RubyPearl Blog
Tough times call for Smart Offensive approach
Small businesses have the upper hand
So my old college professor used to preach, when times are tough scale back on your spending, stop moving and hope the winds of doom miss your house. He said it with such oomph that for a longtime I lived by this ideology: now that I am a little older and have experienced live a little more, I begger to differ dear old professor.
I argue that when times are tough one should go on the offensive to survive; now before you point finger and accuse me of encouraging businesses and individuals alike to be reckless and attack everything that gets in their way, allow me to elaborate.
We need look no further than a couple of iconic sports to illustrate my point: that is football and football, or soccer for the later. So picture this scenario, which if you remotely family with sport they call beautiful game (soccer) happens often: two team are tied at 0-0 with 10 minutes to go, the crowd is getting restless by the ticking seconds, the players growing weary of their chances to win as they begin to slow down: and to add icing to the cake it rain is pouring down now. Here is whats at stack, the wining team gets 3 points and ticket to the top of the league standings. So who has the upper hand, which team is likely to score? I would argue the home team has the upper hand
•Its raining, the home team is used to playing in the rain and on this pitch; they know all the bumps and can navigate the field with ease; they train in the rain because it rains so often. It does not affect their passing game. Cant say the same about the other team.
•The visiting team is not familiar with the field let alone playing in the rain
•The crowd knows what is at stake, they will root even louder as final minutes tick away
I would put my money down on the home having the best chance to win, as long as the take a smart offensive approach.
•The visiting team cant play a passing game in the rain, they are getting tired and the crowd noise grows more intimidating by the minute.
Smart offensive approach
•Home team starts to pass the ball more as the move forward, their players quick to pounce on the errors that the visiting team is making because of the rain. This invites the visiting team to break out of their defensive shell and go on the hunt for the ball creating openings for the home to score. The home team uses its knowledge of the field to avoid the bumps and places where pools form. The home team knows its getting tied too so they let the ball do the running, they defense pushes up to the offense and still weary of any potential sudden attack from the visitors offense. The crowd stops senses whats happening and they respond rallying behind their team, with defining chants of their team name and players. And the rest is history.
I do not want to bore you none soccer fans, so here is my point. Under the current economic conditions the small businesses have the upper hand for the same reasons as in my analogy. Small businesses can be a little more nibble like the home team; they are not carrying the weight of playing away from home in unfamiliar territory. Small businesses should focus on a smart offense that includes taking advantage of their local base: they have intimate knowledge of the local market and are considered part of the community. On the other hand big businesses move slow and have to answer to a lot of dissatisfied share holder, board of directors and recently the government: they can not easily change they tactics.
Now is the time for smart offense
Speak to your local market in the language they understand: market your brand appropriately: does your market respond to well to coupons offering discounts. Think about your best business days; are they when you have marked down your product? Or are you in an area where customers are enticed by other incentives such as no wait policy or walk- ins if you a salon or dentist. In other words,
•Indentify the elements that connect you with the customers and focus on highlighting them.
•Figure out your passing game: How are you going to market these elements in your market?
•Turn your defense into offense; if you have been crawled up into a corner come out, and let your market know that you are in business and will put up a smart fight to stay in business. You would be surprised that your have a sense of loyalty to you: but remember customers respond to some form of stimulation and it does not always have to be discounts.
Some cost effective and practical offensive tactics
Set-up an email club: Ask your customers if they would not mind if you emailed them to remind them of specials, promotions, new products, when its time for the re-touch or cleaning etc. E-marketing is smart offense when welcomed by the recipient. Ask them to pass it on to friend if who might need it. Let them know you will be grateful: did I hear dry free first dry cleaning on us for your next purchase, or 10% off accessories on your next visit. It costs as little as $15.00 a month.
Start a Newsletter
Similar to email marketing a newsletter can be a powerful offensive tool, invite your customers to contribute to the newsletter. Focus on local events; celebrate birthdays, up-coming local festivals and so on. Keep your business on the minds in a non-intrusive way and they will root for you even louder. Keep in mind your newsletter has to be relevant to your business. It a great way, to educate customers allow them to be a part of your business while building brand loyalty.
Attach your tagline to your email signature
This is a great way to keep your brand on the minds of your customers
Have a consistent brand message
If you already have a logo, place it on all your materials and communications to customers. Consider creating if have not already done so. Make sure all your promotional materials have the same message
When was the last time you touched up your store, no I dont mean change the paint, I mean freshening it:
•Do you have displays that are inviting and current: appropriate with the season? Times are tough you probably have limited staffing on the sales floor: that means your silent sales person is more important than ever
•Is your store clean; nowadays customers expect nothing but exceptional service and that includes a clean environment?
•Touch up your product presentation, a simple change of color, silhouette can increase interest: especially now when you are probably not investing too much in new styles.
Whatever you do remember you are the home time, the crowd is beyond go on the offensive and be smart, dont crawl into a corner and hope the nightmare passes; stand up and fight.