Being in business when economic conditions are good is fantastic isn’t it?
Customers just keep walking through the door - they seek out your business, and want to spend money with you.
You probably enjoy it so much that you almost forget what it felt like to have to go out and drum up business.
But, as we all know, the economy has its own flow and cycles that are affected by many other factors outside of our control.
Suddenly, you find that business has dropped off and fewer customers are seeking you out. You’re headed into a downturn and you know that your business will be impacted.
Like our customers, we go into ‘saving’ mode and cut back on our spending so that our business can survive the tough times. As a result, marketing and sales promotion can often be the first activities to get cut.
But rather than just focus on our books, one of the best ways to come through an economic downturn is getting back to marketing basics.
When times are tough, focus on building relationships.
Do you have a customer/client list? Dig it out. Touch base with some customers you haven’t heard from in a while. Don’t make it a sales pitch, just ask if you can meet them for coffee.
In these meetings, aim to reconnect, talk and build a relationship with them. Focus on finding out where they’re at, how they’ve progressed and what they are currently doing. That’s it.
Take the pressure off ‘selling’ and concentrate instead on listening to your customer/client’s concerns. From there, you might find that discussing a potential solution (that you can provide) will come quite naturally.
By investing in quality relationships with your customers, you will build a strong foundation that will support you the whole way through the economic cycle.
But it starts with saying hello.
If you want to know more about how your business can thrive in an economic downturn, contact me today: bruce@genesisba.com.au
Customers just keep walking through the door - they seek out your business, and want to spend money with you.
You probably enjoy it so much that you almost forget what it felt like to have to go out and drum up business.
But, as we all know, the economy has its own flow and cycles that are affected by many other factors outside of our control.
Suddenly, you find that business has dropped off and fewer customers are seeking you out. You’re headed into a downturn and you know that your business will be impacted.
Like our customers, we go into ‘saving’ mode and cut back on our spending so that our business can survive the tough times. As a result, marketing and sales promotion can often be the first activities to get cut.
But rather than just focus on our books, one of the best ways to come through an economic downturn is getting back to marketing basics.
When times are tough, focus on building relationships.
Do you have a customer/client list? Dig it out. Touch base with some customers you haven’t heard from in a while. Don’t make it a sales pitch, just ask if you can meet them for coffee.
In these meetings, aim to reconnect, talk and build a relationship with them. Focus on finding out where they’re at, how they’ve progressed and what they are currently doing. That’s it.
Take the pressure off ‘selling’ and concentrate instead on listening to your customer/client’s concerns. From there, you might find that discussing a potential solution (that you can provide) will come quite naturally.
By investing in quality relationships with your customers, you will build a strong foundation that will support you the whole way through the economic cycle.
But it starts with saying hello.
If you want to know more about how your business can thrive in an economic downturn, contact me today: bruce@genesisba.com.au