By Al Hahn
When Sid asked me to write the article, I asked him what he would like me to write about. “Write about a real client experience you have had recently,” he said. OK, here it is. As the title to this article suggests (apologies to Dickens), my clients are all over the map on this score. This surprises me in the current economy.
There is no question that the economy is affecting companies in extraordinary ways. I have been helping many unemployed service marketers to find jobs. Most of them would not even need help in normal times. Generally there is demand for service marketers that is usually not met by the supply of experienced people. Today, however, many need help to find work.
Company financial results are generally down and unemployment is up. This is not a time when you would expect a lot of forward motion and success. Yet when I analyze what many clients are telling me, it seems surprising.
In January, I helped a company pump up their professional services sellers because (while capital equipment sales were way down) they expected good professional services sales this year. Jumping on that particular bandwagon, I am helping another client launch a big expansion in their professional services. In doing some research for that client, I spoke with another company that has seen their professional services do very well, as they are viewed by their customers as essential for surviving this downturn. They do a particularly good job of helping their customers achieve and maintain profitability.
