So answering the opening question requires us to adopt a simple but powerful principle and subsequent modus operandi – that of targeting value, not volume.

At worst, a challenging economic environment can be a source of massive disruption for any organisation. At best, it can be a catalyst for positive change; an impetus to instigate those key initiatives we intuitively knew were right for some time yet postponed. Successful investors never bet on the whole market; they select the niche, high-yield opportunity from the mass of mediocrity. And that's what marketers need to do if they really seek success and high ROI in today's turbulent market place. The answers are there; they are buried in the numbers just waiting to be found.

So don't reduce your efforts, double them – with a relatively small number of customers who really count and who show the potential to do so in the future. Look into the numbers, find the pearls and actively plan to develop customers to the level of bonding. Here you will enjoy an outstanding return on your efforts. And don't forget that such customers are not just the key to your success during a downturn – they are also the key to your prosperity in a market upswing, when all your competitors will be chasing them too. So start building those bonds between your brand and your valued customers today – they will serve you (or betray you) just as well in tomorrow's market as today's.