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Don't Ever Change...
...who you are... but if your market is changing...change your marketing.
When the market is tough it's easy to try to apply a quick fix, like selling on price instead of the value you provide, or cutting marketing, which means cutting your future sales. But the stickier things are the more, not less, critical it is to plan. As Abe Lincoln (Happy Birthday Abe) said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Here are some points to consider as you sharpen your axe:
~Are you attributing changes in your market to the proper forces? Is a change in sales due to the economy or other factors you may have more control over, for example, the competition has elevated their game or your product hasn't kept up with the times.
~Are you doing all the things you should be doing, bad economy or not? In better times you might have gotten away with it, but now it's time to be disciplined about consistent, ongoing, effective promotion.
~ Is your prospect list still your target audience, or have they changed? If your prospect has lost 30% in gross sales, do they still fit your profile? Conversely, have new prospects joined your market due to these same changes? A company that was "too big" may now be within your target profile. Review your lead list.
~Does your vision still ring true? If you can't believe your own vision, no amount of motion will move you to it. If you can't re-commit to your vision, then you won't believe your own mission statement, your strategy will get you nowhere, your objectives won't make sense, your plans will be a waste of time and money. Start with the vision.
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