Amidst the doom and gloom are some rays of sunshine.  Success is still blooming among the scorched economic landscape.  And I'm not referring just to bankruptcy attorneys, merchandise liquidators, and repo men.  I'm talking about local companies acting on the old cliché that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Faced with the choice of imitating Chicken Little, or adapting to the new environment, they opted for the latter, and found that they can continue to grow their business.

How do I know?  They're my clients, and our team has played a critical role in their recent success.

Those that have made the transition represent a variety of industries.  The size of their businesses range from a few employees to a few hundred.  But regardless of their differences, they share this - a willingness to learn and implement four important lessons.

1. Work smarter to find new customers.
With businesses closing, there are fewer prospects.  Do you throw up your hands in frustration?  Or do you put those hands on your keyboard and start exploring alternate markets?  It's time to look beyond your traditional sources of business and think about how what you do might apply to new markets.  Reliable data that can help you evaluate new markets is available to you at the touch of a button.  We can do the research for you and provide you with the information needed to make your next move.

2. Work smarter to craft your message.
When times are good, you can get away with mediocre messaging.  But the market demands more of you now.  Once you've identified new potential clients, you need a message that resonates to break through the noise.  Something that makes a clear and compelling case about your product or service and the unique value it provides.  That's what we do - help you identify your strengths, and develop a strategy to creatively express it with the right blend of words and images.

3. Work smarter to reach those customers.
You must be very particular about the mediums used to reach your new target audience.  A blanket approach is costly and won't provide the necessary return.  Be specific and targeted in the way you reach your clients, ensuring that the messaging meets their key needs.  One tool you can use is short-run digital printing.  It gives you the ability to personalize your marketing pieces, addressing them to an individual rather than "Dear Customer," and the flexibility to alter your messaging to tailor your appeal to customers' specific needs.  Perhaps your product is used in several industries, but each industry relies on different features.  Short-run digital printing allows you to adjust your marketing collateral as necessary, with minimal cost.

4. Work smarter to service your new customers.
Stand out from the crowd and provide something more - incentives, discounts, improved service - anything that adds value and demonstrates that you are a committed partner in their long-term success.

As I see the headlines, and hear other people talk about how their businesses are faring, I am reminded of this thought from Charles Swindoll:  "I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it."

We can't necessarily change the business and economic climate in which we find ourselves.  But we can decide whether we will panic, or take action to determine our futures.

Which will you choose?

Jill Mellady is President of Mellady Direct Marketing, a full-service mailing and marketing services firm based in Santa Clarita, CA that serves a nationwide roster of clients.