During the past year, I have written frequently on this blog about the increasingly urgent global imperative for businesses to grow. Corporate executives have cut about as far as they can in overhead and expenses. At the same time they have drastically improved productivity. The one thing left to do now is to drive growth. And that means reeling in more revenues – more efficiently and profitably.
I expanded on this critical theme in a recent commentary that was published at Forbes.com. In the piece, I made the case that even with the recent (and ongoing) turmoil in the financial markets and macro economy, there is real opportunity for organizations and business leaders that are willing and able to seize the moment.
In the article I discussed the radically altered buyer/seller dynamic, which has resulted in buyers having more power than ever before during the sales process. To compete more effectively – and win – in this substantially different business landscape, companies need to make major changes in their sales and marketing strategies and tactics.
For the Forbes piece, I also outlined some of the powerful new innovations in marketing technology, sales effectiveness, and social media monitoring that have given companies the proven tools they need to increase revenue performance and drive outsized growth.
To be sure, these are challenging economic times. In particular, faltering consumer demand and confidence have cast a pall on the US economic picture. But even with all of that irrefutably bad news, there are plenty of examples of businesses – global enterprises as well as hard charging start-ups – that are embracing creative new ideas and solutions that are catching fire in the marketplace.
What do you see as some standout examples of companies and brands that have withstood the economic downdrafts and succeeded in spite of the challenging economic climate? I welcome your comments on this important subject.
