Apr 06 2009
Customer Contact – More Important Than Ever
I found this article really interesting. Think about it. You stick your head in the sand, cut marketing, travel and trade show budgets so much that you’re not top of mind with buyers any longer and voila, opportunity presents itself for your competitors! I had dinner last night with a search engine guru who said his company WILL grow and it WILL thrive in this market because times like this create opportunity for others. You just have to know how to go after it and you cannot stick your head in the sand.
Michele Nichols, CMP
Founder – Unique Venues
Nearly three quarters (72 percent) of business executives believe that increasing corporate travel while others are cutting back provides opportunities to build market share and new customer relationships, according to a survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association. The survey of 401 executives at companies with more than $50 million in sales, conducted by APCO Insight, also found that more than half of respondents (53 percent) felt reducing travel would give an advantage to competitors who maintain current travel levels. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said more client contact is necessary in a slow economy, and 59 percent strongly agree that in-person contact grows their business. The survey was conducted in February.
Michele,
I had a similar insight to the one in your blog post, “Customer Contact – More Important Than Ever” when you quoted the SEO guru, ‘my company “WILL grow and it WILL thrive in this market because times like this create opportunities for others.”
I’ve also been saying that, “yes, many locations businesses and venue operations will die during this economy, as the market share may shrink,…but we can still take a larger piece of that pie, which will make the situation a growth opportunity for us with less competition.”
There are many ways to partner and be proactive and we are actually enjoying our search up new and creative avenues. Sometimes it just a matter of turning the ostrich upside-down and shaking the sand from its eyes! Lots of great stuff is happening too. (sohosoleil.com)