For the last few weeks I have been running a poll on DGB asking people to tell us all know if they think this year has been a better than the year previous. Now seems a good time to take stock and look at those results. It’s fairly positive.

The question:

This was the simple question posed:

Has 2015 been a better year than 2014?

 

And these were the answers available and how people voted:

Yes – our major factors like sales, leads and average order values are up on 2014

Not quite – levels of business are about the same as 2014

No – we’re actually quieter than 2014

Not sure yet – it could swing one way or the other by the end of the year

 

 

 

And this is how the industry voted:

Yes – our major factors like sales, leads and average order values are up on 2014

48%

Not quite – levels of business are about the same as 2014

18%

No – we’re actually quieter than 2014

20%

Not sure yet – it could swing one way or the other by the end of the year

14%

Did anyone else think that the number saying this year was better than last was going to be a bit higher? At least over 50%? Me too.

Then again, it’s not been the breeze of a year that many thought it might be back at the start of the year. So who are these 48% of people/companies saying that this year has been better than the last? Well, it will be those who have really put a shift in and sought out the new business, rather than letting it try and find them.

The reality is that it has been tough going this year. There has been business to win, there’s no doubt about that. But the economy still isn’t in that free flowing, high growth mood that most would like it to be. Businesses have had to go out and really earn the business they have won this year. These are the 48% I suspect voted in the way they did.

The other 20%

Of the rest of the results, 20% who voted said that this year has actually been worse than the previous one. The cynical might say that this 20% simply aren’t good enough and didn’t work hard enough to achieve growth.

It’s worth bearing in mind though that economic growth in the UK is very unbalanced. The south have enjoyed much more of it than the northern portion of the UK. There are areas up here which have quite simply seen no progress whatsoever, so to expect business to grow in baron conditions is a bit tough.

On balance, I would say that 2015 has been a progressive year. There appears to have been growth, albeit perhaps not as strong as we would like. It has certainly been a positive year in terms of new products. As we head in to 2016, I firmly suspect that the coming year will be as tough as this year. There will still be plenty of business to win, there’s no doubt about that. But as our sector becomes even more competitive, the fight for market share and sterling will be a battle.

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