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Archive for recession surivial
3 Easy Ways You Can Beat Falling ‘Footfall’
Posted by: | CommentsNow, depending on your type of business and location, you may or may not depend on ‘footfall’ for a large percentage of your business?
And I bet if you are in a local town that your footfall has been falling for about the last year??
Why?
Well…
Figures released by Experian today, show High Street footfall fell by 1.7% last year. Some areas saw falls as high as 7%+. Many local towns are becoming ‘ghost towns’ with empty units and few shoppers.
Businesses that rely soley on ‘footfall’ to generate new clients need to make changes
In good times this is often an adequate way to earn a decent income. But now ‘footfall’ is falling fast, if you want to survive need to use some new strategies.
Here are 3 ways you can take positive action to beat falling ‘footfall’.
- 1. Use Direct Marketing to Attract Affluent Clients - There are plenty of people spending money, plenty of people little affected by recession. By using direct marketing you can target specific affluent demographics with ‘pinpoint’ accuracy and either sell directly to them or use irresistible offers to invite them intoyour business. Direct marketing allows precise measurement of results and thus minimal waste.
- 2. Make More Use of the Internet - While High Street sales are falling, online sales are rising in many categories. ANY business owner can easily use the internet to both sell online (as an additional route to market) and use the internet as part of a coordinated demand generation system for new and old clients.
- 3. Utilise Joint Venture Partnerships - A lot of small business (and large) are feeling the pinch from recession. And while in good times many are happy to ‘keep themselves to themselves’, now is the time to develop partnerships with other local business for mutual gain. For example, you could could approach a local gym and ask to run a marketing campaign to their members. They gym could benefit either through a slice of profits or by a campaign to your clients.
So… While High Street footfall is falling, you really have two simple choices.
Either get very, very busy finding new ways to generate business or ‘roll over’ and ‘give up’.
‘Giving up’ should not be an option…
Dedciated to your success,
Henry.
PS: If you haven’t yet done so, be sure to grab your FREE GIFT.
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16 Fast Ways to Recession Proof Your Business
Posted by: | CommentsThere ARE signs consumer confidence is UP!!!
High Street sales are up 1.5% on last year.
Woopeee sh*t (excuse me)!
That is UNIMPORTANT.
What is IMPORTANT is what YOU are doing in YOUR world to go get a BIG slice of the spend in YOUR area, industry, specialisation.
What it does confirm is what I’ve said all along (I hate being right) - people ARE spending.
And they are spending a LOT.
All ya gotta do is find where the money is changing hands and sit in the middle with something of value and open hands.
To do that you MUST employ as MANY customer/client gathering strategies as you can get your hot little hands on.
NOTE: The fastest way to dramatic business growth even in recession is to do as many things as possible to increase your success. You SHOULD look to improve your performance in ALL these areas:
1. How many new customer/clients you generate.
2. How many times your existing customers/client return.
3. How much they spend on each visit.
4. How many people they refer.
When I talk my new clients and member through this the reaction is often:
“Derrr…Yeah…Of course…tell me something I didn’t know.”
And that’s not a slight - it is seemingly obvious.
What’s not obvious is when you break each are down and look at what’s actually being done - really being done in
each area to make it as effective as possible.
Let’s just look at number 1.
What tools, strategies and techniques do you use to generate new clients?
Here’s a partial list of the ones you should be using, have tested or if not, get using/testing…
- Direct mail
- Joint Ventures
- Telesales
- Yellow Pages
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Directories
- Pay per click internet advertising
- Search engine marketing
- Blogs
- Press releases
- Articles
- Offline networking
- Online networking
- Speaking
- Books
- Hot lines
- Reports and white papers
- Fax broadcasting
- Voice broadcasting
- Affiliate programs (if your product/service lends itself to such)
- Video marketing
- Viral marketing
- And tons more
Look down that list and tick the ones you use.
I bet it’s not more than a few to a handful?
That’s OK, just realise that by not using the rest you are leaving lots of money on the table.
Sure, some take more time than others and sure some will cost you more to acquire a customer/client than others BUT, IF you do numbers 2, 3 and 4 from the first list well then beating recession, destroying your competition and dominating your market becomes light years easier…
Oh, and it’ll make you a bunch of money in the process.
Happy recession slaying.
Henry Baker.
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Is This the Final Option?
Posted by: | CommentsIS ANYBODY STILL JUST “THROWING MONEY AWAY” IN THIS ECONOMY?
Somewhere between the crash and the hasty government survival plans and the jobs report showing 40,000 jobs evaporated in one month, a 38 year old trader and real estate investor rounded up a group of his buddies and took them on a “buddy trip” by private helicopter and Hummer limos; to VIP accommodation; and a game of ‘extreme adventure paintball” organised by a bunch of entrepreneurs.
He isn’t as weird as he sounds.
In fact, SELLERS TO THE RICH AND SUPER RICH REPORT A “PROFOUND EAGERNESS TO KEEP SPENDING” on the part of those hit by investment losses they wish to view as temporary, as a reinforcement of their personal belief system and status - doing so emphasises their sense of superiority over the masses.
The Times reported on spending for lavish holiday parties in and around London unabated… on a high-end real estate real estate buying boom fuelled by discounting: in 07, few properties priced above £5mill sold, in ‘08 the buyers were out in force… and a number of record prices were achieved at art auctions this year. And one persons thoughts about money being thrown away are another’s idea of justice… The RICH ARE SPENDING (and a lot more than you or I need)…
I’M OFTEN ASKED THE ‘BU HOW DO WE FIND THE RICH?’ QUESTION. My top advertising strategy has always been ‘follow the leader’, follow a successful advertiser who has already found the prospects you want.
Look for magazines, journals, and newspapers where the rich go… It’s not that difficult. What may be more so is YOUR belief that YOU can create enough value from the products and services you offer, enough interest, the right environment for those RICH people to WANT to buy from you.
That’s another discussion - a certain level of transformation - something I will be revealing to those who’ve requested details of my Quantum Leap program (and this is a BIG deal).
Here’s the key. To become magnetically attractive to the RICH and SUPER-RICH (I can’t make the key to recession survival any more obvious! I must have put those words in CAPITALS 10 time) you have to create an EXPERIENCE - something for them to ‘brag’ about.
And don’t forget prices.
Here are some stunning examples of Amazing prices (in use and being snapped up now)… Withers and Co produce bespoke handmade rocking horses, costing at least £3,000. They have some famous customers who seem to appreciate they are paying for craftsmanship and a unique design…Children’s Lifesize luxury playhouses with electric, running water, custom interior that can even replicate your own home: from £10,000 to a LOT more. Sky Caddy GPS loaded with details of hundreds (might be thousands) of golf courses, enabling golfers to accurately measure full depth and shape of the green from an approach, on or off the fairway, and find the nearest bar for a pint afterwards - just £270. And the box of 15 teabags for £5 (http://www.adagio.uk.com/teabags/teabags_english_breakfast.html?SID=f31485c3402b08af055a28df999cabd4)!
HIGH PRICE will work in YOUR favour IF you market to the correct audience in the correct way. Do you think it really cost 10 times as much to make the £5 teabags as it does to make a box of PGTips? Of course not.
There are LOTS of VERY good reasons to sell to the affluent.
However, as per the interview I did with 2CR radio this week, most businesses are slashing as much off their prices as they possibly can in a desperate, futile attempt to boost cash flow and attract shoppers away from competition.
YES, sales can sometimes help and YES they are sometime necessary. BUT, an IDIOT can cut their price in half and see a short term boost in sales (not necessarily a boost in profits).
But MARK MY WORDS, a lot of the shops you bought the reduced priced presents from WILL go the way of Woolworths early next year.
The time has passed for sale, lacklustre customer service, a lack of ideas, poor execution, feeble attempts to do something different.
You CAN position your company to GROW next year.
The question is WILL YOU grab the ‘bull by the horns’ and make it happen?
Most won’t…
For details of my Quantum Leap program and how it can help you position your company for growth next year you MUST be in the queue. Get in line here:
www.recessionslayer.co.uk/quantumleap
And have the most fantastic Christmas…I’m off to wrap some pressies…
Henry.
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Woolworths, Aston Martin and Recession…Yawwnnn…
Posted by: | CommentsWoh…What a week.
Apparently a hands down blockbuster winner for the recession.
Recession 1 - Business 0
Woolworths — woops.
Aston Martin — Ah!
Geez — apocalypse is setting in.
Or is it?
I ran a little laboratory test on myself this week.
If you’ve been around me a while you know I have a passionate objection to watching the news and reading newspapers. But this week I canned that and filled my belly with Sky News, BBC, the FT, Independent and a bunch more.
The effect has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Like sticking an Olympic athlete on diet of cheese burgers and Coke and then asking here to swim a world record 400m medley time — ‘aint gonna happen.
Before I began my news binge I was focused like a laser beam on where I, my businesses and family would be within a year, 2 years, 5 years and beyond.
Last night I was in absolute turmoil.
Fretting, sweating, worrying about our future, our families future, the worlds future and also the recession busting tips and stratgies I help my clients with (I know they work doubt was creaping in).
Plans started to unravel, my laser focus was way off target aiming at thoughts of losing everything, ending up an destitute alcoholic with a beard (a little exagerated).
Ok, what’s the point of this?
You have GOT to FILL your mind with PROSPERITY not poverty.
I’m not advising you not to watch the news or read newspapers — up to you. BUT, I am saying be VERY, VERY careful what you let into your environment — it has a HUGE effect on you.
Constant absorption of negative, recesison filled tales CANNOT help you. However, a constant commitment to associating with positive people, infomation and ideas WILL help you.
And I don’t mean looking in the mirror and chanting “Everything is great”. That will only help IF you have a REASON for everything to be great.
So here’s the key.
Get a reason.
Decide HOW YOU are going to conquer recession and set to work doing it.
If you needs more clients deverop a plan to get them. What’s in the plan?
- - More prospect generating marketing. Identify what’s worked well in the past and do more of it.
- - More referral marketing
- - Identify 100 possible joint venture partners, devise an irresistible offer and contact them all!
If you need a cash boot - put a cash boost plan in place.
- - Identify a need within your current client base.
- - Create something to fill it.
- - Write a bloskbsuter sales letter (or pay me to doi it).
- - Send out the letter.
- - Rake in the cash.
Whatever your challaneges are, there is ALWAYS a way to fix ‘em.
And even if apparently totally insermountable — look for the positive…It WILL be there.
The END.
Well, sort of.
A little different this week I know.
I simply had to share my little experiment.
Chin up.
Henry Baker.
PS: If you’ve only just subscribed to my ramblings, welcome! Hope you enjoy them and they help you.
PPS: If you know anyone else who could benefit from the endless spouting of a marketing genuis who loves to help others grow their businesses then please ask them to subscribe at http://www.recessionslayer.co.uk, forward this mail on or ask them to mail me directly.
PPPS: If you need to add a shot of ‘juice’ into your marketing and want some help — mail me with some specific POSITIVE comments on how my tips have helped you and you’ll get a a free 15 minute consultation worth a whole lot of money. Fair deal?
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