By Greg Andersen
This article originally contained “10 things,” but the current COVID-19 crisis requires one additional item.
At some point, COVID will fade and, whether you’re building, rebuilding or restarting your business, there are things a small business—and there are 29 million in the United State— can do to jump-start the process.
In big businesses, the solution is usually to whip the sales departments into action to look for some short-term revenue or simply have layoffs to balance the books. Unfortunately, micro- and small-business owners don’t always have the lazy option of layoffs. But here are are 11 ideas you can work on today that will help:
- Call inactive clients: Look through your account lists and look for any customer that has not placed an order within the past year. Simply making a call to say you appreciate their business and want to stay in touch can generate activity.
- Call “very” inactive clients: Look through your account lists and make a list of customers who have not worked with you or bought product for years. Ask for an opportunity to regain their trust.
- Call some current clients: Look through your recently active customers and give them a call to say thank you for their trust and the business. This, too, is a good way to generate activity.
- Ask for referrals: When you call any client, offer them dinner or a Starbucks gift card if they can send other customers your way. Nearly everyone in business understands the need for referrals, but few ask for them.
- Follow up on a current order: When a small-business owner asks a customer for feedback on a recent order, it shows empathy, concern, and caring, which is why many people like working with small businesses.
- Follow up on a recent poor customer experience: If you know of a problem that recently occurred, give that customer a call to follow up. Often, the best customer relationships are forged in the heat of battle or when a problem occurs and you fix it fast.
- Send out thank you cards: Phone calls are nice, but it is also nice to send out thank you cards to all of your clients, new and old, to thank them for placing their trust in you. Always mention that you know they have a choice and you appreciate them choosing you.
- Send out a survey: Asking your customers what you do well and what you need to work on is powerful. You will be surprised by some of the answers you receive.
- Entertain when you can: Take your best customers out to lunch or dinner. Sure, you could simply send them a gift card, but the conversation and the relationship-building can have both long-term and short-term positive results.
- Invite your customers to a lunch & learn event: Assuming your business lends itself to such events, bringing in a group of customers and educating them on a specific topic that would be helpful to them is a great way to get face time and make you a go-to resource for information. This idea may not be as quick as the others, but it also is very powerful.
- Don’t waste the time you have today—“Start Planning”: There is always something you can be doing to grow, restart or refocus your business to ensure you survive and, hopefully, recession-proof your business for the future.
- Always add more clients: Even now, while difficult, it still is possible to add clients.
- Diversify your client base: Not all industries are affected the same way and this can provide protection during a down turn.
- Find new or non-traditional revenue streams: Example: If your restaurant business is slow, consider beginning to cater.
- Program accounts: If your business is transactional in nature, begin looking to add some “program”-type customers. These are customers with ongoing regular business.
Of course, some of the above activities are best employed after the COVID safety precautions are lifted These are just a few of the many things you as a small business owner can do to take back control and have an impact on your business. So, if you are one of the many small business owners who are deathly afraid of sales, let’s not call it “sales,” lets simply call it jumping on the phone and talking with friends!
Over the last 28 years as a business development manager, Greg has spent his time building, cultivating, and nurturing his client base, resulting in many longtime customers in a variety of industries. Among Greg’s strengths are his abilities to dig up new business, uncover customers’ needs and provide solutions that create long-lasting value. This passion and advice from friends led Greg to write Small Business Sales, WTF (Without The Fear) so he could share his secrets and his process with small business owners around the world. Contact Greg at greg@smallbusinesssaleswtf.com or 206.769.3974. Here’s the link to buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M9ZFHZN