It would be easy to wallow in self pity and bemoan the tough economic conditions out there - times are tough. Bankers are losing their bonuses and share prices are plummeting. We’re now officially in a recession and it probably need the Chancellor of the Exchequer to tell you that.

But life, and business, continues…and now is a great opportunity for your organisation to prove itself.

Let’s use the Real Estate sector as an example - 12 months ago they couldn’t get enough houses on their books to meet demand and when pressed they could barely say they were having to "sell" the houses they did have. Now life is a whole heap different, with the average agent supposedly selling only 2 or 3 houses a month. It’s only now that the quality agents will prosper – because they actually need to call on all the skills needed to bring together a buyer with the right house. Those that can’t will simply not survive. In tough times it’s more important than ever to have a focussed message..and then have the medium to deliver this in a clear and concise way.

We’ve broken down the key points bear in mind when preparing your recession-busting presentation:

No. 1 - Time to be seen During the good times a lot of organisations put a great deal of money into getting their organisation seen and heard. But once the downturn starts to bite these very same businesses debate every piece of expenditure and if it’s not deemed essential, it tends to get axed. What this means is that during a recession there are less people making themselves visible. Equate this to noise – during the good times there is just an awful lot of noise and you need to shout louder or shout something highly salient to get heard. But when the credit crunch squeezes that noise decreases. If you’re one of the few still making some noise, chances are it’s easier for your potential customers to hear your message.

No. 2 - It’s still cool to be different But let’s be sensible here - just because there are less people out there shouting doesn’t mean your message can be any old rubbish. If anything it needs to be sharper and more focused. Everyone is more focused during a downturn so whilst it may be easier to be heard, you’ve still got to hone just what it is you’re trying to say otherwise you’ll only get to the first phase.

No. 3 - Push the value In tough times everyone likes a bargain. This isn’t to say that it’s time to start the Christmas sales early – but now more than ever people need to understand the value you’re bringing. When constructing a presentation make sure you always have a focus on what it is that your customer is going to get out of this relationship. Part of this is knowing what it is your customers’ need…so back to basics. Listen and respond clearly.

One final question – is your current presentation up to the job? It’s fair to say we’ve got a bit of time before the current rough patch comes to an end. In our opinion, that simply means the more focussed of us have a great opportunity to blow our competition away.

Whilst a recession provides plenty of angst for organisations and us running them, it also gives us a chance to show just how good we are. Anyone can do well when the good times are here, but can you show your mettle and take the rough with the smooth?

Now’s the time to find out...