During the pandemic, small businesses are having a hard time: hundreds of companies are closing, the ruble is falling, prices are rising, and purchasing power is declining. It sounds like a disaster, but with proper sales organization, the crisis can become an impetus for the development of your business.
As former Intel CEO Andrew Grove said, “Crisis destroys bad companies. Good companies survive it. Crisis makes great companies even better.”
In this article, we have collected methods that will allow small businesses not only to stay afloat, but also to increase sales.
Understand your customers
The calls to understand what the client wants and help him solve the problem have become boring, but this is a step that is relevant at any time. You will not sell a product if you do not know who you are selling to. Therefore, it is necessary to create a portrait of your client, describe him in as much detail as possible: how old he is, where he works, what is his income, what needs he wants to satisfy, and what prevents him from deciding to buy.
To better understand your customers, use statistics and direct interaction with them. Conduct surveys, use forms on the website, do everything to get feedback from them about your company. Customer loyalty will increase if you quickly respond to reviews and criticism,
You must clearly understand what problem the person came with, how your product helped him solve the issue, whether the person made a purchase and was satisfied, if not, why?
Increase customer loyalty
Try to adapt to each client, make the terms of cooperation with you comfortable. The possibility of installments, free services (delivery, the possibility of receiving a consultation after the purchase) can help with this. In addition to free services that are related to the purchase, organize free lectures, master classes and courses.
Don’t forget that in 2020, no one needs just a telemarketing data product, people need service, atmosphere and impressions from your brand. Pay attention to each client, focus on their needs and requests.
Your task is to maximize the benefit for the client, to exceed his expectations. Do not strive for situational benefits: regular clients are much more valuable than those who will not return to you again.
Provide visual information about how your product solves the problem.
Text is persuasive, but it works even better when combined with visuals. Think about how to complement your product with visuals that clearly explain why the customer should choose your product to solve their problem.
The image will help to achieve the desired is django the web framework for perfectionists? effect: urgency, benefit, etc. You can post visual information of this kind in the brand’s social networks, alternating it with useful and interesting information for clients.
Promotions, bonuses and loyalty programs
Discounts attract attention and increase interest in your product. If you have a warm audience, people who trust your brand and see you as an expert, your chances of getting more orders will increase.
Structure loyalty programs: A great example of this approach is Amazon. The company offers several new products every week that only loyalty program members can buy at a discount. In this way, Amazon not only encourages regular customers to buy and controls the number of products in stock, but also motivates people to leave their email dating data address with the company – this is the first step to getting a potential customer to return and make a purchase.
“Magnet on top”
The “top magnet” technique involves offering the customer the opportunity to purchase more to receive a bonus. Have your employees notify customers that if they add to their order, they will receive free shipping, a discount on a purchase of a certain amount, or a gift.
To apply this method, calculate the average check, the amount of sales for the past month, divided by the number of clients. Add 15% to 30% to the average check, and you will get your magnet, the amount that a person will be more or less comfortable parting with in order to get a benefit.
Cost optimization, resource redistribution and moving online
In a crisis, it would be reasonable to review expenses. Suspend advertising campaigns that are aimed at promoting the brand. Draw conclusions about the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, terminate less effective ones and improve the quality of those that do produce results. Analyze employee productivity and attract new ones to replace those who are not useful. Move some employees or the entire staff to remote work, so you will reduce office rental costs. To organize the company’s work outside the office, use task managers: Trello, Notion, Asana and others.