The Budget Issue

How many times have you heard 'our marketing budgets are getting cut coz they are easiest to cut'!

B2B sellers who sell into marketing functions ( advertising agencies for example) talk about how their clients are unable to find money for their services and hence the shorter revenue inflow.

Here's my question to them:

Have you gone to your clients offering a 'Revenue Driver' or a 'Revenue Multiplier'  - not just another item to spend to 'Build their brand........"!

Let me explain. If you are able to offer something that drives their revenue up directly or multiplies their revenue ,as DIRECTLY as possible, will your B2B client be able to snub it off ,citing budget cuts?

If your offering is truly a Revenue Driver or Multiplier , businesses will find money to fund your offers. Budget cut will not be your showstopper.

On the other hand, all you are offering is helping build a brand , your clients do not have the visibility,patience,spend for the future . Especially in today's times.

How directly relevant can you make your offering to your client's revenue?

Where the mind is without fear

Hope you have read the poem by nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with this title.

If you haven't, you can find it here .

This post is not about the great poem/author.

It is about where such a mind is required - in 'Marketing'.

A fearless mind is required to

- To question conventional wisdom /products/services/offerings/pricing/channels....

- To question the customers' conventional thinking if your alternative thinking can help them

- To question every marketing technique known, to see if it will work in the ever changing business world

- To question oneself to get better all the time


"....Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action..."

Timeless words indeed!

Confusing Activities with Results

Across teams,individuals and organizations, people seem to think activities are sufficient to get hired/appreciated and paid. While there is no doubt on one needing the other, one needs to realize that activities are not sufficient.

To ensure that one is spending time/money/resources on the right activites , the right way, 'Results' alone can be the performance criteria.

The principle applies equally well to an employee, a vendor, a partner and for most of the business relationships.

Activities might keep you busy, but not for long if they do not produce the right Results!