Finding the right strategies to get through these difficult times is far from easy. The most common and immediate ones are cutting costs and consolidation. However, unless you’re on the brink of disaster, both these strategies are often knee jerk reactions searching for a quick fix, lead to shrinkage, decline and maybe demise.

Understandably, but unfortunately many boards of directors solely rely on these strategies because they are being conditioned daily to go into defence mode by bad economic news, accountants who want to justify their fees and bankers anxious not to lend. Every recession creates opportunities and just going into defensive mode creates insecurity, de-motivates staff, creates an air of gloom in the company and may lead to a lack of confidence amongst suppliers. Defensive strategies ignore the opportunities that an economic downturn can provide. So whilst your competition goes defensive the smart guys go into attack mode.

Attack mode means both improving your customer service levels and looking for ways to grow your business not shrink it. An attack strategy that focuses on both cost reduction and planning to grow will lead to greater prosperity in the long run, as this recessionary period requires a long term strategy to ensure that you come out of the downturn stronger and ahead of the game.

One attack strategy could well be Franchising – a strategy which has created many of today’s successes and well-known names.

Franchising has the virtue of devolving day-to-day responsibilities, operating costs and long-term employee liabilities to the franchisee who has a vested interest in success. Franchised outlets typically increase turnover by 10% over company outlets.

Perversely, the downturn has created a pool of quality people who are either fighting to survive in companies who are in defensive mode or who are already or soon to be unemployed.

But difficult times require senior executives to be determined not to be overwhelmed or fazed by the doom and gloom – let your competitors do that!

In these economic times an attack strategy calls for rapid action. That’s why one of the UK’s leading and longest established Franchise Consultancies has set up a Franchise task Force to help companies plan, structure and execute your switch to attack mode fast.

For more on Franchise Your Business Limited and the task force contact us on info@franchiseyourbusiness.co.uk

This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph on the 27th January 2009