We have all been hearing for months how bad the economy is and that people are being very careful on what they spend their money. This has lead to many businesses withdrawing into themselves and "battening down the hatches" in anticipation of a downturn in their business.

Frequently, when cost cutting is the order of the day, the marketing budget is the first to be cut, as it doesn't have any apparent impact on business and has an immediate impact on the bottom line.

Of course, what businesses are actually doing is limiting their opportunities for future sales by missing out on opportunities that are actually out there.

The businesses that succeed in these circumstances are those that realise that this is a time of opportunity to gain a higher profile presence in the market when their competitors are withdrawing, so is the perfect opportunity to win market share and step ahead of their competition.

So it's a time to be confident in your products and services and bold in going after the businesses opportunities that are out there.

I've seen a significant upturn in May and June, as some confidence is returning, as a number of businesses around Warwick and Leamington Spa have taken the decision to invest in promoting their businesses and to use the great Testimonials that they have gathered from their clients to help them win new business.

In May Formation Media (Web designers & Marketing Services), Accounts & Returns (Accountants), The Party Hat (gift and fancy Dress shop) all became members of thebestofWarwick and/or thebestofLeamington-spa, with Features and Testimonials now on display and in June Apollo Blinds (Kenilworth), 360 Electrics (Domestic Electrical Installer) and 360 Human Resources (HR services consultancy) have also signed up, soon to have their details and Testimonials on display.

The most recent to sign up are Helen and Mike Grover of 360 Electrics and 360 Human Resources and have told me how excited they are to be joining thebestof community and participating in our Networking events in the coming months.

Not only will all these businesses gain a great web-presence through Search Engines locating their Features & Testimonials, but will have access to the other marketing services that thebestof provides it's approaching 100 member businesses across South Warwickshire.

For more info call Stuart Tindall on 07403 166029 or email warwick@thebestof.co.uk