It's probably NO different anywhere else in the world, but up here on The Frozen Tundra, CEOs and Business Owners have provided a preview of their Top Business Resolutions for 2012...Each October, The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse asks CEOs and Business Owners a series of open-ended questions about business priorities for the year ahead. And each year, the top answer never changes. (Although one year [I think it was 2004], Healthcare & Employee Benefits made a serious run at Number One. I forget what was going on back then to justify Healthcare's lofty position, but I believe there were double-digit rate increases being handed out by insurance companies and HMOs, and the CEOs got all excited about doing something about it! This year, however, Healthcare/Benefits/Wellness wasn't even a blip on their radar screen.)
In the many years Nicolet Bank has been asking, CEO Priorities
#2-through-#9 kinda come and go with the wind. Priority Number One never changes.
The Top 10 for 2012:
10.) Capital Improvements/Investments
6% of the CEOs who responded mentioned this as their Top Priority in 2012.
#9.) Retain Quality Staff; Recruit New Talent
7% mentioned this as their Top Priority.
#8.) Marketing
10% mentioned Marketing as a Priority. Hmmmm...,that's either really, really good for the Marketing Guy, or really bad. (See Priority Number 9.)
#7.) Reduce Government Regulation/a New President;
a New Congress
12% mentioned something related to changes in government! One might think that number should be MUCH higher, but I think a majority of CEOs and Business Owners up here on the Tundra are pretty much resigned to the fact that there's little they can do about it so, it's NOT a priority for their business. 12%, however, are still big dreamers, apparently.
#6/5.) TIE: 20% mentioned Employee Development/Training; and 20% mentioned Product Development.
#4.) Improve Operational Efficiencies
"Yeah...First, we get rid of the Marketing Guy!" 22% of the CEOs mentioned Operational Efficiency as The Top Priority in 2012. Removing the Marketing Guy is a step in the right direction, but it won't account for any measurable operational improvement.
#3.) Growth & Customer Retention
You can't have one without the other: 35% of the CEOs mentioned this.
#2.) Reduce Expenses
43% said this is their priority. The lowest hanging fruit is probably The Marketing Guy - and that bloated Marketing budget! One, swift, precise cut and the expense priority is off the plate :)
THE NUMBER ONE BUSINESS PRIORITY FOR 2012:
#1.) Sales & Revenue
Nearly 60% said this was their TOP Business Priority! "Wait a minute: How we gonna do that without the Marketing Guy?"
4 comments:
Maybe the Marketing Guy was too busy hanging out in social media. :-)
The marketing guy is probably at a trade show, drumming up new business. Closing a lead from a trade show costs 75% less than closing a traditional sales lead. Hint, hint...
In EITHER case, ladies, I'm guessing the CEO doesn't know what the Marketing Guy is doing - and that's why Sales, Revenue and Retention is at the TOP of our list!
And how are we going to work effectively with the Marketing Guy if we don't have a clear and well-constructed idea of where we want to go - our strategic direction for the next twelve to 36 months - which means we need the Strategy Guy to help us and to work collaboratively with the Marketing Guy - can't have one without the other.
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