DEFYING THE DOWN TURN | F@$& CUTTING BACK, TIME TO STEP IT UP

Any number of things can cause the phone to stop ringing, bad press, new competition, your local economy, or a national recession like we are facing today. No matter the cause, we have found the reaction is the same. 

Some companies view marketing and sales as an extra curricular activity. When sales slow down, and in turn available cash slows down, some conclude that the budget for marketing and sales must be reduce to compensate. 

Other companies see the pipeline in reverse. Viewing current sales as the fund supplying faucet to the marketing pool. Instead, they see marketing and sales as the source of new sales. These companies see down turned sales as the green light to step up volume generating efforts. 

From our experience, those that view marketing and sales as a source of volume, and not simply an expendable line item, self fulfill their own prophesy. But the first set have some real concerns as well, "We can't spend money we don't have." 

When faced with restrained resources, it forces companies to market smarter, not market less. More bad marketing is born is times of surplus than any other time. Its important to remember that marketing is measured by its impact, not its price tag. Stepping up your efforts could include spending less on it.

So when your company is faced with reduced sales, resist the urge to cut your marketing and sales efforts. Instead, get motivated, get creative, and go out there and change the tides.

Stay tuned as we continue to discuss the opportunities in front of all of us, and more importantly how to market smart, and maximize every dollar you spend.