The Redux Series (1): Beat The Recession

1. Get back in your ‘war room’ and review your ‘Beat the Recession’ plans to-date. If you don’t have any: see point 2.
2. Set a new plan for the next 12 months of continuing tough times.
3. Having made it this far you must be doing plenty right.
4. The key is to know what that is: where are you making margin, where are you building share, where is it most easy to defend price? Build on these successes.
5. It is a rare market where the customer will stop spending all together whether it is wine, consultancy or heating systems: you need to target them. Look for the common characteristics of buying customers whether it is geography, size or even your simple mail-shot.
6. As the market eases there will be a huge amount of spending which didn’t happen which needs to happen. Stay in touch with the customers you want even when they are not spending, ready for when they do.
7. Sell the benefits, the value, the RoI of your product. The logic of purchasing your product many be obvious to you. But you work with it every day. Explain it well to someone who is possibly new to your product, possibly new to you and certainly reluctant to spend money.
8. Sell what’s special about your solution compared to the competitors.
9. Sell urgency: why do they need to buy now?
10. Run mini-workshops for the team on handling objections, doing cold call, writing proposals.
11. Think 1%. I% improvement here multiplied by 1% here.
12. Keep the team informed. Don’t just leave them in a sate of anxiety.
13. Work in your business: answer call, have a tidy reception….
14. Work on your business: improve, invest, inspire….
15. Make sure there is time for fun whether it is pizza, Frisbee or theatre or all three.
16. Encourage people to go home on time.
17. Celebrate all success.
18. Analyse quickly and discretely business lost and learn from the loss.
19. Note the competition but do not copy them: leap them.
20. Book the ‘war room’ session, today.