Survive and Prosper

'Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes; it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly perferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm." quoted by Peter F. Drucker.

It is indeed a strange new world we live in: Crops are grown for biofuel, video-game players become professional, carbon off-setting is becoming big business, green consultants/builders are going to be in high demand, and elderly people are no longer senior citizens but "active-agers".

The market forces impacting business organisations are fundamentally different from those of a few years ago. As Drucker says, change is dreaded but it has to be made, as it is now even more critical than before for organisations to constantly adapt to changes...

Focus on how existing sales & marketing processes can be reformulated to capitalise on opportunities to expand business and develop new niche markets, products and services, and trends for potential target groups like greenies, techies and active-agers.

In adopting new marketing strategies, take into account factors like your strengths and weaknesses (and possible remedies), external threats (competition, economic factors, labour shortage, etc). marketing mix (products/services, promotional goals, pricing and distribution) and target market analysis.

Effective marketing is partly the result of exposing your target audience to your brand/product and its unique benefits, in as many ways and as cost-effectively as possible. So you should also consider new-age marketing tools worth researching or acquiring, and how these can be integrated with existing ones to better communicate with your audience.

The most fundamental strategy is this: Purchasing is an emotional decision, so it is important to believe in your products/services and instil in your prospects good feelings about your company, your business relationship with them, and how you can improve their lives (be it by saving the earth or preserving their youth), and they will reciprocate by doing business with you!