Managing Costs vs. Sales: Is Your Balance Out of Whack?

OK, I'm a merchant and a marketer. I believe that nothing good happens until somebody creates a quality product or service offer, then markets and sells it well. I confess, I have that bias.

Having said that, I'm constantly astounded by the number of people in our industry who have a cost-only orientation. They believe their sole job is to reduce costs as opposed to increase sales. You know those meetings — the ones that focus only on how you can reduce costs with little or no consideration to value received.