An Organization's Metabolism

Anyone who has engaged in any sort of diet knows that your body will slow its metabolism in response to a reduction in calories. And to be successful in losing weight, one has to make a concerted effort to keep the metabolism up.

STAY WITH ME HERE...THIS REALLY DOES HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS!

I believe that a company is much like the human body in that it will slow its metabolism in reaction to a reduction in "calories" (in this case "calories" being a metaphor for workload). And I believe that over the past 12 - 18 months, many companies have (without realizing it) slowed their operational metabolism in response reduced workloads...and in response to what was perceived as reduced opportunity. Today, many companies are moving slower, getting less real work done, and perhaps not realizing opportunities when they are presented.

The answer to this systemic low metabolism in organizations is the same as what is done to combat slowed metabolism resulting from a reduced calorie diet...you do things to "kick start" your metabolism. In the health area, you might engage in a vigorous exercise program or take up a hobby that emphasizes activity. An organization can do the same thing...a few examples:
Make a strong effort to reconnect with all of your current and former customers. There may be significant, hidden business there.

• Engage a new market. Most of us have had interest in certain new markets, that while only peripheral to their core markets, may offer great potential.
  
• Launch a new marketing program, integrate it with a complementary sales effort in order to realize maximum return, both short- and long-term.
  
• And perhaps most importantly, emphasize a sense of urgency for all types of activities within your organization. It has been my experience that companies, which encompass an "urgency to finish," are usually the most successful.

So, is Triad practicing what I am preaching here? For the most part, the answer is yes. We have engaged a broad-based organizational improvement program, Triad 3.0, that has resulted in positive change in our company. We're also being very aggressive relative to our new business effort. But perhaps most importantly, we are practicing the "urgency to finish," and for all projects, internal or for clients, I am, personally, pushing us to finish.

This organizational metabolism approach is certainly just a part of an overall improvement effort for any company, but I also believe that without it change is very slow and difficult.

I would really be interested in your thoughts on this subject.

Tom Prikryl

So, What Did Triad Do During The Recession?

It has always been my contention that, to a great extent, the "times" are what you make of them. With that philosophy in mind, it was important to me that Triad Business Marketing move forward...even as the economy was standing still. So, in a nutshell, here were (and still are) the key elements of our recessionary plan:

1. Add new clients, even if billing for these new clients is limited at this point. Expand the range of our clientele. When things do pick up, so will these clients' requirements, and our business will grow significantly.
2. Tighten up our operation internally. Add processes and procedures that would ensure we work more efficiently. This action will ensure that we are ready as an organization to effectively handle a growing volume of work.
3. Work closely with existing clients in developing programs that will effectively integrate sales and marketing activies, ensuring a faster return from their investments in marketing programs.
4. Add to our range of "new media" services. We know that some of the new media (and new media outlets) are going to be important to our clients. What we want to know is what media is going to be most relevant to our clients' customers, and how to do the best possible job in employing that media. To that end, we have reduced the account service load of our Senior Account Executive, Casey Fleming, freeing him up to become even more of an expert in this rapidly changing area. I am confident that Casey's efforts are going to help us offer the best new media choices to our clients.

We're moving forward. Standing still in bad times is for wimps.