Newton’s first law of motion is dragging sales down.
In case you’ve forgotten your physics, Newton discovered that every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. The executive toy in the photo is a perfect example of his law in action. Once you start the balls in motion, they continue until gravity finally stops them.
Loosely translated and applied to business, it means that your marketing plan will continue to deliver the same results unless something changes.
Things are changing.
The economic slowdown isn’t a temporary bump in the road that disappears with the turn-around. It is spurring a lifestyle change with a long tail. The boom/crash economy has motivated people to simplify their lives. It is also creating a new generation of depression babies.
If your marketing plan is essentially the same as previous years, watch for a natural sales decline. The external force of consumer behavior will slow response and reduce average orders for most companies. Of course, the businesses that provide staple goods will thrive in this environment, but who wants their sales curve tethered to a fluctuating economy?
Instead of allowing the natural decline to dominate, create a positive force to offset it.
Start by identifying the areas where your sales are declining most. What is creating the resistance to buy? Can you remove or reduce the resistance? Or, are these areas becoming obsolete?
Now, look for areas that are showing growth. How can you expand them? What do you need to do to shift resources from obsolete to growth areas?
Newton’s law is always affecting your business. Make sure that you have a strategy in place to keep sales from becoming an object at rest.
