Archive for the ‘Strategic Planning’ Category

As a marketing novice 35 years ago, I learned about the “seven great motivators” — the seven emotions that are most effective at moving people to action.

Number one on the list is greed. Number two is fear. In today’s marketplace, I am certain that fear has now moved to the number one position. Although greed is what brought the current economic tsunami to our shores, it is fear that keeps waves of destruction washing over the entire global marketplace.

In his radio address after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke these memorable words: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” They are wise words and it would be wise for those of us in business to remember them.

When business owners allow fear to drive their decisions, they create Read more »

This is the fifth recession that has occurred during my marketing career. In every decade, at some point in time, I have been advertising and marketing during a recession. The reality is that recessions come and go.

The way to deal with them is to look for the opportunities, and then change strategies to capture market share in a new way. The case studies of the strategies I used for each decade may give you ideas of what you can do now. You can read the details, or jump to the end of my muse and get the short list. But either way, use this list to guide you through decisions you’re making now.

I’m assuming the recessions of the 1990s and the aftermath of 9/11 in 2001 are still fresh in most people’s minds. But I’ll give you some background on the events that caused the recessions of the ’70s and ’80s to explain how we profited during down times. Read more »

Do you have your 2009 marketing plan ready?

Have you evaluated the strategies that will be best for you next year?

Do you have systems and budgets in place to support your plan?

Do you know where and when you are spending your advertising dollars?

Developing a marketing plan is one of the most important functions in business management and leadership. Yet it is often one of the most overlooked. Or, even worse, it is developed then changed or forgotten as day-to-day decisions get management’s attention.

One of the easiest ways to develop your marketing plan is to approach it the same way you approach preparing to take a trip. Here’s how. Read more »

Depending on your perspective, the world is experiencing an economic downturn, a slump, or a slowdown. No one is using the “R” word yet. But the reality is that the sooner you start thinking about your business from a recession perspective, the sooner you will be in a better position to keep your business healthy.

As Frank Luntz points out in his best selling book Words That Work, “It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.” When it comes to consumer spending, people are hearing something much more serious than economic downturn. Companies of all sizes, in all markets, and all countries are seeing sales drop in double digits.

Two questions you should ask yourself are:

1. How do you continue to sell your goods and services when people stop spending?
2. How should you change your strategies to stay as financially viable as possible during a bad economy?

Here are the answers that will help you formulate strategies for smart advertising, management, and development during bad economic times. Read more »