Recession Proof Your Small Business

Now that we’re well into September, let me ask you a question.

How are your yearly sales figures? Are they higher, the same, or lower than last year? Is your business doing everything you expected it to?

Everywhere you turn there is talk of recession, and how people simply aren’t buying what they used to. But that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your business sales growing. You have a choice.

You competitors may be making drastic cuts, offering tremendous sales, and doing whatever they can to weather the recession. They typically sacrifice quality customer service in order to maintain a small profit.

But is that the right choice? In the short run, that may seem to be the answer. But in the long run, it may cost you your customer base. Why should they continue doing business with you when there is no quality to your customer service tactics?

Instead, focus on changing your marketing.

How are you marketing now? What are you doing to attract customers? Is it working?

Many small business owners continue to market in the same way year after year because that’s what they do. Maybe they have a relationship with the place they are advertising, and feel guilty about canceling. Or maybe they simply can’t think of any other way to advertise for their business.

Whether you are bringing in thousands of dollars per year or millions, your first step is to keep the marketing that’s working, dump what’s not, and add new techniques that will help you grow.

Start by analyzing what you’re currently doing to attract customers. How much do you spend on it, and how many sales does it bring in?

If you’re not at least breaking even, dump that way of marketing. There are many forms of marketing that exist today that probably won’t be around in the very near future. The quicker you abandon those techniques, and adapt new ones, the quicker you’ll see your business get back on track.

So, instead of costly methods such as Yellow pages advertising, why not set up a blog? If your goal is to reach out to the search engines, I guarantee there are many, very cost effective ways of reaching them – and Yellow pages isn’t one of them.

Or instead of spending thousands on a print magazine ad, why not advertise on a dozen or so complementary websites? [Websites that reach out to the same target market as you, yet sell different products and services.]

Imagine what you could do with thousands of dollars in the online world, and the target audience you could reach out to.

Bottom line is if its working, leave it alone. And if its not, make a change. With hundreds of choices for your marketing strategies, why not use some that help grow your business?

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One Response to “Recession Proof Your Small Business”

It’s Not Just The Blogging : Learn the Secrets of Making Money For Your Business With A Blog on October 14th, 2008 6:16 pm

[...] out in the online world that people will find and connect to. A few weeks ago I wrote an article Recession Proof Your Small Business. It touched quite a few nerves, and it soon was linked up with several other popular blogs. Now my [...]

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