2009 - whaddya gonna do ?

[harryhides]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?


Let's hear it from everyone and the reasons why.
Oh, and perhaps for some perspective, how long you've been in business and what the housing market is like in your area.

 

[Blue Monarch]

1. No new items unless absolutely necessary.

2. Network more.

3. Increase direct mail campaign.

 

[hogjowl]

To complicated. Too many requirements for me to remember to post.

Make it simple.

 

[Able 1]

Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?

I won't be spending as much as this year since I bought most of the things I wanted.

Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?

I might try to take a repair class. Didn't take anything last year...

Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?

Tomorrow I am going to start doing flyers again and I will hit it hard hopefully for 10 hours. Flyer's are ALL I need in the area that I'm in.

Let's hear it from everyone and the reasons why.
Oh, and perhaps for some perspective, how long you've been in business and what the housing market is like in your area.

As far as housing market I think driving 15 miles to a job is far.. I like to stay under 10 miles, but will go anywhere this time of year! Oh, and 3 year in da biz...

 

[The Preacher]

i'd like to sell the biz this year and do some stuff i enjoy.

i know you BDCC think it's only worth the price of equipment, so i ain't gonna sell it to any of YOUS!!!

 

[hogjowl]

Take my name off your relationship list.

 

[Jack May]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?
I try and do this at anytime, perhaps a little closer look maybe.

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?
Probably keep it much the same.

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?
Again, little change here too, although having said that, I'm trying new ideas all the time and run them for a couple of years and monitor. If it works it stays, if not, it's canned and replaced by something else. This year we have a bigish change coming. but still similar dollars spent.

John

 

[Desk Jockey]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?
Hold on to every penny I can, no major purchases unless we truly need it or only if it will bring in additional income.

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?
Probably a little less, hit those schools that are close by to save on travel and lodging.

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?
Spend more, we put forth a reasonable effort in 08 and barely came close to 07's numbers. Had we not, who knows where we would have ended up. Sales are the life blood of business, we've got to keep pushing! 8)

 

[Curtis Pennington]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?

We have already made adjustments in payroll company,insurance in how we buy chems.


2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year

I plan on taking 1-2 classes and getting one my techa cert.



3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?

I have cut back on YP ads size wise and cancelling one but mailers stay they same an updating web site and search engine


Let's hear it from everyone and the reasons why.
Oh, and perhaps for some perspective, how long you've been in business and what the housing market is like in your area.

Residentials are 3/4 to half off from last year. We have been blessed to have a heavy amount of commercial accounts and have recently pickup another large one...with some new ones forecasted for us to get. 09 will weed out few companies but lowballers (sux) are back...

 

[allgreen]

Already watching every penny
Get more free education from Mikey's Board, That's why I just joined
More marketing to people that still have some money, Upper income customers!

 

[Terry]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?
wont need any major purchase this year, 1 tm is 6 mths other 4 years old unless we expand Paying more attention to service of equpiment so we dont have to replace

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?
around the same

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?
more, 2008 my best year 31% up on '07 and ahead of 2005 which was previous best
This may be crazy but I'm going after a 10% increase this year. Last year my goal was 10% also and thankfully we achieved it

Let's hear it from everyone and the reasons why.
Oh, and perhaps for some perspective, how long you've been in business and what the housing market is like in your area.
Been in business since 1989 but have only worked on expanding the last 3 years
The housing market in some of my high end areas has held its own but other towns have it rough

 

[Doug D]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?
watch emotional spending this year.

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?
same as last year. Hopefully Micah can get a color repair class this year!!


3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?
spend more on marketing. will spend a lot more on marketing if Billy would get myeasymarketing up and running!!!

Been in business 7 years and housing marketing is way down. Hopefully they are wrong when they say is will take up to 6 months for this economy to turn around.

 

[Jimmy L]

Terry would you mind sharing your full name and other info that is not in your profile?

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Spend more, make more, do more. 2009 is going to be a break out year.

 

[Jimmy L]

Okay Brent SUPERTRAMP.

 

[Cameron1]

[/u]ote="harryhides"]1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?tighten up where we can

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?We will spend more on education

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ? WE will also spend more on Marketing, but a different approach


Let's hear it from everyone and the reasons why.
Oh, and perhaps for some perspective, how long you've been in business and what the housing market is like in your area.[/quote]In business since 1978 98% High end res. 2% commercial and Georgia is in the top five nationwide in foreclosed homes.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Okay Brent SUPERTRAMP.

Try this jImmY

It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.


8)

 

[Shorty]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?

Have been monitoring and reviewing my various costings on a regular basis and comparing results with different chemicals & freight companies. (Freight is a biggy for me). So I guess I'm also watching my dollars, not so much the cents. I don't hope for the best, I like to get out and make it.

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?

As I won't be travelling overseas (A.T.P.I.T.), I will be spending less athough I do have at least two courses to do in the next three months, diversification :wink:

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?

I never spend a lot on marketing, although I will be doing more direct marketing this year, purely because I have restructured my business and will be selling one part of it this year.


I have been in the game (not on it) for a some time.

There have been a lot of houses gone under the hammer in Cairns this year:

HOUSES
Edge Hill -------- Region
Median Prices $429,500 ------- $375,000
Long Term Trend 10.2% ---------- 10.2%

UNITS
Edge Hill -------- Region
Median Prices $220,750-------- $247,000
Long Term Trend 12.0% ----------5.8%

Added to this is the low price for the AU$


1,000.00 USD = 1,411.80 AUD
United States Dollars Australia Dollars
1 USD = 1.41180 AUD 1 AUD = 0.708316 USD

So whenever we buy something from the states, we literally pay half as much again to what you pay.

Then there is freight, customs, GST (goods & services tax 10%) + other mark-ups.

There are going to be tough times ahead, but I have no doubt I will survive, mainly through diversification & targetting specific markets as a specialist in those fields.


All in all, I'm rather looking forward to this next three years.

Ooroo,

 

[Jim Williams]

I'm gonna do pretty much the same as last year. Mail twice to my customer base, give each customer more than thier moneys worth so they tell thier friends and work, work, work. If I get the same percentage of growth as last year I will need to hire a helper.

And hope that Obama doesn't spread my wealth.

 

[Terry]

Jimmy, profile updated as requested and let me know if you specific questions. I thought I had filled out that info originally but maybe it didn't carry forward when website was updated

 

[Larry Cobb]

1/ Tighten up wherever you can, watch every penny, hunker down hope for the best ?

Concentrate on PRODUCTIVE investments.
Strong, Progressive companies still need to invest for Productivity.
We expect for Chemical sales to be up ~10-12% in 2009.
Equipment sales will probably be up ~5%

2/ Spend more on education, spend less or same as last year ?
More sales rep education.

Two IICRC classes in January.

3/ Spend more on marketing, spend less or stay at 08's levels ?

Spend more on Short Term R & D.
Select only most effective Marketing

Let's hear it from everyone and the reasons why.

Larry

 

[Sticky]

Since we're starting out new this year. I'll have better answers for you next year. But I know my concentrations right now are marketing, and getting a plan of action started. Also getting a list of names to market and build relationships with.

Steven,
you can purchase A.C.T. at www.cheapsoftware.com to get the list of everyone's names and addresses...you don't have to buy the newest version get the one thats a couple years old and its only 15 bucks instead of $190 for the newest version...you prolly already know about it but thought i'd throw it out there....

I'm brand new this year so I'm planning on networking and advertising like crazy this year(to the right customers that is)

 

[steve r]

more advertising for sure i cut way back in the spring and it showed.

just hope i can pay my taxes