet paper as well as price gouging and other short term ways to capitalize on a crisis is not what this is about, for the record that is despicable and should be considered socially unacceptable and proactively discouraged.
However during times of adversity both the private and public sectors are forced to consider new options and new ways of going about what had been our routine day-to-day activities.
As this current crisis progressed I was reminded of the SARS outbreak in 2004 when I was scheduled to give a training workshop in Toronto. As you might guess like many others I was a bit concerned. As is the case with COVID-19 little was known about how it spread or how to treat those who were infected.
I shared my concern with my client, based in Los Angeles, who replied, “I’m not going either. What can we do?”
The suggestion was that I would Fedx a CD of my PowerPoint to Toronto and the 10 or 15 participants would gather in the conference room with a speakerphone. Someone would advance my slides as necessary as I gave my presentation.
Keep in mind that in 2004 online webinars were not widely known. However after the success of this “trial run” born of necessity, several other clients opted to do the same as it provided a lower cost option that did not include paying for my airfare and expenses. The side benefit for me was making more money and taking less time.
Within a few months I had figured out the use of GoToMeeting and Webex providing a more sophisticated option that resulted in over a hundred presentations on these platforms over the next year or so, allowing me to virtually stay home and work in my pajamas (figuratively speaking).
The point is that the SARS scare caused me to look for an alternative solution which in the end encouraged me to accelerate my use of online training and had the net result of actually expanding my offering with a lower cost and higher net profit.
These opportunities are around us all of the time but it often takes a crisis to kick us into a higher gear and take the steps required to innovate. If you find yourself in a business or productivity slump do what you can to brainstorm with clients and colleagues to see how you can repurpose your product or service.
The Internet has infinitely more options than it did in 2004. For instance online video via Youtube is a much more accessible option today. Consider Facebook Live, Skype, and Zoom as ways to communicate face-to-face. How about a podcast or simple email blast to get you started communicating? If you need help reach out to me or others for advice, ideas, or assistance.
Remember this is not about capitalizing on misfortune but rather innovating in a way that makes a bad situation better.
***Reno Lovison offers marketing assistance, content creation, and video production services including video editing and graphic oriented video solutions that can be produced remotely. Learn more at RenoWeb.net
