A Different Kind of Economic Stimulus

What if there was an even larger economic stimulus than the one that was passed earlier this year, and it didn’t come from government but instead came from corporations themselves?  It’s hard to imagine, but this economic stimulus package would benefit consumers, employees, and the company’s bottom line all at once without costing taxpayers a single dime.  Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?  It’s not impossible and there is likely more than one way to accomplish something like this, but putting a plan into action is the hardest part.  All people would have to do is get the ball rolling.

Think of the thousands of people out there with specific problems like a broken down car, a house repair issue, or who may be in need of some tutoring.  Any problem that can be fixed could be considered.  Now think of a company that could remedy said problem.  Maybe it’s Honda, who could fix a worn-out clutch in a Honda owner’s car.  Now imagine if these companies provided a nationwide, pre-scheduled, mobile repair service to encourage people to spend money to fix the problems that irritate them the most or that are stopping them from moving further toward their goals.  For example, Honda would send out 500 trained mechanics and charge people a discounted rate on parts and labor to have their Honda’s fixed at their home or at a specified location.  This would generate billions in business while helping to maintain Honda’s fleet of cars and most importantly their reputation as an industry service leader.  And it doesn’t have to be Honda, it could be any company.

These companies could provide work for hundreds of thousands of people while their employee base mobilizes and takes care of problems from state to state, city to city.  To be successful, companies would need to re-price their services and products for larger scale markets, but I don’t think it would be too tough to make this a profitable venture, as long as consumers knew about it and realized that they could get a really good deal on work they would need to have done anyway.  It’s a pretty strange, creative idea that would take a lot of work to get off the ground, but then again, the US is still trying to claw its way out of this recession and any idea is better than none at all.

This method of economic stimulus would generate some real liquidity in the credit markets by creating millions of new credit transactions and the need for smaller, shorter-term loans of work and products at reduced rates.  Think of the millions of secondary markets that could be created both in the goods and services sector as well as the employment sector.  In a few years the US could have a very happy consumer base willing to spend money and get some really great bargains out of it.  The US could also be one step closer to a lower unemployment rate and money would be flowing much more freely.  Coupled with other economic stimuli, this plan could go a long way in ensuring that the companies and individuals who participated in it would get some really great business benefits wherever they chose to send their mobile teams of technicians or employees.