When will sales pick up?

[Arlene M Passalacqua]

Of course, the general economic slump has hurt sales. Does anyone have strong feelings about when the slump in sales will turn around?

[Sub]

Give it a couple of years more.

[Vincent]

2003? Depends on the nature of your business.

[doetibriggs]

I really think things have already begun to turn around. Granted, some businesses are gone for ever, and others have been damaged beyond repair, but overall I think things are heading upward. Advertising budgets seem to be increasing, confidence in the markets is rising, and overall people are simply feeling better about their job stability and spending.

[Rachel Ann]

The sales will always be there. There is no such thing as a 'slump'. The period of time you call a 'slump' is actually called rationalizing, suger-coating, or glossing over, piddling, whichever you may call it. The only way to improve sales is to keep seeing and selling to more people. The two go up and down together. That is what i've learned from Dr. Pierce P. Brooks.

[Arlene M Passalacqua]

There is such a thing as a slump. Take the airline industry for example. A company like Boeing can't call the current economy anything but a slump. Except maybe military aircraft, their customer base is really hurting. It would be very difficult for them to expand their customer base, as there aren't a lot of people around buying commercial aircraft. If you're a small fry in a big market you can always expand onto other people's turf, even if the economy itself isn't expanding. If you're a big fish in a narrow market, there's much less room for expansion.

[patcrowley]

I think it depends where you are and what indutry you're in. My business was actually doing great the first 3-4 months of this year. And now it is very quiet. Hits on my websites are steady and no major up and downs - so, I think it is the economy.

Christoph

[Arlene M Passalacqua]

I've expected a major boost after the Iraq thing was over, and the stock market has done exactly that. I hope the job market and the rest of the economy follows suit by the end of the year.

[PaulNg]

I'm not as optimistic as others I guess. I didn't think it would pick up until we get a new President. Republicans seem to be a jinx on the economy.

[Arlene M Passalacqua]

Are you saying that Bush II is just a re-run of Bush I? Because, I don't think Reagan's presidency had a terrible economy, not the whole thing anyway, just part of it.