Issue 9
December 2008

Brrr!  We got hit with the worst ice storm ever to hit New England that left 1.2 million homes without power.  As you can see from the pictures, it was simultaneously beautful and horrible!  We were without power from Thursday night until Sunday morning (you can read more about it on my blog at curtisbingham.com).  My family thoroughly enjoyed cooking breakfast outside on our propane campstove, eating by candlelight, and snuggling up next to the fire.  We cooked meals for our next door neighbor who is in a wheelchair and couldn't get out of the house because her wheelchair lift didn't have power.  When the power came back on, my 17 year old daughter said, "It was like a luxurious campout. We had flushing toilets, enclosed shelter, good food--what more could you ask for?" My other son had enjoyed it so much he was almost disappointed when the power returned.  How come these kids weren't whining about all they were missing?  Other than the fact that they are simply great kids, the bottom line was that we were prepared.  We had winter clothing, flashlights, candles, cookstoves, fuel.  And we had a generator. 

Marketing and selling in our current recession is very much like facing the widespread power outages.  Everything changed in what seemed only an instant when the financial markets melted down. Yet, so many things are still exactly the same.  Most of your highest-value customers still need your products/services, many of their core value drivers remain the same, and their purchase process remains similar.  Although the value equation is changing there are huge opportunities to be taken advantage of, and those that truly understand your customers, will be able to take advantage of new opportunities and THRIVE! 

DON'T FORGET!
On Thursday of this week I'm hosting a webinar describing how you can not just survive, but THRIVE during the recession. You can find more information below.

Tell the "doom and gloomers" to go home! There are some huge opportunities to be had for companies in any industry, even through the recession.  Research has shown that companies that held the line or even increased their marketing during recessions achieved significant gains in revenue and market share both during and especially for two to three years following the recession.  The value equations are changing-marketers that recognize this change can adapt quickly and thrive as they: 1.) hold onto their best customers to prevent them from trading downwards to lower-cost alternatives, 2.) attract highly-profitable customers trading from their upmarket competitors, and 3.) be ultra-precise in winning their highest-potential customers using measurable methods to justify their investments.

To read the rest of the article, you can download the PDF version or view the HTML version on our website.

A Webinar hosted by Curtis Bingham and Business Expert Webinars
Date/Time:  Thursday, 12/18  11:30 am ET

Is your revenue drying up?

Are your customers delaying purchases?

Are current customers becoming more costly to serve?

Given the difficult economic times, how do you not only hold onto what you have, but actually acquire more customers-at greater profits?

Research has shown that companies that kept their wits about them during major recessions actually grew during the recession and even more rapidly for at least three years afterwards. During this highly interactive workshop, you'll learn the three most critical steps you can take now to protect your current customer base and capture more profitable customers that will stay with you long after the rebound.  You'll defy the gloom and doom predictions of everyone around you and actually grow your business through a recession.

Webinar Takeaways:
· Understand why not all customers are created equal, and how to separate the most profitable from the least
· Discover ways to protect your most profitable customers as they start making value trade-offs
· Uncover new opportunities within your customer base to grow revenue and profits
· Learn how to identify and acquire new, highly profitable prospects who are "trading down" from your upper-tier competitors

This program will provide practical, take-action-tomorrow learnings based on real-life experiences and hands-on examples drawn from Curtis' experience in consulting to large companies such as Microsoft and Intuit as well as numerous small businesses like yours.

Please visit Business Expert Webinars to register.

Do you have an upcoming corporate or association event? If you're looking for ideas on how to energize your marketing and sales using customer strategy so you can:

• Not just survive but THRIVE despite the recessionDramatically improve customer acquisitionSharply increase customer retention

• Increase customer profitability

Then speak with Curtis about keynotes and workshops for your next event.

For more information, call Curtis at 978-952-0047.