Dear Colleagues:
I hope all of you are as glad to see 2009 go as I am and also as excited about the possibilities we all have in 2010. While the recession and economic challenges have been a test for all of us, I also believe that it has forced business leaders to reevaluate how they structure and operate their companies going forward. As I have written in my blog before, our traditional mindsets about "bigger is better" and hierarchical business structures have to be challenged aggressively.
We have all witnessed major companies in key industries such as Telecom, Financial Services, Automotive, Retail, Transportation, etc., struggling under their own weight and being forced to layoff thousands of workers just to scale back costs. 10% + unemployment has become a reality as so many companies have decided their best course of action was to cut staff and save SG&A.
Is this really the answer? Is the size of their work forces simply a derived outcome of business strategies to be as large as possible, function under traditional business structures and models, and build empires that eventually collapse under their own weight? I believe this crazy cycle of hire--fire---hire---fire has to be challenged and our thought processes of corporate design, structure and operating models that were born in the 1920's thrown out the window.
A great example is in the marketing services and consulting industry where we have have seen the same traditional approach being in place forever. If you are a CMO or business leader and are looking for some high quality, affordable help---it is a very frustrating and expensive process. If you need interim resources or marketing consultants, the big firms bring on one person who has had a "real job", and a full team of fresh MBA's who run around and produce fancy charts. At the end of the process, you get a huge 3-ring binder that simply restates what you already knew---in different terms and with prettier graphics. Plus you paid a zillion dollars for their services. If you are trying to find 1 or 2 consultants or contractors, you have to compare resume after resume to determine who is the best qualified and capable of helping you. How do you know this is a good fit?
When you are shopping for a marketing firm or ad agency, you parade the top candidates in front of you and they all claim to have incredible creative abilities and world-class credentials. Plus, they pitch your business with the "A Team" and then after you hire them your account team is staffed with Moe, Larry, and Curly---the "A Team" is long gone. Usually you also realize one agency or firm does not have comprehensive knowledge and skills across the entire marketing mix you need, so you end up hiring, managing and paying for multiple agencies. This creates added delays, cost, and management challenges for you.
So why does it have to be this way? I don't believe it has to. That is why I have passionately developed and launched the NextGen Marketing Group (www.nextgenmktg.com). Our virtual business model offers companies affordable, efficient, highly experienced and knowledgable marketing advisors, contractors, interim resources combined with a complete virtual catalog of Go-to-Market services normally found with multiple agencies and firms. Plus we offer innovative productivity technology solutions such as Virtual Meeting Services and On-Demand Applications to help our clients improve how they utilize and manage their critical internal marketing and sales resources. Finally, we work with our clients virtually online or traditionally--onsite, connecting all our clients to our entire roster of resources so communications, collaboration, problem solving, ideation, and decisions can flow in a timely and efficient fashion. This eliminates resource constraints, geographic barriers, extensive project delays, minimizes travel and expenses, and expedites work results. Our pricing and rate structures offer businesses of all sizes and across all industries affordable options for support ranging from occasional virtual advisory sessions and innovative business memberships, to larger project or flat resource fee programs.
As you enter 2010, I encourage all of you to challenge yourself, your company leaders and decision makers to think outside the box and shed the traditional business models and mindsets. Explore virtual business models, virtual employees and virtual services that give you the ability to be nimble, efficient, and more competitive. As you evaluate your marketing needs for 2010, I also encourage you to test our new model at the NextGen Marketing Group and enjoy the quality, efficiencies, and affordable results we can deliver for your company. Visit our new website at www.nextgenmktg.com or call us at 1-877-569-8436. Register for a FREE virtual advisory session with one of our NextGen Braintrust marketing advisors, request a price quote or detailed information on a V-Market service, sign up for a FREE Virtual Meeting Service, or purchase affordable On-Demand Applications from our NextGen Marketing Group Webstore.
Have a great 2010 and let's make the coming year a successful and historic pivot point in how business is conducted and reinvent ourselves. The NextGen Marketing Group is a great example and we look forward to chatting with you about your business.
Regards,
Greg Crosby
Founder and CEO
The NextGen Marketing Group
