I walked into a business networking gathering recently where there was a storm of concerns brewing amongst many attending who now realize the new economy will require them to be retrained on how to do business.  I was not really surprised since many businesses are finding the old “Throw an Ad in the Yellow Pages and Prepare for the Door to be Busted Down with Customers” method of doing business was buried when the trust in business owners/executive died a little over a year ago.

So, what does a business stuck in the old rut do and how do they go about redirecting resources to more effective ways of doing business?  There are many things business owners and even C Suite loungers should do to improve their chances of competing in the new economy that is starting.

In most cases retraining is a literally what many businesses have to do.  Their entire company will need to take classes in re learning, or in most cases learn, the fundamentals needed to do business in a much faster paced business environment.  This does not mean they grab the first person they find who wears tee shirts and knows where Silicon Valley is to build a new online image and do a few Tweets for the business.  It means many businesses need to retreat to remote locations away for the office to retool and learn the details of what exactly doing business in the reformed economy will require.

In many of the businesses I am reviewing I am finding they need to be retrained to understand how to socialize or deal with Real People.  Most need to learn how to be a Real Person and drop the fears they have of being taken advantaged of if they show their face.

Most of this type of training businesses today need was common in the corporations in the late 80’s early 90’s which involve learning interpersonal skills thru profiling tests that identify strengths and weaknesses of individuals of an organizations.

This basic, but very detailed, knowledge of how to deal with other people effectively is what I feel is needed in most of the businesses that have started recently.  However, many new businesses need to look for experience and venues offering advise based on things that have been tried over a long period of time.   Running into a Social Media seminar to catch up on the philosophies of doing business today is not going to get the business set on the New faster tracks of doing business in the new economy.

Many of the businesses in the golf industry need to relook at where they stand in the economy and move quickly to retraining to learn a more balanced way of doing business in the online and offline arenas.  Too many golf businesses fell just placing a web-site or just a Facebook Fan Page is all they need to do online to draw in customers.  Unfortunately, this basic action many golf businesses take is an example of why they need to be retrained completely in their thinking of how to do business in the new forming golf economy.

I will be bringing forward services and programs I have found that offer the balance businesses need relearn how to make in order to deal with the change to the new economy. 

What are your thoughts on what is needed in the business arena today to compete in the new economy?