Leads??? The problem causing down sales now is poor leads? I don’t think so. I mean, nothing’s happened to cause the leads to get any poorer than anyone else’s over the last few years in most companies. The problem causing down sales is that we’re in a recession! Everyone’s sales are down!
So stop whining about your sales being down and start focusing on what you can productively do now. And there’s plenty. Now, since you aren’t screaming busy building production and channel capability, you can focus on how you’ll emerge stronger than your competitors when things eventually turn around. You can focus on what we call Value Specification – that is, product/market strategy, product development strategy, and programs that implement both, all timed to get you out of the gate in a year or two when things are better. These things don’t take a lot of money, but they do take management time and focus. If you need to get new market entry programs in place for then, then start now. If you need to start new product development activities to be strong then, now’s the time. If you need to acquire new or different professional talent to be competitive then, there’s no better time than now.
If this recession doesn’t kill you, you will have to compete with all the other survivors in a year or two. Wouldn’t you rather be prepared, fit and strong for the contest? It’s no use complaining that you’re too busy just surviving now — it’s management’s job to focus on the most productive activities for the long term health of the organization. As Jack Welsh once said: “Anyone can manage short; anyone can manage long; it’s doing both simultaneously that’s hard.”
Ralph
