It’s the dog days of summer, but there will be no lolling about here.

van Schouwen Associates has a career opportunity available… for the right person. We want a strategic communications professional to join our writing and PR team. WELL, you may say, that should be an easy position to fill.

Nope. In fact, looking for the right person to fill this job opening gives the existing vSA team a new appreciation for what we do every day. And it gives me a new appreciation for the team we have. The job opportunity requires a person who can:

-Face undaunted the task of QUICKLY learning to communicate intelligently about client specialties that may range from geothermal engineering to patented building supplies, aerospace quality management to investment planning for the wealthy.

-Write like Ernest Hemingway about said topics.

-Edit like… oh, I don’t know, A.M. Rosenthal?… about said topics.

-For media relations initiatives, pitch to diverse, extremely busy editors, employing a keen understanding of what each editor, each venue and each readership needs right now.

-Switch between topics, disciplines and client needs at a moment’s notice. And again. And…

-Genuinely enjoy working with clients who are smart, busy, facing pressures and deadlines of their own, and who trust vSA to create and implement strategic marketing programs that perform… programs that perform extremely well, no matter what the climate.

-Come up with great program ideas and innovations for clients.

-Work social media in B2B, financial services and other wilderness expanses.

-Work with the rest of us.*

Are you the one? Do you know the one? Be in touch…

*We’re fun. Naturally.

Perhaps you’ve heard this possibly-true story before? British statesman and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, noted for his wit, at a party, talking with a socialite:

Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?
Socialite: My goodness, Mr. Churchill! Well, I suppose – we would have to discuss terms, naturally.
Churchill: Would you sleep with me for five pounds?
Socialite: Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!
Churchill: Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.

As a business owner, there’s one thing I like about this recession. Just one, I think. And that one thing is this: during “challenging times” (gotta love that phrase) people show you who they are. (And now we are just haggling about the price.) I like to take advantage of these moments of exposure. When people show me who they are, they’re doing me a favor, albeit unwittingly. Here’s a fab-u-lous opportunity to learn who I’m dealing with, and to determine how (and whether) to deal with that person again. In some cases, the phrase “it’ll be a dark day in hell” flashes like neon in front of my brain when thinking about re-engaging with a person. In others, I find a new friend or mentor.

Quiz: Does your boss/client/spouse/”friend” crush you beneath her heel when she finds herself in control? BAD SIGN!

Carefully observe…

The way very privileged people treat service personnel – the best people treat others the best, do they not? – the way employees treat their boss when raises fail to appear or life is crappy (I consider the French trend of holding the boss hostage when he lays you off to be in poor taste, for example), the rabid way Newt Gingrich behaves in the face of a popular Obama administration, and the way partners and spouses treat each other when the pressure is on… these actions and attitudes can all be taken seriously.

Me? I’m really trying to be nice… especially after I hit the “publish” button today!

Economic conditions now are enough to give even the most seasoned businessperson heartburn. Some of the events flashing before our eyes feel unprecedented, at least in our time.

But wait! Remember that, historically, every market reaches its bottom and is then followed by a new era of growth and spending. Also, note that most of our recessions don’t last terribly long – in fact, the National Bureau of Economic Research cites 10 months as the average duration of recessions since 1945.

In the meantime, every business has important choices to make about its approach to marketing. Surprisingly, treating a downturn as a business opportunity is a smart course of action for many of us.

Recently, we’ve been asked for our recommendations on this topic by several business publications (including a recent BusinessWest article). So, here in a nutshell, is our advice (normally a $999 value, but yours FREE today…)

Focus on customer relationship management to make the most of a down economy.

When times are tough, potential customers get wary. Deep down, we know companies will sell aggressively, often with little regard to our needs. (Oh, that reminds me – I need to return that clothing steamer I saw on TV for just $19.95 – don’t let me forget.) The best marketing in such times counters prospects’ and customers’ fear of being “had.” Now’s the time to build and enhance relationships.

In any economy, there are reliable ways to assure that your customer relationship management efforts – including print or interactive newsletters, public relations, online surveys and client roundtables, targeted mailings, and a heavy dose of Web outreach – yield loyal customers, eager prospects and a stellar reputation that will mean sales now and for years to come.

Learn from customers and prospects. Make sure your outreach “listens” as well as talks – hearing what your targeted customers have to say lets you effectively support them. Make sure the products and solutions you offer are relevant – if they aren’t, now is in fact the time to reinvent the wheel.

No network of viable prospects is too large. Enlarge your network of customers, prospects and influentials, establishing that you are the one source they can turn to – and always get what they need.

Solve problems. Offer prospects strategic support, addressing their challenges. Inform, advise and recommend appropriate solutions only. (‘fraid so! Don’t try to unload any old albatross product now…)

Remember the future is still bright. In a recent Fortune interview, Warren Buffett expressed his confidence in the United States’ long-term economic prospects, “The American economy is going to do fine. But it won’t do fine every year and every week and every month…. I mean, we get more productive every year, you know. It’s a positive-sum game, long term.”

Be ready. A 10-month recession – or even a longer one – will be followed by pent-up demand for products and services. Make sure you’re top-of-mind by staying in front of customers and prospects now.