Over Half Of Marketers Expect To Miss Sales Targets

The much-predicted economic slowdown appears to be taking a stronger hold according to the latest Marketing Trends Survey published by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The survey reports that 55% of marketers do not expect to reach ‘very challenging’ or ‘unrealistic’ targets. This is the highest ever proportion of managers to hold this level of pessimism, and is 10% more than those surveyed in October 1998.

The CIM Sales Confidence Index also stands at its lowest ever level at 87.7 – 4.5 points lower than a year ago. Douglas McWilliams, CIM’s economic advisor, says: “Marketers are the first to know how goods and services are selling and how prices are changing. Their views on the economic climate can therefore be good indicators.”

In July last year, CIM reported that 43% of marketers did not expect to meet sales targets and that the Sales Confidence Index stood at 91.2%, then the lowest ever level (see Confidence In UK Economy Is Lowest For 4 Years).

Commenting on the new survey, Steve Cuthbert, director general of CIM, says: “With fewer than half of the marketers surveyed confident of meeting targets, motivation is clearly going to become more of an issue in 1999 for marketers and sales staff. Companies should be rethinking their targets in order to maintain levels of motivations. It will be important to maintain momentum, as low inflation and slow growth breeds more intense competition.”

Chartered Institute of Marketing: 01628 427 033