Plus Computer Solutions Overcoming Recession Fears
Posted by Glen Mund on Fri, Apr 17, 2009 @ 07:00 PM
Plus Computer Solutions Overcoming Recession Fears
By Michele Rivard, The Spectrum Services Group
I don't know about you, but I am so tired of listening to all of the news about the economy and recession. You can't turn on the TV, listen to the radio or even surf the internet without some feature story on the declining stock market, high tax rates or economic stimulus. It makes you want to hit your head against a wall and say "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!"
The question that I have for you to consider...is the media messaging reality? I am watching small businesses throughout North America do remarkable things to grow their company "during this struggling economy" while the message of the media seems to be, "that can't be done."
With that said, we'd like to share some of the success secrets from one of our clients, Plus Computer Solutions, located in Vancouver, B.C. While we've seen some companies pull backon their marketing efforts over the past several months, Plus has done just the opposite. I asked Glen Mund, President of Plus Computer Solutions if he would share how Plus is overcoming the decline through increased marketing activities and he was happy to do so.
Q. Why are you marketing so heavily during the recession when companies aren't perceived to be buying?
A. Like many other companies who are dealing with the effects of a recession we understand the importance of marketing. While we may incur more expenses by increasing our marketing efforts we are anticipating that this dedication will continue tobring in more customers. Plus hopes that our increased marketing efforts will assist us in coming out of the recession in a better position than if we had done nothing, allowing us to stand out from our competitors who are not.
Q. When do you expect these marketing efforts to pay off?
A. We have already begun to notice the change in leads due to our marketing efforts in 2009. While we realize that the majority of these leads may take longer to close during the state of the economy, we believe that with an increased number of leads, we will in turn have an increased number of closed deals.
Q. What are your competitors doing by way of marketing?
A. Very little or nothing, surprisingly.
Q. How is Spectrum involved in your overall marketing strategy?
A. Spectrum has a very important role in assisting us with the execution our marketing plan. From creating direct mail pieces; coming up with topic ideas for newsletters, industry articles and nurture pieces; to putting together success stories and pressreleases, handling our telemarketing, and assisting us in establishing the Plus brand, Spectrum ensures that we stick to our marketing calendar and remain in contact with our clients, affiliates and prospects.
Q. What initiatives are you taking outside of Spectrum to enhance marketing endeavors?
A. We are making a larger effort to ensure that all staff is aware of the marketing that is happening, in order to better deal with & respond to inquiries from customers & potential customers. We have developed a very detailed marketing calendar for 2009, including radio ads and partnering with Sage on a large direct mail, email campaign.