Communication Is The Economy

Patrick McFadden • June 24, 2013

Take a look around you. Have you noticed the new economy and new rules? Created by smaller computers and expanding communication. I’m sure you’ve noticed, because it’s left the big corporations scrambling, the confident desperate for direction and the small start-ups and businesses a shot at prevailing.

Communication (which in the end is what this digital era and media is all about) is not just a sector of the economy. Communication is the economy.  With the maturity of the internet—the connection machine— almost every organization now has the ability (and probably the responsibility) to communicate directly with the world, with customers, with supporters, with viewers, with prospects and with those impacted by their actions.

For years marketing (advertising) was about controlling the message, attention, and communication. The new economy tears down that model and most businesses aren’t prepared. You see the president of the bank isn’t used to hearing from a customer about to lose their house. A retailer in Texas isn’t used to hearing from a potential customer in New York. An artist is used to being entertained by A&R guys, not by maintaining a permission list of 50,000 fans and  25,000 Facebook friends.

This direct communication is an asset or a risk, depending on how you look at it. But this has always been true: “If your goal is growth, marketing is all that matters and marketing is all about communicating to (and now with) consumers.”

Communication is the key factor in determining:

  • whether a customer is retained,
  • whether the customer spends more time with you, and
  • whether you outsell the competition.

The new economy is about communication, deep and wide. The internet has provided every brand or company with the ability to communicate, making that part of the equation (for marketing your business) easier to solve. The question is: “Will you or your company join in?” Because every time the deck is reshuffled, the early players profit.

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1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.

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