Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Only the Strong are Left
Recently I have spent a great deal of time selling consultative services to manufacturers. My firm actually works in many industries, I just happen to be focused on a manufacturing area.
Only the Strong have Survived.
1 or 2 years ago, our conversations were all about "cutting costs." Lets stop the bleeding, control cash flow, scale back the "company's lifestyle."
Only those that successfully cut costs are still around. Yes, there is an exception to every rule, but dozens of dozens of manufacturers in 6 states can't be wrong.
Today, the owners know they dodged a bullet, they know that they survived because they were proactive. BUT, now its all about sales!!!
Get me the sales, show me the sales, help me find the best salespeople, lets look at pricing to generate sales, etc., etc., etc. Thats all I hear.
Since only the strong have survived, now we are down to the Quarter Finals of a tough tournament. All the riff-raff are gone. Time to work on sales, quality is a given, fight for a bigger piece of a smaller pie, or get ready to grab market share when your industry turns around.
Only the Strong have Survived.
1 or 2 years ago, our conversations were all about "cutting costs." Lets stop the bleeding, control cash flow, scale back the "company's lifestyle."
Only those that successfully cut costs are still around. Yes, there is an exception to every rule, but dozens of dozens of manufacturers in 6 states can't be wrong.
Today, the owners know they dodged a bullet, they know that they survived because they were proactive. BUT, now its all about sales!!!
Get me the sales, show me the sales, help me find the best salespeople, lets look at pricing to generate sales, etc., etc., etc. Thats all I hear.
Since only the strong have survived, now we are down to the Quarter Finals of a tough tournament. All the riff-raff are gone. Time to work on sales, quality is a given, fight for a bigger piece of a smaller pie, or get ready to grab market share when your industry turns around.
