We’ll save you most of the cliches to describe the days between March 2020 to the present. However, you may accurately describe these many months as rough, frustrating, exhausting, and possibly migraine-inducing. Above all else, however cliché it may be, it has been uncertain. How do you put together a budget for next year when you don’t know what next month will look like? How do you factor automotive into your pricing when you don’t know if it will even be there? How can you count on the local client across town to buy again when they are crossing their fingers and toes that they will be in business a month from now? There are many things in our business that can knock us off course. For many, however, COVID didn’t knock us off course, it erased the path ahead and said, “Time to pave a new one.” With a tool like ShareBuilders at your disposal, you can get back on course and navigate the uncertain with much more confidence.

When the industry takes an unexpected turn that is out of your control, it can feel like you’re just along for the ride - the long, bumpy ride. But what if you could have a sense of where that ride is taking you? With over 300 clients, ShareBuilders sees it all from a birds-eye view. We have a sense of what is booking and what is not. Beyond what is or is not booking, we have a great sense of timing. Tourism was one of the first pieces of business to fall off in 2020, and it was hard to get a sense of when it was coming back, and to what degree. With our view of the country, it’s these types of situations where we can give some perspective. In essence, our insight helps our clients to be proactive, instead of reactive to unexpected returning or non-returning business.

Even with a strong sense of direction, numbers mean everything. When you are dealing with countless variables that weren’t at all a factor in prior years, you need to know dollar-for-dollar and spot-for-spot where you stand. If money is falling off the books at the beginning of an economic downturn, you may easily feel that you are in a bad spot. However, given some of the tools in the ShareBuilder software, you may find that despite the loss in business, you’re poised to come out on top in the market and even gain share. Likewise, a year after the COVID business fallout, you look stellar against last year. However, most stations are up against down numbers from last year, so it’s important to not rest on positive numbers as being an explicit sign of strength in the market. ShareBuilders helps clients gain a solid understanding of how much of the market they are responsible for, and therefore, allowing them to forecast and price accordingly.

Inventory management is time-consuming enough. Throw unpredictable market volatility in the mix and it can become downright maddening. Getting a sense of your sellout percentage, average rates, and metrics against last year is always vital, despite what is happening in the world around us. However, as with your revenue, your inventory can take some pretty wild swings when the market goes haywire. Changes in buyers’ habits make your inventory situation hard enough to manage, but changes in viewing habits when the world is working from home, and likewise, goes back to the office, can paint very different pictures quarter-to-quarter. When a typically hot daypart is suddenly running wide open, it’s easy to exhaust a lot of time and energy into trying to drive sellout. A tool that quickly shows you how the rest of the country is selling out each daypart will show you areas that truly need your attention over others, allowing you to save time to use on matters most important to you and your team.

From a wide-reaching view of the industry, to a finite look at your place in the market, to fine-tuned inventory management, ShareBuilders’ clients receive one-on-one guidance from a dedicated Consultant via weekly meetings. Just as you need to be ready to adjust to a downturn in business, you need to know when to pivot for a return in business – something our experienced Consultants are here to help with. A lot is needed to stay in front of a volatile business climate. There are tools available that will allow you to gain the advantage you need to come out on top when the dust settles.