This may be the ideal time to expand your market. Many firms are pulling back, some pulling out, and most everyone else peering out of their burrows sniffing the air to see which way the wind is blowing, trying to guess which way the market is heading. Why guess? Why not act? Why not take this opportunity to put your firm out in front with the opportunity for major name recognition when things really do get better? Why not corner your segment of your market right now? You can, you know.

You have to assess your own firm’s ability to move quickly, but keep this in mind. With everyone pulling back, wouldn’t you like for potential clients to have your name on their lips as a forward-thinking, product and service providing firm that is ready for business? Even if they are not ready to buy today, they will be ready tomorrow, so let them know today that you are the one to look towards for answers.

How do you do all this? Marketing, advertising and public relations. And if you’re wondering if there are guidelines for small businesses to follow, the answer is, “Yes.” What you need are answers to questions such as, “When do I advertise, how much should I spend, which products should I push, should I go for the short range goals or the long haul, and what media to use. In addition, how do I select an advertising firm, and should I even use an advertising firm? What can a public relations firm do for me? How long will all this take, and how much will it cost?” This is the time for questions, and you are the only one who can sort through the answers, so get busy.

Overall Strategy
Just be careful you don’t try to push the cart with the horse in the rear. Plunging into advertising or public relations without a marketing plan will be a very expensive mistake. A hit-and-miss program could cost you an awful lot of money without any real benefit. It won't cost much to have a marketing consultant (not an advertising agency) help you develop a plan which can be implemented over the next several years; and if their cost is prohibitive, there are three dynamite marketing software programs out there for small businesses you can use. Check our web site at www.tulenko.com for an analysis of these three programs.

You will need a public relations campaign. There are excellent PR experts out there, and their overall cost should be factored into your marketing campaign, not as a separate cost. PR is what it says, public relations. If you are going to be a player over the next few years, your public, the people who will buy your products and services, need to know you, what you do, how you do it, why they should do business with you if you sell the same stuff everyone else sells, and all the other questions like this. That’s PR, so leave it to the experts.

What Are You Doing Now?
You can't get “there” from “here” unless you know where “here” is. I know it sounds silly, but you can't plan a trip to Chicago unless you know where you're starting from; Dallas, Albany or Phoenix. Likewise, you can't plan a marketing campaign unless you have a handle on what you are now doing. Therefore, you need to develop a clear picture of your present status, and don’t take the word of others, do the evaluation yourself. Here are just a few of the many questions you need to ask yourself.

Question Your Marke
t Who are your customers, how old are they, what are their sex and age, where do they live, when do they shop for your goods and services, and why? Who are your competitors, what products do they carry at what price, and what do they offer that you don't? What are the categories of most of your sales, which are most profitable, which take the most time or money to implement, which ones are absolutely necessary to attract customers, and which ones are there because you liked them? What percentage of your business is from repeat business, and from what part of the town, country, or world do your new customers come?”

Question Your Goals
“You want your business to survive, grow and prosper; but how much and when? Within the range of physical and economic possibility, what would you like your business to look like in three years?” Sit down and actually write-out what your business would look like. “Who would be your competitors, your customers, your suppliers? What products or services would you provide? What personal and business goals would you like to have accomplished?”

Question Your Strategies
“Which products or services would be best to use, at what sales volume, price and profitability? What selling tactics would be more appropriate, direct sales force, tele-marketing, personal selling, e-mail, website, or something else? How will you distribute your product or service; direct mail, retail, discount, catalog, door-to-door, internet, or something else?”

Question Your Relationships
“Which advertising and public relations method(s) would best enhance and complement your strategy: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, flyers, door-hangers, demonstrations, seminars, newsletters, e-mail, website, or something else? What public relations methods are most useful to change or enhance the public's perception of you and your company? Are there OEMs you can team with, can you work through third-party suppliers, are there joint marketing agreements available, could you enter a joint development agreement?

Wrap
I realize this is only part of the answer, but it is a start. Put your own marketing team to work finding the answers for your firm. There is no need to sit in your mousehole doorway and sniff-out the situation; you can do something right now, so do it!

(NOTE TO EDITORS: PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.)
Paul Tulenko is a Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.