October 29, 2008
Bad Times Don't Mean Cutting Back
"In good times, people want to advertise; in bad times, they have to."
~~Bruce Barton
I talk to lots of business people many of them run websites and many of them run bricks and mortar based businesses with websites. I have to say I've recently heard some scary things being talked about..
A few people are cutting their sales staff, others are trimming their advertising budgets and yet others are looking at reducing the cost of their products.
Bad ideas!
How can you maintain your turnover with less people?
How can you maintain sales volume if you invest less on advertiding that works?
How can you build your business when you reduce the quality of your products?
It's not about cutting back – it's about becoming more efficient.
Comments on Bad Times Don't Mean Cutting Back »
Bang on the money, John. I've written about this a few times myself.
For some reason, it's always the sales, PR and marketing teams that get cut first. Yet these are the very guys that can get you out of your hole.
Here's an idea – why not fire the accountant or director that led you down this slippery slope, if you have to let anyone go? Getting rid of the creatives is just a lazy cop-out, in my opinion.
Great post.
On point! Where I work there are always those that have fresh ideas and better ways of executing efficiently, but it always comes down to heads and numbers instead of getting the right people in the room to make the necessary changes. Unfortunately, when they lay down the ax they seem to often cut out the wrong people. I agree with Danny Brown's comment……fire the "yahoos" that are not making a difference to the bottom line, who continue to make poor decisions and don't have the ideas to propel the company forward in a positive way.
I'm all for firing the bean counters, blamers and whiners Danny.
Beverly, When downsizing or restructuring, it seems that many people think it's fair to keep people because of their length of service rather than the folks who can take the business forward.
I'm thankful that I run my own business and I don't have to follow the rules.
John,
I totally agree. I've said some similar things on my blog.
Indeed, when business is slow, when fewer clients are knocking at your door, why not up your marketing/advertising efforts? Getting a marketing and advertising plan in place is critical to be efficient. And if money's tight, consider all the free ways to spread your biz's message–social media platforms like blogs, twitter, Facebook for business, LinkedIn, affiliation/membership boards, etc. all build credibility and increase your visibility to potential customers.
With this "gift" of time on our hands, I can't think of a better moment to focus on attracting the clients/business/income we want!
All the best,
Lara Galloway
http://www.mombizcoach.com
http://www.laraencasa.wordpress.com blog