B-to-b marketer woes
DMNews was recently given a peek at the the results of an anonymous survey on b-to-b business conditions done by MeritDirect. The core question asked of the 38 respondents: "What keeps you up at night?" It's a question near and dear to this insomniac's heart.In addition to the usual suspects: innovation and cost-effective customer acquisition, a majority of executives at b-to-b companies cited the economic downturn, Standard Flat postal rate increases, reliable metrics and shrinking margins as enemies of a restful slumber.
More surprising to me was the issues that weren't as troubling. A majority had minimal concern about the cost of implementing government regulations and raising capital to finance expansion. Perhaps this is because the majority of the respondents expect positive sales growth this year and in 2009.
As for what I'll be losing sleep over this year, it's about bringing you the latest news on these troubling issues. DMNews will have it's eye on these issues as well as others raised in the survey: increase in raw materials and packaging, increased freight costs, competitive pricing, consolidation and understanding how to the dynamics of multichannel sales. As always, reach me at cara.wood@dmnews.com about how our coverage can help you dream up positive ROI strategies for you and your clients.
