I'm always watching and observing how the business world around me uses marketing techniques and how non-technical businesses adapt and respond to change and challenges.

One company that impresses me every time I step into their premises is Stevens & Graham, a family owned business established 1947. An unlikely candidate from the outside for they exist in a downtrodden area of Glasgow with an old warehouse with no remaining windows directly opposite – but definitely not an organisation to judge by the cover.

Inside their emporium of carpet is Sandy Graham, a gentleman who understands his market, his product, his competition and his customers to the nth degree....a man who I enjoy listening to and continually learn from.

He has guided his company into the internet age by picking out a high-value niche product from their range and ensuring front page Google search engine rankings on a global basis. How?? By going after Tartan. And that is no mean feat. He courts the overseas, ex-pat and corporate markets incredibly successfully, providing high quality acres of delightfully patriotic floor coverings. Check it out at www.tartanrugs.co.uk

He also courts his customers wonderfully well. An encyclopedic knowledge of his stock and his immediate ability to calculate discount/profit margins helps, but outstanding is his manner. He always has a positive story to tell – an exciting encounter about American golf enthusiasts wanting to get a few rugs for their summer house “back home” or the lucky-chance opportunity to carpet the Prince's Trust show-house at the Ideal Home exhibition. No hard luck stories here – up beat, up tempo...customer service all the way.

Importantly this message, this approach, is found echoed in all the front-line staff.

His simple answer to the economic downturn – a sensible increase in his sales and marketing budget. After all they are not only about Tartan, but all floor coverings for all requirements, a message which they are taking firmly to the world through their website, their impeccable staff and their new outlet in East Kilbride.

As Sandy himself frequently says “Very Good”.

Much has been mentioned in the press recently about a desire for a new political agenda to support growth. Tax breaks, an end to austerity and more support for all kinds of options depending on who is writing the article are all put forward as the ultimate solutions.

But is that really the answer?

Innovation, the creation of new things that can capture imagination, customer appeal or plain old necessity isn't always best served through making things easy.

This is a time of massive change. There is a need for acceptance that at a national level we have been spending beyond our means and that many of us have done that at a local and household level as well. Perhaps there will be new policies that will assist your company, your industry or your geographic area. Perhaps there won't.

Whilst the politicians and bankers decide, companies can't stand still.

There is a need to look hard at what your company does and what it could do, what skills you think your team has and the reality of what they can actually do. There are hidden gems in all organisations, ideas and knowledge that have remained hidden simply because no-one asked.

How well does what you offer fit the needs of the market place? Where is your market today and where will it be in the future? What are your competition doing? Do you agree with their strategies or do you think that your approach is better and provides an edge that customers and potential customers will respond to?

There are no guarantees that there will be hand-outs or beneficial policies to come. If your, or my, company is going to succeed it will be because you are offering something that world wants and you are letting the world know where and how to obtain it.

Too early for Sales and Marketing?

When is the best time to launch sales and marketing activities for your company? For your organisation? For your new internal product development or management plan?

In my opinion, never too early. This should be the first thing you do after you have defined your business objectives. Nothing else is so important as the planning and execution of the communication about what you do and what you want to do.

Sales and marketing is everywhere and effects every decision that we make – consciously or subconsciously. In small organisations the understanding of the techniques and language of sales needs to be second nature. Not everyone will be a salesperson, but everyone needs to know how to communicate the business aspects of a technology and objectives of the company when required. And to top it all in a small organisation there isn't the opportunity to hide from the commercial front line.

In order to assess the chances of success of your company or your new potential product you need to understand the drivers and influences on the market or markets that you are thinking about. For SSC this is hard to define and to achieve – but very rewarding. Over the past year we have set ourselves the target of widening the appeal of what we do. Moving from mainly life sciences work to other destinations and also moving from working with companies who have high-value low volume products to companies with more mass appeal products and also ones which potentially are B2C rather than solely B2B.

We've had to go back to basics and educate ourselves on what is possible with the team we have and also look at identifying the gaps in knowledge and personnel between what we have and where we want to be. Setting milestones to guide our progress and being vigilant about referring to them, revising them when they prove erroneous, but never ignoring them – to do so risks running off on mental tangents that might be interesting but don't lead anywhere useful.

A new experience for me – I'm good at helping people identify this for their organisation but find that it is a really emotionally challenging experience to do it for myself and for my own company.