Zig When They Zag

Zig When They Zag is a podcast that encourages a growth mindset for business leaders. Hosts Jessica Scanlon and Kevin Ring discuss leadership, marketing, and sales topics that help small and middle-market businesses scale. Each episode equips listeners with new resources to help businesses move forward when they feel stagnant. Jessica Scanlon is the founder and CEO of Hot Dog Marketing, a marketing agency in Austin, TX that has served hundreds of growing service businesses in the last eight years. Jessica and her co-host Kevin, Hot Dog Marketing's Director of Strategy, interview each other and discuss topics that CEOs, Founders, and Operational leaders at organizations trying to achieve their next phase growth will find interesting, thoughtful, and inspiring.

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Zig When They Zag

Zig When They Zag - Episode 6: Healthy Leadership

September 29, 2020 • Jessica Scanlon and Kevin Ring • Season 1 • Episode 6

What happens when your annual business plan goes out of the window?

In this episode, Jessica Scanlon and Kevin Ring discuss how business leaders should reevaluate their business and marketing plans during times of crisis.

Before a crisis occurs, make sure you are keeping an updated dashboard of your business goals and key metrics. Jessica mentions that a few of the key indicators for Hot Dog Marketing are website visits and how many proposals the sales team is writing and sending out. Check in with this dashboard periodically to see how things are shifting and how to prepare for future shifts.

Kevin discusses how the health of small businesses is often tied to their cashflow. Unexpected changes in cash flow can have severe consequences. Business owners can retain confidence by tapping into unused lines of credit or government assistance programs (like the Paycheck Protection Program).

The third topic discussed was that sales cycles will be longer this year. Businesses and consumers will take longer to make decisions due to uncertainty. This doesn't mean your marketing efforts should halt, but your messaging should pivot to address customers' new concerns.

Key questions for adjusting to "new normals":

What do you need to optimize to stay productive in this time?
What does your marketing pipeline look like?
How are you able to align marketing with the sales cycle in the new economy?

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Link to Pivot Workshop Download

https://sales.hotdogmarketing.net/pivot-workshop-download
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Hot Dog Marketing is a digital marketing agency in Round Rock, TX serving small and medium-sized businesses. We excel in delivering marketing strategy, digital marketing, website design and development, and outstanding customer service.

To work with us, visit www.hotdogmarketing.net