Canadian business expect economy to grow by 7.6% this year

CALGARY, AB, Oct 2, 2013/ Troy Media/ – A recent survey of 350 Canadian private companies by consulting firm PwC Canada revealed that many of them believe that business will grow a whopping 7.6 per cent this year.

However, as Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is forecasted to grow by only around 2 per cent for the year, PwC, in an article published online by CBC News, warned business leaders that they’re being “overly optimistic.”

Although it’s still nice to see such a surge in optimism – the highest it’s been since PwC began doing the survey in 2005 – the amount of confidence came as a surprise to Tahir Ayub, the leader of PwC Canada private company services division. He was expecting a small surge in confidence from business leaders, but not so much that they would expect such a staggering surge in growth.

In the second quarter of this year Canada’s economy has grown at an annualized rate of 1.7 per cent, and government forecasts are calling for about a 2.5 per cent growth in 2014.

While those numbers show that the economy is definitely improving, they’re nowhere near the 7.6 per cent increase the surveyed business leaders are expecting. It’s tough to say what will happen to company morale when reality doesn’t meet expectations.

“While private business leaders are confident, the past five years have educated the business community that nothing is certain when it comes to the economy,” Ayub said in a media release, “and a downshift would always be a major threat to growth . . . Private company leaders need to be agile and frequently revisit their growth strategies to respond to respond effectively to current market conditions.”

Around 44 per cent of the companies surveyed indicated they plan to achieve their targets with improved sales and marketing plans, while 31 per cent indicated they’d be unveiling new products/services.

While there is no to prove whether the government’s projection of a 2.5 per cent growth rate is truer than the surveyed projection of 7.6 per cent growth, here are some tips business can implement to improve business:

• Brand marketing is gaining in popularity because it’s proven that it helps customers remember who you are and what you do. Look for brand marketing strategies that aren’t expensive, but have a far reach. For example, InkHead offers personalized pencils and other customized merchandise that include your company’s brand information; when purchased in bulk they’re very inexpensive.
• Design PR campaigns specifically for new products and services. If you’re releasing something, let people know about it in a memorable way.
• Train your sales team to sell for the modern buyer. Novel sales approaches, such as using social media, will have a much greater impact upon potential customers.

No matter what growth forecast is correct, however, it is apparent that opportunities are looking up for Canadian business.

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