Sales in Tough Economies - The Strong Survive!But my job is to help my Clients grow their businesses. And from what I see, there is a lot of opportunity for them. You see, when the economy is humming along as it has for the past several years, many business owners believe they will always be able to earn new business via referrals only – just like they've been doing during the good times. They tell me they don't have time to bring in new customers…until the economy goes south. Then their story changes. The referrals dry up and new customers don't walk in the door every day. And there are two ways business owners proceed in times like this. 1. They freeze. They get scared and begin believing everything they read or hear in the news. The economy is worse than horrible. Everyone is laying off employees and shutting down. All the jobs are moving overseas. The sky is falling! So they believe it and join the others who have chosen to be afraid and give up. They say pitiful things like, “Why even try to get new business? There isn't anyone out there who can buy from us anyway.” Or… 2. They get creative. These are the business owners who look for new ways to find customers. These are the business owners who are intelligent and always have that 'can do' attitude! They understand that no matter how bad the economy gets, there is always someone out there who has a need and the financial resources to buy their goods and services. As of this writing, the national unemployment figures are somewhere between 6% and 7%. Those are higher than they've been in several years, but hardly earth shattering. And believe me, I know it's not fun to be unemployed – it's stressful and scary. I've been there. But, as we all know, good workers can always find a job because employers are always looking for excellent employees. Consider The Great Depression. Did EVERY company go out of business back then? Was everyone unemployed? Not even close! There are many companies in business today that were in business back then. Many of them even got their start during the Great Depression. So, even though times were very difficult, some people still found a way to stay in business and grow. Think of it as ‘economic Darwinism.' The 'fittest' companies will survive. So, the companies that are not able to adapt to the challenges will shrink and eventually become extinct, leaving the more intelligent, 'fit' companies to thrive and become stronger due to less competition. Remember, businesses are still doing business. Individuals are still buying cars, food, clothes, vacations, books, borrowing money and buying houses and furniture! Everyone (or most people anyway) is just being a little more reserved and cautious about what they buy and who they do business with. So, as an intelligent business owner with a 'can-do' attitude, what are you going to do to make sure you reach the decision makers who can buy from you? How will you communicate with them so they understand that your company is open for business and eager to provide great services and products? What can you do to find a new market niche for your company? Or, is there a way you can make it easier for people to buy from you? Get creative. Don't get frozen by fear. Start asking the right questions to move forward through these challenging times. |