It was another lovely day in the financial markets. After dropping over 800 points during the trading day, the closely watched Dow Industrials pulled up short of a total meltdown and finished down “only” about 370 points.

Certainly there’s panic. It’s chaotic. And although you know I think chaos can be wonderful for business today, even I have to admit, calls for a little bit of perspective.

I’m the kind that grew up with the mantra of hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. OK, so it’s time to break out the duct tape and get ready for an extended period of stormy weather. The good news is, to the best of my knowledge, only one storm in history required an Ark. This is a big storm, but not that big. People will still shop and businesses will still buy.

The question is, what will they shop for? What will they buy? The ultra rich will still maintain their lifestyles, so if you’re making your living at the top of the food chain, things will still likely remain ducky for you. For the rest of the world, one word rules: VALUE.

If you haven’t already, It’s time to dig deep into your product offerings, your services, your relationships, and your communications to find what it is that makes you a better value than anyone else. If service is your thing, put it in the context of how your extra service will save money in the long run. if low prices are where you live, emphasize your low prices even more by creating packages that give the appearance of even LOWER prices.

Consumers of all kinds will continue to live their lives. Businesses will continue to operate and many will pursue growth. Some will really pursue growth.

Find the value in your equation. Communicate how you’ll be continuing to create even more value. Remember value doesn’t mean price – it’s the combination of product, service, price, and experience – that makes up value in the mind of the customer.

So get out your umbrellas and galoshes. Hop in your boat and paddle like crazy to value bay. You’ll be fine if only a little wet.

Posted by: Steve Banis