How to Prevent Your Business from Death on the Vine

In times of plenty, when there is more certainty and confidence, businesses may have the luxury of customers or clients being on their front door step. These are not necessarily those times for many businesses. But just because there’s no crowd at your front door right now, you must continue to bring people to that door step.

1- Maintain a focus on your prospective clients problem or pain. Even difficult economic times are NOT about you. In sales and marketing it is always about the customer. What is your customers most prevalent problem? What do they want to avoid or what do they want to get? Keep that at the heart of your message.

2- Plan to drip on your prospects. Tougher economic times usually can mean longer decision making cycles. You must plan to follow-up more than before. Before what? Well before the internet the International Marketing Association reported an average of 6 contacts with a prospect before they moved through the “know, like, trust” cycle to buy. With the onslaught of television, radio, direct marketing and the internet advertising the time line is now between 6 and 21 times.

3- Drip with purpose. Business graveyards fill up quickly without purpose because, people aren’t interested in you! Plan to be systematic with reasons that prove you were listening to them. Something personal like a birthday, something that shows you were listening, like their interest in red wines, fine valid business reasons that are purposeful in connecting.

What are you finding is working to keep your company, your business, alive as the economy in general continues to remain stuck in many areas of the world?