Driven by the expression “It’s the economy, stupid” Bill Clinton rolled to victory in the 1992 Presidential election. Although the phrase was actually coined by political strategist James Carville it has become not only synonymous with Bill Clinton but an enduring catch phrase in the American culture.
So what about the economy stupid? I believe we are finally on the rebound. The Fed declared the recession had ended some time ago but most business owners weren’t so sure. Billions of dollars have stayed on the sidelines for the last year or so as companies have taken a conservative approach to the fragile economy. The Dow has risen fairly steadily to over 11,500 but it is only now that I’m prepared to declare that the economy, at least the B2B economy, is officially back.
Why am I so confident? What trends am I basing this on? What economic formula am I calculating? The answer is “none of the above.” I am basing it on the observation of two bellwether industries. After declining margins in 2008 and 2009 the cardboard industry rebounded strongly in 2010 and is forecasted to be even stronger in 2011? Why cardboard? Because almost everything that is sold is packaged in cardboard boxes of some sort so when production is up it is an indicator that more “stuff” is being produced and sold. After a dismal 2009 the jet leasing industry is also bouncing back with a very impressive performance for 2010 and a 2011 forecast that is near record setting. When firms are leasing jets, businesses are flying and that means more B2B action in 2011.
What are you doing to prepare for the big B2B rebound? Are your sales teams at full strength? Is your production capacity ready for a big year? How is the morale in your organization? Now is the time to grab the optimism, communicate it to your folks, put your “house” in order, and make 2011 a record setting year in your company.
Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights
Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.
