There are some things just about everyone seems to believe true despite evidence to the contrary: Vitamin A improves night vision. Not true. Humans catch warts by touching toads. Not true. Exposure to cold weather, perhaps with rain and wind, causes colds: Numerous studies – including sitting people on giant ice blocks in freezing rooms with high-powered wind machines blowing on them – have failed to prove that true. Thinking you can catch warts from toads isn’t a particularly dangerous misconception, but some of the incorrect ideas that abound in the world of business can easily stop someone from achieving success.

One of the best examples is the concept that one should slow down their marketing efforts when the economy is in rough shape.

Pinching pennies is a normal reaction when pennies are looking scarce in the future. But neither ‘normal’ nor ‘reaction’ has high standing in the world of the entrepreneur.

Truthfully, people don’t actually stop buying things – they’re just a little more cautious and take a little more convincing. And with every merchant in the same boat, you can be sure a lot are going to be doing as much convincing as they can. The worst thing you can do is disappear into the woodwork and let the consumer forget about you while they’re wooed by the competition. What are your chances?

‘Proactive’ is an important watchword for achieving success in an economic downturn. Entrepreneurial skills must include learning how to market in any economic climate. Unless you’re a huge company with unlimited financial resources and a customer base that wouldn’t leave you if they had a gun pointed to their heads, you’re probably not going to make it otherwise.

Shane Krider – Polaris Media Group