Most of us have figured out that it’s smart to have a least a few gallons of gas in the tank at all times. And it’s not very bright to see how far we can go before running out of gas. A couple of “come and get me” calls is usually all it takes before we get the message to head for the gas station before disaster strikes.

Nevertheless, far too many businesses somehow missed this memo. Every day they are running out of gas and don’t know how to find their way to the nearest pump.

Now, if this … Read the rest

Have you noticed how quickly so-called “business leaders” can turn into wimps? They strut their stuff when the economy is booming, making it clear their success is of their own making. But when things turn sour, they run for cover, blaming company failures on circumstances beyond their control. Out of desperation, they lay off workers, cut benefits, slash budgets — including marketing.

Not every company capitulates in the face of an economic storm. Take these, for example. Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, Proctor & Gamble and Apple all have one thing in common: they are all excellent, unrelenting marketers — and they lead … Read the rest

How fast things change these days! It seems like just yesterday Starbucks was pouring it on opening new stores. Then before you could down that luscious latte, they’re closing them. Up until a few minutes ago, Boomers were getting ready to retire. Now they’re trying to hang on to their jobs as their retirement savings evaporate. Last year, we worried about our competitors, now we’re concerned about our own company.

All this is enough to make us wonder what the immediate future holds. Some businesses are worried about getting through the storm, while others are considering new possibilities.

The year … Read the rest

Even though the economy is in serious trouble, nothing has changed. You still need to make sales. Whatever your industry and whatever else is happening, one task remains — closing sales.

Here’s the problem: even though you may know your products and have the right selling skills, it may not be enough to get you where you want to be in 2009. If your job is demanding in good times, what do you think it will be like in the year ahead? So, here’s the question: what do you need to add that can help you meet your numbers?

That’s … Read the rest

Good economic times make it easy to sell. It isn’t just that the money is flowing freely. That’s part of it, of course. Mostly, however, it’s the buyers’ upbeat, positive, “we’re invincible” attitude that gets the orders. In a word, they are ready to buy! But that was then. What about now? The clouds are dark. Customers are going inside and closing the drapes. They’re hunkering down, and are anything but interested in seeing salespeople.

Because of all this, it’s easy to fall victim to the prevailing mood and decide we should “do something” to generate more business.

It’s then … Read the rest

Without exception, every salesperson is a marketer, although oftentimes a frustrated one. To prove the point, recall what salespeople are always talking about. They never stop trying to figure out a way to grab the customer’s attention, find the customer’s pain or push a customer’s hot button. But that’s not sales — it’s marketing.

When salespeople speak this way, they think they’re just trying to figure out how to get the order. In reality, they’re actually attempting to get inside the customer’s head. They know if they can do that, they will get the customer to say “yes.”

No matter … Read the rest

Marketing costs money — but it’s also efficient and effective. In spite of those who claim “marketing costs too much,” let me offer some reasons why just the opposite is true.

Marketing bulletproofs a business against competitive attack. Unfortunately though, most companies don’t give marketing serious attention until something goes wrong. It may be the activity of an aggressive competitor, falling sales or some internal crisis. When that happens, everyone expects marketing to kick in instantly and solve the problem.

Companies — all companies — are vulnerable to competitive attack when they fail to create a legacy of marketplace credibility. … Read the rest

Companies today face the same daunting problem that confounds so many job seekers — it’s the high hurdle of transferable experience.

Whether it’s an individual attempting to get a job or a company trying to break into a new market, both are faced with the identical difficulty of having someone recognize the value of their knowledge and experience — even though these qualities may not be directly related to a new field or industry.

Even when applicants offer skills, a proven track record and experience that are an ideal match for a particular position, they’re passed over. Why? The individual … Read the rest