Weathering the Storm GT

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    CAPE ANN EDITION

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    Dear Reader,

    Yu might b cnusd asyu lkthrughthis sc-tin. Whywuld yurlcal nws-papr bprsnting

    advic nrunning a

    businss during ths diculttims?

    Vry simply, w ar nt just

    in th nwspapr businss.

    This nwspapr is a dirct

    rfctin ur cmmunity.

    Ppl naturally assciat

    th nwspapr with nws. But

    th advrtising cntaind in

    th nwspapr is vry much

    a part what a nwspaprdlivrs t radrs. That

    maks us partnrs with ur

    advrtisrs.

    Whn lcal businsss ar

    hurting, w hurt alng with

    thm. Whn thy prspr, w

    prspr as wll. In a sns, w

    ar putting ur mny and ur

    nwsprint whr ur muth

    is by supprting ur businsspartnrs.

    In additin t publishing

    this sctin, w ar partnr-

    ing with Sulk Univrsity

    and ur Chambr Cm-

    mrc in a Businss Sur-

    vival Brakast Sris that

    will r thr prsntatins

    n wathring this cnmicstrm. W urg businss

    ppl all kinds t attnd

    ths r sssins. (Frdtails, plas s th ad n

    Pag 9.)

    I wuld b rmiss i I did

    nt addrss n thr pint:

    Lcal nwspaprs ar vry

    much aliv, dspit what

    yu har abut th Intrnt

    bcming ur Grim Rapr.

    In act, nwspaprs ar vry

    much a part th Intrnt(s ur Wb sit i yu dubt

    this pint). And thy rmain

    vital t th cmmunitis thy

    srv.

    Hw imprtant ar nws-

    paprs t scity? Imagin

    i nwspaprs arund ur

    cuntry dcidd t tak a

    brak and did nt publish rn wk. I prdict that th

    radi annuncr wuld hav

    nthing t say, th nwscastrwuld star blankly at th

    camra and thr wuld b n

    nws t Ggl. Lcal nws-

    paprs prvid th wrld its

    nws.

    S lts start mving ur

    lcal cnmy in th right

    dirctin. Lts gt vr th

    ntin that nwspaprs ar

    dad. Lts think abut thpprtunitis that this currnt

    cnmy rs and lts larn

    nw skills tgthr as w

    invnt ur utur.

    Tgthr w will succd.

    Al GetlerPlier

    Letter from the publisher:Together we can move ahead

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    Five strategies

    for handling the recessionBusiness professor shares insights on howto thrive, even in a difficult economy

    Jsph Stasi has a clar and

    strn mssag r businssppl

    navigating th wathr th cur-rnt cnmic strm.

    Custmrs still nd yur sr-

    vics i it prvids ral valu, said

    th assciat prssr markting

    and ntrprnurship at th Girard

    Schl Businss at Mrrimack

    Cllg.

    I it dsnt, yurs will b th rstt g.

    Hs nt just spaking as a wis

    prssr; Stasi als has had

    wnrship intrst in 15 cmpanis

    vr th past 40 yars.

    Drawing n his acadmic and

    businss xprinc, th prs-

    sr prvids th llwing vstratgis t hlp businss wnrs

    imprv thir valu prpsitin

    during hard nancial tims.

    1. REOCus ON yOuRExIsTING CusTOmERs

    Whn sals bgin t sag, th usual ractin ist g atr nw businss. Stasi says, instad,

    in hard tims businsss shuld cncntratthir rts n lvraging thir xisting cus-tmr rlatinships t lk r nw businsspprtunitis.

    Vry tn, cmpanis dnt undrstandthir rlatinship with thir xisting custm-rs, Stasi said.

    Thats a mistak, h said. Bcaus i yu hava gd rlatinship with yur custmrs, alngwith a gd grasp thir nds and hw thyar using yur prduct, nw prducts and nwsrvics can aris bcaus yur rlatinshipswith yur currnt custmrs.

    H citd an xampl rm n his cmpa-

    nis, Carda Tchnlgy, Inc., a mdical st-war rm in Smrvill.

    Carda has n majr stwar prduct thathlps dctrs intrprt and manag bn dn-sity scans. By gtting t knw th nds thdctrs and hspitals wh us th prgram,Carda has bn abl t d ancillary stwar

    prjcts r ths hspitals and physicians.Dctrs hav mad trmndus suggstinst us abut nw unctinality r ur stwarwhich hlps us t xpand ur businss, Stasisaid. W can nw r things t dctrs thatw wrnt abl t br.

    Th prssr pintd t anthr xampl custmr-drivn innvatin, this n at a chain v pizza strs n th Nrth Shr.

    Stasi wnd and pratd th strs r 15yars starting in th 1970s. At sm pint, n his gd custmrs, a lbstr ishrman,brught him a lbstr s th shrman culdhav th mat n his pizza.

    It bcam a biggr sllr, said Stasi, untilit bcam t xpnsiv t cntinu.

    By Donna Green

    CoRReSPoNDeNT

    2. LOOk OROPPORTuNITIEs TOEmbRACE COmPETITION

    Whil prating th samchain pizza placs, Stasirmd a buying cprativwith thr pizza rstaurants.Th rsulting bulk-purchasing

    ability gt all thm a signii-cant discunt n mushrmsand chs.

    At n pint, h said, thy vnhad a small warhus.

    Th ct n th bttm linwas prtty dramatic, h said.

    Plus, h ntd, such cpratinbtwn cmpanis with similar

    purchasing nds can b vrypractical and it pays immdiatdividnds.

    That littl pizza pratin hasgivn ris t anthr salint busi-nss illustratin: th art crssprmtin.

    Th pizza chain printd upprmtinal cupns that wr

    handd ut at nighbrhd liqurstrs. Whn smn bughtbr, th liqur str put a pizzacupn int thir bag. Th cupnscst vry littl, th liqur str wasgiving thir custmrs addd valuat n cst t thir wn businss,and th pizza chain was rachingptntial custmrs.

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    3. TARGET yOuR ADvERTIsINGBusinsss shuld cntinu t pursu nw

    custmrs in challnging tims, Stasi said,but in a limitd and highly targtd way.

    Bcaus rsurcs ar s limitd in thiscnmy, small businsss hav t b smartabut spnding ths dllars, h said. Whatar yu trying t accmplish? evry dllar

    must hav an bjctiv.Cupns, Stasi blivs, ar a vry gd

    way r small cmpanis t stimulat businssin shrt, targtd spurts and s th rsults thir invstmnt.

    Plus, cupns prvid a masurabl rturnr th prmtinal dllar.

    Stasi blivs its imprtant t dtrmina rasnabl xpctd rturn n advrtisingdllars.

    Gt away rm gd will and just gttingyur nam ut, h advisd. What will cratth bst rturn r th ad dllar? Th mr

    a businss pays attntin t that paradigm,th bttr thy can masur th rturn n thatmny and l bttr abut spnding it.

    Advrtising and prmtins that gt pplt act n th inrmatin, h said, prvid thbst advrtising dllar valu.

    Prviding incntivs t buy mr r nwthings, r gt invlvd in thir businss in

    ways that will gnrat additinal rvnu,ar xampls, h said.

    Advrtising als nds t addrss thimmdiat cncrns th custmr. Whndctrs suddnly rcivd 50 prcnt lssr a bn scan rprt, Carda Tchnl-gis bgan strssing th mny-saving bn-its thir stwar, rathr than just itsunctinality.

    Bcaus th ar and thrat in th nvi-rnmnt, w changd ur mssag and addd awhl nw sctin t ur Wb sit that cusdn RoI, Stasi said.

    4. TIGhTEN uP, buT DONT bEPENNy wIsE AND POuND OOLIsh

    In hard tims, what usd t sm lik a rasnabl invstmntsuddnly bgins t lk lik an unncssary xpnditur. Rsistth tmptatin t cut back n things that will hav lng-trmcnsquncs.

    Many smallr rganizatins, in an attmpt t tightn thirblt, bgin t rduc crtain xpnditurs, th prssr said.Thy might rduc bnuss and mply r custmr rwardprgrams. Thy bgin t cut back n advrtising and prm-

    tinal rts.Its tru, such actins can sav dllars in th shrt trm h said,but nt withut cautin.

    In th lng-run, thy ar sacricing markt grwth and rga-nizatinal cntinuity r th sak a w dllars, h said.

    In my pizza shps I wuld nvr vr discunt thprduct, Stasi said.

    I gav away r sda, T-shirts, spcial prmtins,h addd. on yur birthday, i yu culd prv it, yu gt

    a small chs pizza. I didnt want t dvalu my pizza.But I was abl t prmt vry wll nvrthlss.

    Br discunting yur cr prduct r srvic, rfct

    n hw th custmr will prciv this. Ar yu dspr-at? Wr yu guging br? Is yur prduct smhwlwr in quality?

    Its all abut valu, Stasi said. Th mr a small

    businss thinks abut th valu it prvids in th mar-ktplac, th mr pprtunitis it has t dlivr innva-tiv slutins.

    Dear Professor bruce: Im a small-

    businss wnr and am ndingit dicult t gt a bank lan. Ivhard smthing calld actr-ing. What is it and whn is it timt cnsidr altrnativs t tradi-tinal bank lans?

    Answer: As th crdit crisisspurs traditinal lndrs ttightn crdit standards andrais s, mr small-businsswnrs and ntrprnurs arsking thr ways t start abusinss r kp it ging.

    Small grwth-rintd busi-

    nsss and stablishd mid-sizd cmpanis tn rquir

    additinal wrking capital whnmny is tid up in accuntsrcivabl. Manwhil, btainingunding rm banks and thr

    traditinal rsurcs mans alng and arduus prcss.

    Furthrmr, hw many timshav businss wnrs hard thatth chcks in th mail?

    evn whn daling with hus-hld crprat nams, dlaydpaymnts ar surprisingly cm-mn as had cs dcid cn-tractrs r vndrs can waitanthr 30, 60, r vn 90 days.

    It turns ut cmpanis thatprvid intrim inancing tths struggling small-businss

    wnrs by purchasing thir crd-itwrthy, utstanding invics

    minus a cmpris athriving, i littl-knwn, glbalindustry.

    Its calld actring and its

    wrth an stimatd $1 trillin ayar wrldwid, with $100 bil-lin that in th Unitd Statsand abut $4 billin in Canada,accrding t Factrs Chain Intr-natinal, a glbal ntwrk lading actring cmpanis.

    Accrding t Brian Birnbaum,n th undrs LiquidCapital, actring is th pur-chas crprat accuntsrcivabl. It s gnrallyusd whn a cmpany is in itsinancy r xprincs a grwth

    spurt and givs that cmpanyaccss t capital thrugh nn-

    traditinal mans.A actr purchass a busi-

    nsss accunts rcivabl andgivs thm a larg prcnt-

    ag th ttal crditwrthyaccunts rcivabl up rnt. Thrmaindr cms whn thy arcllctd.

    Th actr handls all thcrdit chcks, cllcts thaccunts rcivabl and ldgrsth rcivabl s th clint isabl t cncntrat n grwingth businss.

    Factring dirs rm tradi-tinal bank lans bcaus thcrdit dcisin is strictly basdn rcivabls, rathr than

    thr critria, r instanc, hwlng th cmpany has bn in

    businss, wrking capital andprsnal crdit scr.

    Factring dirs rm quityinancing in that actrs dnt

    tak quity in th cmpany. Sinccntracts ar shrt-trm, th cli-nt culd lct t stp actringwhnvr h r sh chss.

    Th industry, nts Birnbaum,is st t grw again in light currnt instability in U.S. mar-kts rlatd t crdit lndingpractics amng majr lndrs,such as banks. Factring dswll whn banks tightn thirlnding and ppl cant indmny anywhr ls.

    Bruce Freeman is president o

    ProLine Communications, a mar-keting and public relations frm.

    By Bruce Freeman

    SCRIPPS HoWARD NeWS

    Factoring can help businesses with cash flow when loans are tight

    5. DONT bE quICk TO DIsCOuNT yOuR CORE vALuE

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    Suffolk University Sawyer Business School

    Visit www.suffolk.edu/business for more information about all our business programs.

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    Weathering the StormBusiness Survival Breakfast Series

    Presented by the Institute for Executive Education and MBA Programs in North Andover

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    Its been along time com-ing, but changeis gonna come,

    oh yes it will. Written

    and perormedby Sam Cooke,1963

    Chang is nt in th air. Ithas hit th grund running, rshuld I say running rampant.

    Braking nws: Hav yuhard? Th cnmy is dwn.

    It hasnt bn this way, this badr this lw r 50 yars. Cmpanisar crumbling, and ruls ar bingabandnd. Th gvrnmnt is inscrambl md as nvr br.

    But thats thm.What abut yu and yurs?Whats happning t yu? A

    chang in businss vlum? Di-cult cash fw? Crdit rstric-tins? Chang in jb status? Wrknvirnmnt? Wrk rquir-mnts? Custmrs hurting?

    Yiks.Its nt chang its drastic

    chang.

    Hw ar yu racting tth vnts? Mst ppl arxprincing a cmbinatin rluctanc and rsistanc. Acmbinatin scard and wr-rid. Yu ar nt aln, but itdsnt man yu hav t jin thafictd r th paralyzd.

    Fllwing is part why yur

    having trubl adapting t chang-ing cnmic climats, llwdby what yu can d abut it.

    REAsONs yOu REsIsT ChANGE1. your inabilit to ace the realit

    that its actually happning tyu. Th nws is always abutsmn lss drama. Thatswhy yu watch it.

    2. your natural deensive posture.Its nt my ault! Smn lsdid it.

    3. your natural resistance t whatsnw. Its always wrkd br,and I likd it that way.

    4. your procrastination and inabil-ity t ac rality. I s it cm-ing, but it may just g away, Illchang latr.

    5. your previous comfort and prs-nt cmrt. I hav a listyl,and I dnt want it intrruptd!

    6. your unwillingness t abidby th nw ruls and th nwstandards. Rsistanc t sl-imprvmnt. Rsistanc t bmasurd by rsults. Rsistanct bing masurd against th-rs. This is spcially tru iyur a lngtim mply.

    6.5 you think: It cant happnhr. Uh, Sparky, it alrady has.

    And its nt ging away any timsn.D smthing!

    whAT yOu CAN DO

    Is thr a slutin? Ar thranswrs?

    Ys, thr ar.Crat mr sl-tim and

    lss TV tim. Th nws is ntgrat spcially ppl givingthir pinin abut what is hap-pning. Watch lss it. Nw isth tim r actin, nt pinin.

    Study attitud r 15 minuts

    vry mrning. Giv yursltim t rad, think and plan.

    Rlax mntally. Brath.Gt up arlir, stay up latr.

    Nw is nt th tim r balanc.Nw is th tim r mny.

    D yur bst vry day atwrk. Yu nvr hav t prvyur wrth i yur ding yurbst.

    Avid attnding th pity par-tis. Thr ar plnty thm.

    Dnt participat in thrumr mill; wait r th acts tmrg.

    Dnt participat in thgrumbling. Just gt t wrk andsll smthing.

    Mak a prjctd cash fw.Cut nw s yu dnt run ut mny in th nar utur.

    Sll mr. N cmpany vrcut thir way t succss.

    Guard yur custmrs. Yurcmptitin is gunning r thm.

    Srv yur custmrs bttrthan vr. earn thir lyalty with

    valu.Hlp yur custmrs withthir issus. Thir situatin iswhats causing yur alling salsnumbrs.

    Giv smthing valu tyur custmrs. Thy will thankyu and rspct yu.

    Slct yur tp custmrs and

    invst in thm. Thy will thank yuand rward yu with thir lyalty.

    sEIZE ThE OPPORTuNITyFr yars I hav dnd chang

    as pprtunity. That dnitin is

    still accurat.This is nt a tim t gt vr

    it. This is a tim t gt n with itand tak advantag it.

    Br yu try t mak anthrsal, br yu call n th nxtcustmr, lk at th ral wrlds yu can cm up with ralidas and ral answrs.

    Lt m b mr spcic. I wantyu t lk at and din yurral wrld, and thir ral wrld.Br yu visit any custmr,yu hav t knw what th ttalsituatin is. In ths tims, sllthm may b last n th list.

    Dnt mak th atal mistak just dning yur situatin. Yuals hav t dn th custmrssituatin, th markt situatin,and yur cmpanys situatin.

    Writ dwn th situatin.And thn start lking r

    pprtunitis.What ar th pprtunitis r

    th custmr, r yur cmpany,and r yu? Is thr an pprtu-

    nity r yu t captur a highrprcntag th custmrs busi-nss? Is thr a markt pprtu-nity that custmrs ar missingbcaus thy ar mr cusd nthir ws and thir cmptitin,rathr than thir strngths?

    onc yuv idntid all thpprtunitis and yur clar n

    thir situatin, thn and nly thncan yu bgin t writ what yuintnd t d yur bjctivs.

    Yu may hav svral bjc-tivs. Whatvr th bjctivs ar,thy must b clarly statd and

    dnd in writing. D nt cnusbjctivs with gals. Writ dwnwhat yu intnd t d t hlp thcustmr, d mr businss withth custmr, gain mr rrralsrm th custmr, and mak thrlatinship with th custmr anancially rwarding n.

    Nw, Im ging t challngyu n a mastry pint. oncyu hav this gam plan writtndwn: situatin, pprtunitis,bjctivs, and intntins, I chal-lng yu t shar ths thughtswith yur custmrs s that thycan bcm awar hw sri-us, hw prssinal, and hwcrtain yu ar abut grwingth rlatinship, hlping thm,and building yur businss.

    Yur list idas and answrswill nt nly st yu apart rmyur cmptitrs, wh at thismmnt ar mrly trying tsll and cllct, but thy willals build yur rlatinship inth mr dicult tims.

    Thn, whn tims gt bttr and thy always d, yu willhav arnd th businss and thlyalty that yu dsrv.

    Jeffrey Gitomer is the author ofThe Sales Bible and The LittleRed Book o Selling. He can bereached at 704/333-1112 or e-mailto [email protected].

    By JeFFrey Gitomer

    Yes, its really happening: Now do something about it5

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    Thrs n scaping th

    acts th currnt cnmic

    dwnturn. But that dsnt

    man yu hav t stand byhlplssly.

    on way t tak immdiat

    actin t hlp yur businss

    nt nly surviv, but thriv,

    is t attnd th Wathring

    th Strm Businss Survival

    Brakast Sris in cming

    wks at Th GlucstrHus.

    Th wrkshps will r

    targtd advic r busi-

    nsss lik yurs rm

    xprts wh knw yur strug-

    gls rsthand.

    Th sris is spnsrd by

    Nrth Bstn Mdia Grup,Sulk Univrsity and th

    Cap Ann Chambr Cm-

    mrc. Fr dtails, s ur ad,

    pag 9.

    Weathering the Storm:A business breakfast series

    Amy Sweeney/Sta photo

    eatred peaer, pictred ro let, ill e Daid harttein, preident o kabloo oer, micael barretti, director o te Intitte or Eectie Edcation at sol unierit,and L Ann Ree, preident o sa Conication, LLC.

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    Aboutthe SpeAkerS: DaviD Hartstein

    David Hartstin, undr andCeo KaBlm fwrs, wasbrn in Isral, th sn Hl-caust survivrs.

    H cam t Amrica in 1982 tattnd Sulk Univrsity, thnshrtly atr rturnd t Isralwhn his athr did.

    My mthr was th n whcnvincd m t cm back tth U.S. t inish schl, hsays. Sh said ... evrythingcan b takn away rm yu, butyur ducatin. That statmnthas rsidd in m thrughutmy prssinal carr.

    Hartstin wuld g n t arna bachlrs dgr and MBArm Sulk in just ur yars,whil als wrking ull tim.

    ovr th curs his

    carr, h has wrkd withand undd a varity cm-panis. It was in 1998 that hlaunchd KaBlm, rtailrs rsh-cut fwrs, and subs-quntly Kablm.cm. By 2006,th cmpany rachd sals $40 millin and had mr than120 strs natinwid.

    Hartstin sld th cmpanyin 2006, thn bught it back in2008 atr patnting a hydra-tin systm that allws fwrst b shippd t cnsumrs and

    strs in watr. Th balln-likdvic is scurd tightly t thbas cut stms. Tday, Hart-stin says, thanks t this MssMiracl, as th patnt is namd,his is th nly cmpany in thUnitd Stats that can ship fw-rs vrnight in watr via main-stram dlivry srvics.

    q: Yu dscrib a diicultprcss in gtting th patntr th Mss Miracl. In act,yu say th patnt was turnddwn thr tims. Why did yukp trying?

    A: W und ut in rtrspctthat th xaminrs in Wash-ingtn, D.C., had nt issud thpatnt nt bcaus thr wassmthing ut thr lik it, butbcaus thy culd nt blivthat smthing s simpl wasnt invntd br. Th pintI am making hr is that in thisday and ag, it is vry hard trinvnt th whl. But it isimprtant r all us t lkat ur businss vry day anddtrmin whr w stand as itrlats t ur cmptitin. Whatcan w d that is bttr than urcmptitin? And that is n th grat things that xists in

    th Unitd Stats; as lng as war hnst and thical, th skyis th limit.

    q: Yu hav gn thrughmany dirnt cnmic cli-mats as a businss prsn.What srts advic d yugiv t yur ranchiss t hlpthm succd during ths di-cult nancial tims?

    A: Within th businss mdl,I lk at hw d yu run a cm-pany. Thr is an itm calldxd csts that yu cant gt rid

    : rnt, taxs, watr, swrag,tc.

    q: And thn thr ar thsthat ar nt?

    A: Ys. In an cnmy liktday, r instanc, whn pplar laid , vry gd ppl arut thr lking r smthingt d in thir ld. on th

    things I d (t sav rsurcs) isI utsurc vry aspct mybusinss. I utsurc accunt-ing, markting, aliat manag-mnt... I advis ranchiss tlk at things w usd t d inth past that wrkd vry wllr us. Lik markting ur busi-nss via lcal mrchants... Put avas rsh fwrs at th lcalStarbucks, lcal Dunkin Dnuts,lcal dry clanr, lcal shmakr, apparl str. Just askthat thy put a card that saysths ar curtsy KaBlm.Gt ppl t s what yu d,and mayb gt thm t cm tyur str.

    q: Any mr simpl tips?A: Thr ar lcal nwspaprs

    that can hav an ad, a fir, thatsays cm t KaBlm and wwill giv yu a dzn rss iyu spnd a crtain numbr

    dllars ... Th lcal mrchantsarund us ar in th sam batthat w ar. W can all rganiztgthr and advrtis ur lcalcmmunity. Th lcal nwspaprcan b vry hlpul with this.

    q: Can yu think anxampl?

    A: I rmmbr whn wpnd KaBlm, th day Iknw w had a succssul r-mula was whn w advrtisd inth lcal papr and th ad said,Fr dzn rss with th pur-

    chas a vas r $12.99. Wgt such a hik in ur sals thatI knw ... Thr ar ur itmsI tach ur studnts vry day,and that is th Fur Ps: Thpric, prmtin, prduct andplac. That day, I knw w hadit. It wrkd.

    By tracey rauh Solomon

    [email protected]

    Remember the Four Ps: Price,

    promotion, product and place

    In this day and age, it is very hard to reinvent the wheel. But it is important for all of us to look

    at our business every day and determine where we stand as it relates to our competition.Daid harttein

    binean Daid harttein, o gre p in Irael, eliee teopportnitie or entrepreneri in Aerica are nprecedented ortoe illing to ecoe edcated, or ard, and contantl conidera to tand ot ro te crod. wat can e do tat i etter tanor copetition? e a. Tat i one o te great ting tat eitin te united state; a long a e are onet and etical, te ite liit.

    7

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    Aboutthe SpeAkerS: Lu ann reeb

    Lu Ann Rb is prsidnt Skyways Cmmunicatins, anw mdia markting irm inNrwd.

    Prir t unding hr cm-pany 10 yars ag, Rb wasan emmy award-winning xc-utiv prducr wh wrkd in

    tlvisin nws r mr than20 yars.

    As a TV jurnalist, sh pr-ducd nightly nws prgramsand dcumntaris and cvrda wid rang nws stris.With Skyways Cmmunica-tins, sh uss that xprinct hlp businsss tll thirstris.

    q: Its n scrt that this is achallnging cnmy r anysizd businss. What ar sm th ways yu cunsl pplt gt thir mssag ut and ntnly surviv, but thriv?

    A: What I tll my clints, whatI ask my clints, is rally simpl:What is yur audinc? What isyur mssag? And nc w havidntid this, thn, whr arthy? ... Ar thy n th Intrnt?Ar thy n iTuns? Ar thyn Facbk? Ar thy sarch-ing thrugh Ggl and variussarch ngins?

    onc w dn th audinc,

    th mssag stry, and hw

    yu rach that audinc, thn war abl t dvlp a stratgy. Itsth sam stratgy r any sizbusinss.

    q: T b clar, yu d nt cratWb sits, but rathr cntnt tg alng with?

    A: Right. Just abut vrybusinss has a Wb sit andth prblm is that ppl thinkbcaus I hav a Wb sit Im all

    st. Wll, nt ncssarily s. ...Yu hav t wrk at tchnlgythat will allw yur businss tb und. And nt ncssarilyspnding thusands and thu-sands dllars. Thr ar lts stratgis that dnt cst a lt mny.

    q: Can yu giv an xampl?A: Yu can writ a blg thats

    assciatd with yur Wb sit ...I yu writ a blg, yu bcmth xprt. And ppl lik tlistn t xprts whn thy arlking r a prduct.

    I th Wb sit is yur unda-tin, yu hav t think priph-rally. Hw can I driv pplt my Wb sit just lik yuwuld try and driv ppl tyur brick and mrtar, t yurstr.

    q: S I am a small businss-prsn. I wn thr cnvnincstrs in th Mrrimack Vally.I hav a Wb sit. I want t cm-pt bttr. I want t knw hw

    t spnd my advrtising dllars.

    What advic wuld yu giv tm?

    A: Yu lk at hw yu havmarktd and advrtisd in thpast. Mayb yu hav purchasdan ad in a nwspapr and thathas wrkd vry succssully. ...I wuld say t that clint, dntstp buying that ad in th nws-papr bcaus it has wrkd ryu. Rathr, yu want t add

    prspctiv clints. Mayb yud a mdia buy nlin with thatpapr ...

    Yu can als b crativ abuthw yu us that ad. I am a bigan r-purpsing cntnt.Lts say that str has an ad inth papr and nlin with thnwspapr. Wll, mayb yu adda nw mdia pic. S nlinyu can hav a click-thrugh ta cupn, t an audi mssag,a 30-scnd cmmrcial. ... Yulk at what yu hav and buildn it incrmntally in th mstcnmical way.

    q: Is it mr imprtant r lssimprtant in an cnmy likthis t cntinu t budgt addllars?

    A: I wuld say t any businsswnr any siz that a dwncnmy is th tim whn yund t advrtis, markt andprmt vn mr. Yur clintsand yur custmrs ar cuttingback, t. S yu rally nd t

    try hardr t rach thm.

    By tracey rauh Solomon

    [email protected] your message out online

    daily newspapers

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    The Eagle-Tribune 978-946-2000

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    8

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    The series takes place at

    The Gloucester House, 63 Rogers StreetGloucester, MA

    For registration call Marybeth Callahan at (978) 283-7000 Ext. 3446

    Weathering the StormBusiness Survival Breakfast Series

    to help businesses thrive in these tough economic times.Featured Speakers

    Lu Ann Reeb

    President of SkywaysCommunications, LLC

    8:00 am - 10:15 am

    Thursday, March 5th

    Michael Barretti

    Director, Institute for ExecutiveEducation, Suffolk University

    8:00 am - 10:15 am

    Thursday, March 5th

    Too many of us await opportunity, rather thancreate opportunity Imagination is more

    important than knowledge / Albert EinsteinDavid Hartstein, Executive in Residence, Marketing,Suffolk University Sawyer Business School

    David has extensive international experience in corporatestrategy, business development, and operations for a diverserange of retail and consumer products organizations. He isthe founder and CEO of KaBloom, one of the premier floralcompanies in the United States.He was previously President& CEO of Eden Advisors, and Managing Director of SuperOffice, Israel, and an executive with Staples, Inc. Davidearned his BSBA and MBA from Suffolk University SawyerBusiness School.

    Thinking Through and ExecutingYour Marketing Strategy

    Michael L. Barretti, Professor, Marketing, and Directorof the Institute for Executive Education and Life-longLearning at Suffolk University Sawyer Business School

    Michael has over 35 years of domestic and internationalbusiness experience related to marketing, strategic planning,and new business development. In addition to his academicand administrative responsibilities at Suffolk, ProfessorBarretti maintains business interests in the medical devicesindustry, and currently serves on the board of directors ofAMEX listed AdvanSource Biomaterials. He holds an MBAfrom Suffolk University, earned in the Executive MBAProgram, and a BBA from St. Johns University in New York.

    A Survival Kit: Marketing Your Businessin This Economy

    Lu Ann Reeb, Co-founder and President ofLegal Talk Network and Skyways Communications

    Lu Ann is an accomplished entrepreneur and executiveleader with a strong portfolio of corporate marketingstrategies in the global B2B environment. With a combinationof small business management expertise, corporatemarketing, extensive media experience and advancededucation with an MBA from Suffolk University SawyerBusiness School, Lu Ann also has extensive experience inBroadcast Journalism and TV news management spanningover a 20-year career.

    David Hartstein

    President of KaBloom8:00 am - 9:15 am

    Thursday, February 19th

    Aboutthe SpeAkerS: MicHaeL barretti

    Prssr Markting Michal L. Bar-rtti, Sulk Univrsitys dirctr r thInstitut excutiv educatin, was alngtim businssman br mvingint acadmia in 1997.

    H bgan his carr atr srving inth U.S. military with Plarid cmpany,thn mvd int th mdical dvicindustry.

    Barrtti has xprinc with dicultcnmis, having bn thrugh dwn-

    turns in th arly 1980s, th arly 1990sand th dt-cm bust.

    In ach ccasin I was rspnsibl rrunning a small t mdium sizd busi-nss, h says. S Iv larnd smlssns.

    q: What ar sm th things yu havlarnd vr th curs yur carrthat can bnt businss wnrs tday?

    A: on lssn I larnd vry arly n isthat in prids dwn cnmic tims,yuv gt t incras yur custmrsawarnss yur businss. What is gingn right nw is a chang in cnsumrbhavir. Ppl ar racting t nwsrprts, and w all knw cnsumr cn-dnc has drppd. That is having a dirctct n hw ppl apprach dcisins.

    With rspct t big tickt itms, rxampl, ppl ar making listyl dci-sins. D I invst in a nw car, r an appli-anc, r d I hang nt that mny in th

    vnt I ls my jb? or mayb I hav lstmy jb and I rally nd t prsrv myrsurcs until tims gt bttr.

    Whn yu ar acd with a situatinlik this yu hav t b dirnt thanyur cmptitr... bcaus thr arthr businsss ut thr that d thsam things yu d.

    q: What ar spcic ways t accm-plish this?

    A: on way is thrugh mr prmtin.Prmtinal activitis draw trac and icustmrs lik th activitis, thy will kpcming back. Anthr way is t advrtis

    mr havily t dmnstrat that yu ardirnt rm yur cmptitrs. A thirdway is t b mr practiv and maybadapt yur mssag t custmrs.

    This gs t a whl qustin val-us. As custmrs adapt t what is gingn in this cnmy, thir valus may bchanging ... W ar in a situatin whrppl ar cncrnd abut hw thyar spnding discrtinary mny. Whatthy may nrmally hav spnt mnyn thy may nt nw. S yu hav gt tb abl t say t yur custmr: This iswhy yu shuld b buying rm m rusing my srvics. It applis t smallbusinsss as wll as larg.

    q: Hw can a businss prsn cm tundrstand ths valus?

    A: Its hard t d. Its hard t undr-stand. Particularly r small businsssthat dnt hav th rsurcs a largbusinss has t rally undrstand what

    is ging n with thir custmrs thsdays. And yt yu hav t d it.

    on ral simpl way is t ask yurcustmr, Why ar yu cming hr?W nd t gathr inrmatin t maklgical dcisins. And vry tn w ars cusd n tdays transactin thatwr nt lking r th inrmatinthat is ging t hlp us with tmrrwscustmr. Its nt just tdays transac-tin, its tmrrws transactin andth day atrs. It csts mr t acquira nw custmr than it ds t kp anxisting custmr.

    q: What ar ur bild-dwn pintsthat ncapsulat what a businss wnrshuld b thinking abut tday?

    A: Numbr n, undrstand yur cus-tmr, undrstand thy ar adapting tdicult tims right nw. Numbr tw,dirntiat yursl. Its nt nugh tsay, Im th bst. Yu hav t dmn-strat yu ar th bst and shw why.

    Numbr thr, trat yur custmrswith rspct s thy want t cm backt yur stablishmnt. And numbr ur,custmrs ar nt just ging t cm.Yu hav t advrtis.

    I am vry upbat abut this. This cn-my is ging t chang. And its ging tg back t bing as gd as, i nt bttrthan, it was br. And i yu ar nt put-ting yur brand ut in rnt that cus-tmr, ths custmrs ar nt ging tb thr whn things gt bttr. Thy willb at yur cmptitr, wh has dn it.

    By tracey rauh Solomon

    [email protected]

    Remain visible and valuable

    sol unierit Proeor micael L.barretti i optiitic aot te tre orAerican inepeople. Ti econo igoing to cange, e a.

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    As th stck markt has sably dmnstratd, invstrshat uncrtainty.

    emplys hat it, t.In gd tims, an mply

    wh is wrrid abut his rhr jb rachs r th dr. Inbad tims, nly yur strngstmplys ar likly t b y-ing th xit.

    Thats xactly what yu dnt

    want. And its why paying a littlattntin t mply mral justmight sav yur cmpany rmlsing valuabl human capitalwhn yu can last ard it.

    Dr. Jan Parnt, assistantprssr managmnt atth Girard Schl Businssat Mrrimack Cllg in NrthAndvr, has dn rsarchxamining hw mplysrspnd t rganizatinalchang. Br bginning wrkn hr dctrat, sh wrkd r13 yars at larg manuacturingcmpanis in ilds rlating tnancial analysis.

    Parnt rs this advic tmplyrs r kping mral upas cmpanis chang t rspndt ths cnmically uncrtaintims:

    Conicate

    Th biggst thing manag-mnt can d is cmmunicatwhat is ging n with th busi-

    nss, Parnt said. Th mrmanagmnt cmmunicats thgd and bad nws, th bttrmplys will d.

    Parnt rlatd an xampl businss-changing cmmunica-tin rm hr tim at NatinalSmicnductr. At that tim, shsaid, th cmpany was lsingmny and a nw chi xcutivcr had takn cmmand.

    Th irst thing h taught uswas what brak vn mans, shsaid. evrybdy rm tp t bt-

    tm knw hw t calculat it andw wr rwardd n it als.Within tw yars, Parnt

    said, th cmpany had achivdbrak-vn and wnt n tprtability.

    Cmmunicatin is mst c-tiv whn it is ac-t-ac, shsaid.

    I think t many ppl uslctrnic cmmunicatin, shaddd.

    A st spch isnt what sh rc-mmnds, ithr.

    Fac-t-ac is bttr in atw-way cmmunicatin, s

    ppl can ask qustins, Par-nt advisd.

    Gain participation

    Parnts rsarch has shwnthat mplys rspnd mrpsitivly t chang that thyvbn abl t participat in, atlast t sm xtnt.

    Whn vrybdy is allwdt participat at all lvls th

    rganizatin, rm th mail rmt th bard rm, mr cratividas will cm abut, Parntsaid. A businss wnr has tb pn t having idas bubblup rm th bttm.

    Sh suggsts giving mplysa businss gal and having thmsuggst ways achiving it.

    on rganizatin sh studid,a larg city library, tld mply-s thy ndd t cut csts by 10prcnt. Th mplys wrkdamngst thmslvs and subs-

    quntly und 10 prcnt savingswithut anyn bing laid .

    otn w gt this victim mn-tality whn th cnmy taks adwn turn, sh said.

    Gd managrs hav lngknwn that giving mplys achanc t hlp slv prblmsgivs mplys a gratr sns cntrl and sm wnrship inth chang, t.

    Defne clear role

    With dwnsizing r th limi-

    natin cntractrs, jbschang.

    Ths changs tn manmplys ar rquird t dmr wrk and pssibly anatur thy didnt d br. Andths changd xpctatins ndt b mad xplicit.

    Whn yur rl is clarlydnd in th rganizatin, yurmral is bttr, Parnt said.Mak sur vryn has clarrls and thy undrstand ths

    rls.Sh suggst s pr s na lmply rviws with dndjb gals and bjctivs.

    What ds th chang inwrk man t th mply? isa qustin that nds answring,sh said.

    Rspnsibilitis that just sttlnt an mply bcaus thswh wr ding that wrk arnw gn giv caus r rsnt-mnt. evryn nds t knwwhat is xpctd him r hr,

    and hav managmnt acknwl-dg whn that xpctatinchangs.

    I mplys can participat inrdsigning thir wn rl, allth bttr.

    I und whn I was mpw-rd t writ my wn gals andbjctivs and tk part in dn-ing my rl, I was mr lyal happir in my jb, Parnt said.I lt mr an attachmnt.

    A cltre o epat and optii

    encuraging a ling thatwr all in this tgthr builds

    tam spirit.I thr is a grup ppl

    wh can all mpathiz with achthr, a synrgy and tamwrkdvlp; an undrdg mntalitydvlps and builds mral, Par-nt said. Tgthr ppl wrkbttr and mr cintly.

    Sh als ncurags manag-mnt t b as ptimistic abutth utur as pssibl, whil still

    bing hnst.I nd ptimism vry imprtantt hw ppl adapt t chang,Parnt xplaind. I yu arptimistic, yu ar mr liklyt b mr adaptabl t changand, in turn, hav highr mral.I thr is hp, that shuld bcmmunicatd.

    Parnt bsrvs that many pr-snality charactristics ar staticwithin a prsn. Yt crpratcultur, spcially with rspctt pssimism r ptimism, is

    cntagius.Managrs shuldnt b Pl-lyanna, but w can b hpuland wrk tward a gal and bptimistic abut th utur. Itwill rally hlp with mral indicult tims, sh said.

    o curs, ptimism must bbasd n rality. A dit gdnws will nt b crdibl i thbad nws is withhld.

    Pa attention to tre

    Parnt pints ut that it is

    strssul t wrk in a businssthat isnt prtabl.

    emplys and managmnt,sh said, nd t addrss strss.

    emplys nd t knw thynd an utlt s thy can lavthir jb bhind at tims ahbby, xrcis, sh said. Itsnt avidanc, but a brak rmwrk.

    ownrs nd an utlt, t.otn tims small businss

    wnrs nvr tak a brak.

    Tin trategicall

    Mst ntrprnurs, dntlk up rm thir businss lngnugh t think stratgically,Parnt said.

    Tim has t b spnt n strat-gy, sh pintd ut.

    Its imprtant t ask th qus-tin: Whr d I want t b inv yars?

    emplys, t, bnit rmknwing managmnts lng-trm visin. Parnt blivs busi-nsss ar mr likly t rtaingd sta whn thy knw thcmpany has big plans r thutur.

    emplys ar mr liklyt b xcitd abut th businssand want t b part th tam,sh said.

    Trie trog cange

    All th rsarch n chang

    and mral pints t trusting,cmmunicating, participatin,Parnt said. It is a lap i yuhav a businss that dsnt gn-rally d this, and it is a risk thatmanagmnt has t tak. Thsar dirnt cnmic tims andw nd t try dirnt things.

    Parnt said ppl abslutlycan thriv thrugh chang andprrm bttr atr a chang.

    I hav und that ppl whparticipat, (wh) ar ptimistsand ar clar n thir rls ar

    th ns mst likly t thrivthrugh chang, sh said.

    By Donna GreenCoRReSPoNDeNT

    Build a happy placeKeeping up workplace morale helps retain workers through toughest times

    QUICK TIPSTO BUILD a POSITIVE

    ENVIRONMENT

    FOR MaNagEMENT:Addrss strssCrat a cultur o optiis, pathCouicat hostlDf clar rolsGai participatioThik stratgicall

    FOR EMPLOyEES:

    Build social support ith ta brs Hav a outlt or strssParticipat i chagUdrstad our rol or hlp df it

    10

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    Smtims th bst ns is astrng dns, and Im nt talk-ing tball.

    This is nt abut jb sarch-ing, but jb kping. Accrdingt mst ppl, ur cnmy is incrisis, and wrkrs vrywhrar ull whit-knuckl ar.

    What may happn nxt?Bill Trasurr, undr th

    natinal training cmpany GiantLap Cnsulting and authr Curag Gs t Wrk (Br-rtt-Khlr), rs ths ivtips t hlp wrkrs dal withar in scary cnmic tims.

    1. Reoc on or or.

    Far is th nmy prductiv-ity. Gt clar n what nds t bdn, right hr, right nw. Andthn g abut th businss ding it. I yur nt cntribut-ing, yu may b in dangr. Knwyur jb, and thn d it.

    2. stop plaing it ae.

    Ditch th hrd. Whil vrynls is hiding, yu can stand upand stand ut, gtting nticd ryur talnt and cntributins. Itsasy t llw th hrd. It taksrt t lad.

    3. or a poe.Crat an innr circl a

    small grup c-wrkrs whyu can trust and turn t whnth ging gts rally tugh.Tak turns bing th psitivn and injcting a daily sht curag.

    4. ind a prodctie ditraction.What maks yu l bttr; alittl strngr r bravr? U2 nyur iPd? A can-d mantra? Alng run at lunch? Idntiy thatn littl thing, yur wn pr-snal ar bustr, and us itarly and tn.

    5. Jt a no to te pit part.

    Its tmpting t cmmisratwith c-wrkrs. Dnt d it. Itwill stk yur ars and shakyur cndnc vn mr.

    Yu can chang th ngativ

    tid and hav a psitiv ct nyur c-wrkrs and custmrsby bing psitiv and prductiv.Bad nws slls but a psitiv atti-tud is cntagius, s sprad thpsitiv grm all arund yu andwatch what happns.

    Yu just might hlp nsuryur wn utur, and thats agd thing.

    Marvin Walberg is a jobsearch coach. Contact him atmwalberg(at)bellsouth.net, mar-vinwalberg.blogspot.com, or PO

    Box 43056, Birmingham, AL35243.

    BymarvinWalBerG

    SCRIPPS HoWARD NeWS SeRVICe

    Forget fear:Find ways to excel

    Dear Professor bruce: Im a smallbusinss wnr and hav nvrhad any rmal training in sll-ing. What can I d t b bttrat th sals prcss and grwmy businss?

    Aner: Hr ar a w idas:Accrding t Barry Farbr,

    authr Th 12 Clichs Sll-ing (Wrkman) and SuprstarSals Scrts (Carr Prss),Thr ar many ky attributsthat ar ndd r succss inslling.

    Hr ar v stratgis thatcan mak a hug dirnc inhw yu sll and hw much yusll:

    1. Great salespeople learn hwt listn and listn t larn.Gt ut yur mind whatyur slling and start think-ing abut what yur custm-rs ar slling and what thirgals ar.

    2. Te real e is t gt bnathth surac and undrstandyur custmrs ky buying

    critria, gals and challngs.onc yu start ding that yu

    bgin t build trust bcausyur cusd n thir nds,nt yur wn.

    3. bild long-ter rlatinships.

    I yu want t build yur busi-nss, start thinking abut wayst build yur prspcts and cus-tmrs businss. Hw can yuintrduc thm t ppl andrganizatins that wuld hlpthm? Ppl buy rm pplthy lik, trust and rspct.Whn yur sn as smnwh cnstantly adds valu, thrlatinship gs t a whl nwlvl and businss sms muchasir t cls.

    4. Develop unshakale confidence.

    A psitiv attitud is n thmst imprtant charactristics

    tp sals prducrs, but itsals mr than that. Gratsals ppl hav a strng

    bli in what thy sll. Thyar cnstantly larning andknw thir prduct insid ut.What rally maks th di-rnc is thir cnidnc.A custmr can sns a salsprsns cnidnc and bli.onc yu ls yur cnidncin what yu d, s will thcustmr.

    5. follow up and ollow through.

    What rally shws th cus-tmr yur valu is hw yullw up atr a sal r atr

    yuv prmisd thm sminrmatin. evry tim yullw up, mak sur yu hav anw ida r nw inrmatin tshar s yur always lkdupn as psitiv. G back tvry n yur custmrsand thank thm r thir busi-nss and ask i thr is any-thing yur nt ding that yuculd b ding t srv thmbttr.

    Bruce Freeman is presidento ProLine Communications, a

    marketing and public relationsfrm in Livingston, N.J.

    By Bruce Freeman

    SCRIPPS HoWARD NeWS

    Great salespeopleput customers first

    First-tim small-businss wn-rs, r ths lking t rlcat

    t incras spac r sav mny,will nd that nw is a grat timt b in th markt r icspac.

    Sm landlrds hav mravailabl spac right nw dut th sluggish cnmy, whichmans thy may b mr willingt mak a dal.

    Thats xcllnt nws r pr-spctiv tnants, sinc icspac is typically th scndlargst businss xpns bhindmply salaris.

    But, accrding t Sand Glart,an ic xprt with Rgus, awrldwid cmpany that pr-vids fxibl c slutins tmr than 400,000 ppl daily,cst is nly n actr t cnsidrwhn valuating c spac.

    Glart ncurags businsswnrs t rviw thir SPACe savings, prductivity, addrss,clauss and xpansin t hlpnsur thyr gtting th right

    c spac.First, Glart says, lk r ways

    t sav.I a traditinal las, which

    typically lasts iv t 10 yars,

    maks sns, ngtiat a smallrup-rnt dpsit, which usuallycnsists six mnths rnt rup t hal th ttal cst thlas. Businsss als can savup t 60 prcnt n c spaccsts by using rady-t-wrkspac that includs urnish-ings, mst c quipmnt andmaintnanc.

    Nxt, cnsidr prductivity,Glart adviss.

    Many businss wnrs wantmplys t wrk in th sam

    plac at th sam tim, but thbst c spac hlps mply-s b prductiv which mayman nt wrking in an c atall. Rviw which mplys havt b at a physical c, and whcan tlcmmut rm hm ra shard ic spac lcatin.This can hlp sav n vrhadby rducing th amunt spacndd.

    Third, Glart says, think abut

    yur addrss.A Park Avnu addrss in Nw

    Yrk adds a lvl prstig tyur businss thats hard tcalculat in dllars. But lasing

    traditinal spac in ths kybusinss districts may b cst-prhibitiv. Cnsidr using avirtual c instad t btain aPnnsylvania Avnu addrss inWashingtn, D.C., r an cin Rckllr cntr.

    Anthr imprtant stp ist rad yur cntract clauss,Glart adviss.

    Nt undrstanding th n printin yur lasing cntract culdman unwlcm and unxpctds at a latr dat. Clauss can

    dictat vrything rm whn rntis du, t limitatins us, andyur maintnanc bligatins. Bsur yu rad and undrstand allclauss br signing n th dt-td lin.

    Finally, Glart says, dnt r-gt abut xpansin.

    I yur businss changs dras-tically, will yur spac changwith yu? Ask yur ptntiallandlrd abut what ptins xist

    t xpand, r shrink, yur spacshuld th nd aris. Dpnd-ing n th answr, yu may wantt xplr thr lasing ptins,such as sublasing r shard

    spacs.Bruce Freeman is president o

    ProLine Communications, a mar-keting and public relations frmin Livingston, N.J.

    By Bruce Freeman

    SCRIPPS HoWARD NeWS

    When evaluating location, review SPACE

    Great sales peoplehave a strong belief in

    what they sell. Theyare constantly learningand know their productinside out. What reallymakes the differenceis their confidence.

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  • 8/14/2019 Weathering the Storm GT

    12/12

    It may b human instinct t hard cash intugh tims, but it can b a sl-dstructivn i it mans cutting back n advrtisingand markting dllars, accrding t numr-us xprts and studis.

    Hr ar thr gd rasns why savvybusinss ppl cntinu t sk ut nwcustmrs, vn whn prts ar squzd.

    1. hitor o adertiing in ard tie pa oovr th last hundrd yars r s, studis

    vry rcssin hav shwn that i yu pullback, yu ls markt shar and invstmnt,said Bth Vndic, prsidnt AdvancdRsults Markting in Marlbrugh.

    evn atr th rcssinary prid, th cm-panis that advrtisd nt nly incrasd thirsals vr that prid, but thy cam ut strn-gr than th cmptitin that pulld back.

    Vndics cmpany spcializs in dirct-

    rspns markting, which is dsignd t gta cnsumr t tak a spcic actin, such asclipping a cupn, calling a tll-r numbr,rgistring n a Wb sit r anything lsthat wuld turn a prsn int a lad.

    evrything is quantiiabl, Vndicxplaind. Yu can s lads gnratd prdllar spnt.

    2. yo get ore or or adertiing dollar

    This is a buyrs markr r advrtising,Vndic said.

    Th markt is s st right nw, yucan tak advantag lts cincis inmdia, sh xplaind.

    In 2009, sh said, with a budgt quivalntt th n yu had tw yars ag yu shuld

    b abl t incras yur rach by 10 t 20prcnt.

    Thr ar lts bnts in bing a savvymarktr in this nvirnmnt, sh said.

    But just as yu ar lking r valu inadvrtising, s t ar yur custmrs lkingr valu rm yur businss. Yu shuld bmphasizing valu-rintd rs and kpingin tuch with lyal custmrs, Vndic said.

    Rassur thm abut yur prsnc in thiscnmy, sh said.

    And curs, rmind thm th valuyur cmpany brings t thir li.

    3. yor copetitor ill loe aret are to o

    Hard tims giv yu an pprtunity t gainmarkt shar as cmptitrs pull back, Vn-dic said.

    Immdiatly atr th trrrist attacks

    against Amrica n Spt. 11, 2001, sh said,sm clints wantd t pull vrything.

    But th Mandalay Rsrt Grup, wnrs th Las Vgas strip prprtis Manda-lay Bay, excalibur, Luxr, and Circus, Circus,wr back advrtising within 15 t 30 days.

    TV rats wr xtrmly inxpnsiv atthat tim and it was a vry prtabl subs-qunt quartr r sm thm, sh said.

    Valu-rintd casins lik Circus, Circusand excalibur wr th irst ns back upwith actin-drivn, valu-rintd rs thatals prsrvd th brand, Vndic said.

    Prminnt public rlatins xcutiv BrianSlis had this t say n th tpic in a Dcm-br pic n TchCrunch.cm:

    Custmrs, d nt stp making dcisins thyr just mr discrning during vla-til cnmic climats. But mak n mistak,i yu chs t stp vying r custmr

    attntin, th wrld will mv ahad withutyu.

    By Donna Green

    CoRReSPoNDeNT

    When the going gets tough,the tough keep advertising

    STUDIES ShOw:aDVERTISINg

    PayS OFF, aNDKEEPS PayINg

    Ovr th ars, hudrds ostudis hav b coductd oho copais dal ith advr-

    tisig durig a rcssio.Atr world war II, BuchAdvrtisig Ic. dcidd to plotth sals o a larg ubr oadvrtisrs through succs-siv rcssios. I 1947, Buchbga asurig th aualadvrtisig xpditurs o achcopa. wh th fgurs rcorrlatd ith sals ad profttrds bor, durig ad atrth rcssios o 1949, 1954, 1958ad 1961, th shod that alostithout xcptio, sals adprofts droppd o at copaisthat cut back o advrtisig. Thstudis also rvald that atrth rcssios dd, thos co-pais cotiud to lag bhidth os that had aitaidthir advrtisig budgts.

    I 1979, aothr stud b ABP/mldru & Fsith, covrigth rcssio o 1974 to 1975 adpost-rcssio ars, shodsiilar fdigs.

    Copais hich did ot cutadvrtisig xpditurs durigth rcssio ars (1974-1975),

    xpricd highr sals ad tico durig thos to arsad th to ars olloig thacopais hich cut ad bud-gts i ithr or both rcssioars, th stud said.

    Aothr stud b marktSsdurig th 1989-to-1991 rcssioshos brads such as Ji pautbuttr ad Krat salad drss-ig icrasd thir advrtisigad xpricd sals grotho 57 prct ad 70 prctrspctivl.

    At th sa ti, hil osto th br idustr cut bud-gts, Coors Light ad Bud Lighticrasd thirs. Th sa sals

    jup 15 prct ad 16 prctrspctivl. Aog ast oodchais, Pizza Hut sals ros61 prct ad Taco Blls 40prct, agai thaks to strogadvrtisig support.excrptd fro Rcssio

    marktig Stratgis, by ed Clark

    ad publishd i novbr 2001 i

    Spoka Joural of Busiss. Rpro-

    ducd by prissio of Clark ad Th

    Clark Copay, www.clarkadspr.co.

    FIVE RECESSION-RELaTED PITFaLLS Ctting epene too lol. Dot cut

    xpss a littl bit at a ti. no is th ti to lookat xpss ad dcid hthr our copa dsto cut xpss 5, 10 or up to 20 prct. Do hat ittaks arl i th ar ad brig costs do. maintaining te ae prodct and erice

    i. your ds ar chagig. you ca bt our cli-ts ds hav chagd, too. Call our clits adask th hat th d. Th dsig our productsrvic ix aroud thos ds. Redcing areting intead o ocing on

    areting. Th copa that stads tall, strog advisibl i th arktplac has statur ad status.Dirtiat ith strog arktig to driv lads

    ad sals. Lacing te to ree p or tie.

    Strali our busiss ad bco or fcit.Us a hadhld orgaizr to kp track o phoubrs, dats, appoitts ad tigs. St ati ach k to hadl routi tasks, bills adpaprork. keeping eerting to orel. your ta

    kos th coo is tough ad ats to udrstadhat th copa is acig ad ho. Togthr, ouca ak it through. Lad toard a brightr utur bocusig our orts o toda.Sourc: SCORe, Couslors to Aricas Sall Busiss,

    prss rlas, Ja. 14, 2009. www.scor.org

    Strong marketing during recessions means stronger business

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