I hate to be the one to say this but we’re currently in a recession.
(Sigh) The fact that we haven’t even recovered from COVID-19, the lootings and the recent hike in fuel price just leaves me wondering what could happen next. But we move!
However, what this means for businesses is that with heightened frustration from customers, we have to bring our A-game on. This means that your processes have to be as easy as ABC unless they’ll move.
I kid you not; 2021 will put more pressure on revenue and cost due to slowing economic and market conditions. I can hear your ‘God forbid’ from here. My dear, I’m not a prophet of doom; it is what it is. So, it’s best to prepare while the year is still 6 weeks away.
Fix your sales processes now. You can use the Black Friday as a test in preparation for next year. I’m not saying you should join the bandwagon so you can enter the ‘sold out’ geng. I can tell you for free that beyond making sales, this is an opportunity to attract new buyers and ‘play’ with the data they provide you. Email addresses and phone numbers for delivery purposes are a really important tool incase you haven’t heard that data is the new oil.
Imagine getting 20 new customers and sending them emails or WhatsApp messages once a week about your combo deals or pre-order packages for Christmas or in preparation for when school resumes. Getting them to pay ‘small small’ while you produce what they need and selling to them the experience of a lifetime. Learning how to run effective ads so that by 2021, you’ll be a guru at targeted marketing. Revamping your website or acquiring one that integrates a seamless payment system, which we provide at no cost to you if you click here.
From just reading the previous paragraph, I can feel the burden that will be lifted off your shoulders if you can start now.
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Moving on! Customers expect you to adapt to the changing times. This is not the time for ‘No DMs’ or the most frequent ‘No Refunds’. While these might form your business policy, let that not be the first thing we see when we visit your page. Find out why we are requesting a refund and why we are in your DMs. It’s possible your website is down or the item was damaged during delivery. It’s not fight. We just want to know that you’re willing to go to the reasonable length to serve us on a personal level and the easiest way is to ensure friction-free experiences from inception till final sales. Customers want to know you care for ‘me’ and not ‘us’.
Research shows that focus on the importance of creating a personalized customer experience was an expectation from customers during and post the pandemic. 75% of people will only engage with a message that is tailored to their needs, therefore, you need to work on repositioning yourself in our minds through your customer journey.
People are not smiling especially with everything 2020. For instance, the financial services industry recorded a whooping 25% increase in searches for ‘how to switch banks’, representing an opportunity for fellow industry players and those who want a seat at the table. In addition to this was an increased number of customers who sought out financially-related content during the COVID-19 as shown in the spike in searches on cheque deposits through mobile phones and account opening.
Package your 2021 in 2020. Times are tough but don’t let the woes of this year deprive you of the wins of next year.
He who has ears, let him hear
