Has your marketing activity become paralyzed this past year? It’s as if many companies are frozen in place, space, and time. In other words, they just aren’t doing much with their marketing programs. But, if you stand still during these recessionary times your competition will be miles ahead of you during the next boom. Here are a few suggestions to help you take advantage of today’s business climate:
Tip No. 1: The stage is yours. Grab it and take it. Listen… No matter how tough times are, there still is plenty of business out there. So, get out there, and fight for your market share.
Tip No. 2: Get rid of the negatives. And that includes negative people in your life. If you’re pessimistic, it certainly will spread. But, a positive attitude also will become viral. Negatives hold you back, undermine your marketing efforts, and make you go through “what ifs” so that you become paralyzed. Positives help you to move forward.
Tip No. 3: Ignore your competition. That’s right, I said ignore your competition. Your competition is trying to figure things out just like you are. Your competition mostly likely is watching you to see what you are doing. So, if everyone is paralyzed; then everyone will be imitating each other and we definitely will have a stagnant economy. Stand out from the crowd and dance your own steps.
Tip No. 4: Spruce up your image. Make your company look like a million bucks. Get an extreme makeover. Most people today don’t really care about their image. They all seem to think the casual look is okay. But, your customers, even though they might not say it, will work with you more if you have a positive, upbeat, and professional image. This is important whether you are marketing B to B or B to C.
Tip No. 5: Add the word “value-added” to your vocabulary. Start thinking about how your products add value to your customers. This will help you to retain your pricing structure rather than having to cut your prices. You must protect your profit margins. Think about guarantees, special services, or other items of importance that only your company offers to its customers.
Tip No. 6: Go after leads. Don’t panic when sales drops. The problem is you don’t have enough customers. So, don’t cut back on your marketing efforts. You need to generate quality leads for your sales force to close the deal. If you get leads, you’ll get customers, and if you have customers, you’ll have sales.
Tip No. 7: Create your own target market. Niche marketing is all the rage. But, don’t just carve out a piece of an existing market. Create your own. You will become the leader of your newly created market.
Tip No. 8: Never lose sight of the end goal. Keep the pressure on. Don’t give up. Don’t panic. The solution is consistent marketing. Don’t stop marketing for a few months and then do something in spurts. Stay on track with your marketing plan and keep the campaigns going…and going…and going. In other words, be the Energizer Bunny of the bunch.
Tip No. 9: Fear can be the biggest inhibitor but it can also be the biggest motivator, too. Your executive management should have a “Yes we can” attitude rather than a “I think we can” or an “I’m afraid we won’t” attitude. Use your fear of the future to motivate your team to use their creativity to come up with new products, new solutions, or new markets.
No one wants to make a mistake, especially a million dollar mistake so the solution for many companies is analysis paralysis. Don’t let your company fall into that trap. Take a few of these suggestions and get your company back on track.
