Customers Today Need Special Care

Business strategies have to literally "go with the flow." What worked yesterday in a great economy needs to be adjusted to work in today's. The first thing that will bring you the desired results is to analyze your client base. If your customers range in the senior, baby-boomer, or retired range, then these are people on fixed incomes. While their activities may be curtailed a bit because of high prices, unemployment is not a problem for them, and most likely their homes are almost paid for.
If your customers are young families or individuals in the pre retirement range, then job security, as well as closed factories and foreclosures will bring buying power to lower levels, as more important bills will take any extra cash they may have.
Understanding your most precious commodity - namely, your customers, is your number one priority during these times. Of course, they should always be maintained with the highest regard, but especially now. Whatever the product or service you are providing, whether in street establishments or on the internet, this is the time to re-think strategies.
Advertising is a big ticket item in any business. With newspaper readerships dropping, the internet is an upward moving media. There is, and always will be, direct mail as well. When you place something in a person's mailbox, this is more individualized and a more personal approach. Offering a "club" membership to your regular customers as well as to any new customers that might be joining you, is not only a great incentive to shop at your place of business, but this is a direct way to track customer activity and to make adjustments as well as improvements in what you offer. If you see a certain product or service being used by more than half of those in your exclusive "club", then that is the motivator and the starting point to increase sales and consider it a "draw-in." The products or services that are not moving need to be removed or revamped. This managing tool is a very vital means of knowing what your customers like about your business and what they would like to see changed. You could offer "club" membership with their very first order, or you could offer it with coupons or rebates on certain products, to join or not, if they so desire.
The current "wave" of interest as well as statistics pointing to the fact that it will continue on into the future is organic, pure, and as basic as possible. People want to feel soil between their fingers and know where their food comes from, they want crafting possibilities so that they can be creative and they appreciate innovative ways to keep the earth green. If any of your products fall into these categories then your attention to these areas will be well worth your effort. Also, it doesn't hurt to offer something for "every" age group. There could be "senior" discounts as well as "children" offers. You could even suggest ways to entertain at home, or to make the most of their shopping dollars. Samples work very well in this environment because people can actually try and see if they like what you are offering. This doesn't necessarily have to be food items, it can be gardening, or paper products, as well as car repair or house repair items.
The economy can be your motivation to get to really know your customer base and work with them and for them. It can bring your business to become a "friend of the family" and really mean it. Today's savvy customers can tell a phony deal a mile away and once they get the scent of dishonesty, then it is almost impossible to regain what you have lost.
In today's business world, you too must use your creativity and look to your employees to provide even more inspiration and ideas. From top manager to store room clerk, everyone has different interests and different contacts. Make the most of these diversities by offering incentives to employees who come up with great ideas or whose plan to have an open house to free movie tickets for a family size purchase, will bring you the best of all worlds. You will have customers who will sense that you do care about them as individuals and not as just seeing the cash register ring and you will have employees stretching their imaginations and output so that with your success, they too gain not only monetarily with job security but with respect and being treated as truly "part of the business." A perfect way to go down the highway of today's business world.
Something to think about ©Arleen M. Kaptur April, 2009