Fill 'er Up

How well does your automobile run without gas? OK, it doesn't - - duh! So, let's say your car doesn't have any gas but you still expect it to provide your transportation needs even though you don't plan to add any gas to it. Hmmm. Crazy, huh?

Well, many businesses do the same thing. When revenue drops, guess what gets cut? You got it - marketing and sales. But wait - - are those not the two very areas that will generate revenue for the business? Then, let's only cut back on marketing. Uh, oh. You just cut off the fuel that is supplying your sales engine. Can you already hear the sputtering noise of a struggling sales team?

"Even worse, marketing and communications are often cut more than other areas. Our work is sometimes perceived as being expendable, rather than recognized as a critical means of generating revenue, raising awareness, etc." - Nancy Schwartz & Company

It's a tough business decision when things are not going according to plan, but to slam the door on your marketing efforts, initiatives and proactive efforts doesn't help. Think back to the dot com days when in 2001, the dot com bust all but killed advertising, trade shows, etc. The smart companies took advantage of this and invested in their marketing. They didn't run and bury their heads in the sand. Vonage is struggling with this very aspect and it seems 'doing anything' to recognize profitability. It will be more than interesting to see how (or if) they recover.

This isn't to suggest you ignore poor business performance and allow the bleeding to continue. Great company leaders understand there are plenty of overhead areas that can be reduced before shutting off their sales fuel. And, making the right adjustments to your sales and marketing efforts during these times will eventually pay off for you. Otherwise, you're going to be expecting the improbable and likely the impossible.

Fuel-up and go get those deals!