Penza, 31 March 2015. PenzaNews. Penza businessmen need not be afraid to develop their businesses during the much-proclaimed crisis in Russia, suggested Dmitry Potapenko, managing partner of Management Development Group Inc., general manager of “Pyaterochka” and “Karusel” retail store chains, sales and marketing VP of Grundig GmbH, deputy chairman of “Logos” group, general director of “Tsentry Optovykh Prodazh.”

© PenzaNewsBuy the photo

“I see no crisis,” he said during the conference “Anti-crisis technologies of 2015. Regional Business: Fight or Flight” that was held at “Frau Gross” restaurant hall on Tuesday, March 31. Dmitry Potapenko took part in the event as a moderator and a speaker.

The high-ranking commercial manager added that he can recall at least 7 periods of economic crisis: in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2015.

“Our economy is one big crisis. At least I treat it fairly calmly and see nothing special about it,” he noted.

According to Dmitry Potapenko, local trading companies still retain good development potential even in face of strong federal players in their market.

“I am saying this year to year: a strategy of niche positioning,” he said, explaining that a business entrenched in its niche sector is very hard to defeat.

Dmitry Potapenko also stressed how important it is for top managers to get out of their offices and work in sales points themselves to investigate the actual situation state of affairs.