| Marketing Health |
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| Written by Trevor Hendrickson |
| Monday, 29 December 2008 22:20 |
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I am embarking on a new phase in my life. . . again. I have decided to take care of myself. I am working on eating better, exercising, and spending more time with my family. But this is new… and it is hard! I came to the realization that I had a choice; I could either continue on a downward spiral of weight gain that would inevitably cause health problems and self loathing or I could do something about it. It is difficult. It is very difficult. It is necessary. The same principle applies to the health of your business. I found myself in an unhealthy pattern, the same pattern I see my banking clients in each day. The results of repetition, or worse, inaction have devastating effects. The cycle has to be broken. The way things have been done in the past has to stop. We need to build new lifestyles and work styles. Businesses face the same temptation to fall back into old patterns ; sneaking in an outdoor advertisement because you don’t know what else to do, taking out an ad in the newspaper, not updating your website - these make us feel competent because it is what we know. But the comfort food of marketing isn’t healthy. Monday morning is here, and it is time to wipe the slate clean and take a look in the marketing mirror. Where are we spending our money, our time and where we are placing our emphasis? We need to stop looking at the board of directors comfort level and look at what our customers want. Look at what the competition is doing better. Look at the major global banks and analyze where they are spending resources. Our decisions are what shape us. We can continue down an unhealthy path or we can listen to the experts and make a change. I challenge you: look outside the boundaries of the banking industry and see what other industries are doing. We get too caught up in the “experts” who only understand banking; we need to educate ourselves beyond the safe we have locked ourselves in. Don’t fall into a program that restricts your behavior; get involved in a program that allows you to be flexible, to quickly take advantage of opportunities and to be responsive. And by all means try, try, try. Don’t find yourself looking back saying , “I wish I had done something a year ago. I could have been in much better shape by now!” The health of your business depends on you. |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 08 January 2009 06:44 |
