I write this in a time of crises. The Coronavirus is causing havoc globally on an unseen scale. My own consulting business, Firejuice, is losing clients and maybe your business is too? Clearly, if ever there was a time to fight for survival, it is now. It is no secret that when it comes to survival, marketing is the first thing that gets chopped, and I won't tell you its wrong. In times like this, you should indeed cut everything non-essential, starting with marketing. But there are two parts to marketing, and I suggest you only cut one down to zero. Marketing is about sales, and also branding. It is the short and the long term effects of successfully investing in marketing. Short term, it should help your business secure more leads that deliver more sales; long-term it should help raise brand awareness and loyalty. We spend too little time looking at our businesses from the outside in. My suggestion is that you cut all marketing activity aimed at generating sales d

Everyone in your business is busy. They're busy making stuff, selling stuff, sorting out crises, ordering stock, answering email....and more email...sitting in meetings...and more meetings...making deliveries, issuing invoices, following up on payments...running around, and, sometimes, just acting busy. But who listens, amongst all this busyness? Who listens to the customer? Who listens to what the competition is doing? Who listens - carefully - for new opportunities? Who listens to what is happening on the website, social media, on-shelf and generally, in the market? Crucially, and maybe in summary, who listens to "what the outside world thinks of us"? I believe the role of a professional listener is that of the most senior marketer in the business. The top marketer is nothing other than the Chief Listening Officer in your company. It sounds passive, even fluffy, I know, but it doesn't have to be. For starters, listening - really listening - is an active ex