Wake Up Your Old Customers
These “old friends” can help you during the off-season.
Make a list of customers who have ordered from you some time ago, but who you’ve perhaps not heard from for a while. Give them a call, or drop them an email and find out why.
You will often find that they have been made an impressive offer by a competitor in order to get their business, but they might not be as was promised, or are perhaps not performing well.
It maybe that your original contact has left and the new purchasing manager is unaware of your company, products and services.
Before calling, get some insight from their website or check their LinkedIn posts to find out any recent news.
Find out what you need to do to regain their valued business.
Tell them about any new products and shipping methods.
Offer related products to the ones they ordered before.
Make a special offer for long-time customers only (a discount, a gift, free shipping).
Find out who are your most profitable customers
Take a proper look. You might be surprised.
CustomerA might have a high turnover with you, but if you look closely, you might find that this is simply because they buy lots of low value widgets, when it's actually CustomerB who buys less frequently, but who buys high value items that is the better earner.
Then take some time to look on LinkedIn for more businesses of the same type as CustomerB, and create a marketing plan with an offer on the high value widgets.
Shout about it
Consider who would be up for answering a few questions in exchange for a bit of free advertising in the form of a mention on your site. Ask if they are willing to provide a Testimonial for your website to show how fantastic you are.! You can download our Free Testimonial Questionnaire HERE and a fantastic, professional Template HERE.
Seasonal Products
Take a look at what sells and when, then consider which offers will get you ahead of your competitors at that time, such as Buy one Get One Free, or Free Delivery for orders over a certain value.
Also, take some time to consider what it is that people will need from you when the Covid19 situation is all over.
Now is the time to put together a plan including when to start promoting your offer, to whom, by what method, and of course how much to charge.
Will you need to print leaflets, an e-shot or perhaps social media advertising?
Also, add a Pre-Order/ Booking form for your site giving your customers a chance to jump the queue once restrictions are lifted. Something along the lines of "Want to be first on our list? Leave your email address and we will contact you as soon as restrictions allow us to trade!"
Get the most out of the Web
Consider being open 24/7 with a chat facility on your website. Everyone who is looking for information generally want it then and there, otherwise they move on.
Consider directing your sales messages via E-mail and/or Social media and directing them to only those who will be interested.
Don't have a website? Well, have no doubt - your customers and prospects will be visiting your competitors' sites for information.
If you do have a website, does it enable people to discuss their queries or at least leave an enquiry?
Consider enabling your customers to;
place orders
book an appointments -
make stock enquiries
make account enquiries - what did I buy last month, how much did I spend, what is this invoice for?
Drop us a line or call if you are unsure where to start.
New / Related Products
This down-time can be good for adding in new products and services to your port-folio. You have more time to prepare the sourcing, pricing and promotional campaigns than you would have during the peak season.
Also, consider offering related products. If someone buys product X, then test the water regarding their interest in product Y - after-all they themselves might also be reviewing their purchasing methods.
Also, remember related products don’t have to be cheaper than the main one.
Show how they can save on delivery charges by purchasing more items from you - they might not even be aware of your full portfolio - maybe they just know that you sell widgets because that's what they always buy from you!
Make it easy for them to buy more from you.
Review your accountancy costs.
Have a look at how much you have spent over the year on Accounting Advice, Year End, VAT return and Taxation, and then compare against our costs HERE.
We also have additional services if you need them, including Invoicing, Bookkeeping, CashBook, etc.
Master a New Sales Channel
Whilst things are a bit on the quiet side, there’s time to seriously consider or implement all of the things that you have been thinking about getting doing, such as Advertising on Social Media, creating your LinkedIn profile, Selling on-line, Taking on-line bookings etc.
There are lots of free courses available at the moment, but if you need any assistance, click HERE to drop us an email outlining your thoughts and requirements and we will share our knowledge.
Consider a new Business Opportunity
How many of your business colleagues are also in the same situation, looking to cut costs, needing a plan for post-covid19, looking to improve on sales generally.
There are many opportunities to choose from so take this opportunity to do your research, and try to keep an open mind.
Check out our Business Club and see how much you could earn by generating referrals of like-minded individuals who would appreciate reducing their accountancy bill, and receiving additional business benefits all for less than they are currently paying their current accountant.
No training required - we are simply looking for referrals. Find out more HERE.