2009 Marketing Tips

We are proud to be participating in the ‘Growing Against the Grain’ campaign sponsored by Business Edge. With every edition, we are submitting a tip for ‘Generating Upside Revenue in 2009’.

Tip 1: Product Upside

Step back and take a long look at ways to improve your product lines. That's precisely what Dyson did when they designed the DC24 vacuum cleaner, which was several pounds lighter, $100 less expensive to produce and much easier to handle than its other models. As Dyson will attest, an expert, outside perspective is often the key to stimulating positive change. Can you find similar upside in your product lines?

Tip 2: Price Upside

Can you find a way to ‘micro-size’ your prices? As per example, it takes 8 - 10 days to build a business or marketing plan for a mid-size business. A micro or small business cannot afford this outlay at one time but still needs a good strategy and plan. By ‘micro-sizing’ consulting services over the year with monthly strategy and coaching sessions, the price drops to 4 - 5 days time. Clients not only get a practical plan but coaching on the execution to make sure they get planned results. That’s double the value for the price they pay! Can you find similar price upside in your offerings?

Tip 3: Place (Distribution) Upside

To more effectively reach new customers, have you explored the plethora of distribution channels available to businesses today? From agent to Ebay, the sky’s the limit! Channel mapping helps to insure minimal channel ‘cannibalization’. Call for more ideas on opening channels to build revenue upside in 2009.

Tip 4: Promotion Upside

Creating promotion upside is about balancing sales force initiatives with demand creation activities like advertising to secure revenues. Do you need to increase sales activity and all other promotions activity to adjust the balance to be more effective at revenue generation in 2009?

Tip 5: Marketing Mechanism Upside

Does your business have a marketing mechanism that works as a foolproof revenue engine 24/7? When the marketing mix (the best of the 4 P’s) is transformed into a marketing mechanism, it becomes a revenue engine that consistently and repeatedly brings in more sales revenues. Rev up your revenue engine in 2009!

Tip 6: Research Upside

From $100k a year to $1 million a year in revenues – that’s how one of my clients used research to create steadily increasing revenue. Research can assist you mitigate the risk of developing a new market or introducing a new product or service. First – get the facts & then go for the results!

Business Edge developed this campaign to assist businesses find opportunities given current market conditions. If you would like to become part of this exciting program, call Rob Driscoll at Business Edge – 403 219 3343, ext 25 or e-mail ads@businessedge.ca.