So far this year we have made many changes in our marketing strategies.  To introduce our new blog I decided to address some of the new strategies and hopefully shed some light on how you can develop new strategies for your marketing.  I was speaking with a plumber today about the different attitudes I experience when speaking with business owners.  Some people have a very negative outlook and some people have a very positive outlook.  A quote I heard many years ago goes like this:  “An optimist builds castles in the sky, a dreamer lives there, and a realist collects rent from both of them.”  I don’t know who said it, but I think they really had the idea of how it works.  The key is to get a realistic view of how your business is doing and then take action.  Sometimes it is difficult for us to see that which is right in front of us.  My point is that sometimes we need someone else to take a look at our business and bring new ideas that we may not have come up with being so involved in the day to day operation. I have hired a marketing consultant who has wonderful experience and has consulted with many large and small companies.  His name is Alan Guinn and he has worked with 1-800-FLOWERS and many other companies.  He is assisting  1-800-PLUMBING with marketing strategies and also consulting with existing 1-800-PLUMBING licensees with their marketing challenges.  Whatever you do in this changed economy, it must be something different than what you have been doing in the past.  I look forward to posting blog entries that can help you in your marketing and business strategies to propel your company to the level of success that you desire.  I will be inviting  some guest bloggers in the near future to post  about their strategies and experience. Welcome to our new blog!