<p>Is the recession hurting your business? Are you watching your sales drop and seeing more and more prospects pass you by?<br /> <br /> Are you starting to get discouraged?<br /> <br /> Then consider this: there’s still plenty of money floating around out there.</p>
<p>People still have credit cards. Most people still have jobs. They still have money to spend- if there’s a really good reason to spend it.</p>
<p>So that’s what you have to give them: a really good reason to buy from you. The same old reasons won’t necessarily cut it anymore.</p>
<p>Think about how the current economic climate is affecting your clients.</p>
<p>What are they thinking about? Worried about? Looking for?</p>
<p>One fundamental thing people are looking for right now is something to help them feel safe. </p>
<p>If you can position your product as something that will help them feel safe and secure, then you’re guaranteed to increase your sales during a recession.</p>
<p>The trick is simply to see how the current climate is affecting the way people think about buying decisions, and position your product or service accordingly.</p>
<p>Seen in this light, the current crisis may actually be an <em>opportunity in disguise</em> for your business.</p>
<p>Here are four suggestions for ways you could position a product or service that would take advantage of consumer’s changing buying psychology.</p>
<p>Try positioning your product or service as:</p>
<p><strong><br />A Preventative Measure</strong></p>
<p>People are feeling overwhelmed. It seems as if there is just one problem after another, and the situation just keeps getting worse. When you’re worried about your job, your retirement and your house, the last thing you need is “one more thing” causing trouble.</p>
<p>Position yourself as offering the product or service that can help prevent “one more thing” from heaping misery upon your prospects, and you’ll be rewarded with sales.</p>
<p>This is a great way to keep high ticket items moving in hard times.</p>
<p>Shopping at an expensive grocery store can help people feel that they’re eating healthy food and therefore their health at least isn’t in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Buying cable can become a way to stave off the change and frustration of dealing with the end of broadcast TV.</p>
<p>And the last thing anyone needs in bad times is an old, unreliable car. Why not buy a new one, loaded with safety features?</p>
<p>Find a way your product can be “insurance” against “one more thing,” and you’ve got a great way to pump up your sales.</p>
<p><br /><strong>An Old Standby</strong></p>
<p>No one wants to take a chance on something uncertain nowadays.</p>
<p>If you’re a well established company or a familiar brand, a recession is the perfect time to ramp up your marketing.</p>
<p>What could be more comforting than knowing your money is in a secure, respected financial institution?</p>
<p>What would feel better than comfort food in the form of a McDonald’s cheeseburger and a Coke?</p>
<p>Tell how long your company has been in business, how trusted it is, how comforting and stable it is.</p>
<p>Also, make sure that your marketing efforts are targeted at current or past customers. A recession is a great time to convince old customers to buy again from a trusted and respectable company that they have purchased from in the past.</p>
<p><strong>Part of What Really Matters</strong></p>
<p>When the economy is bad, people start to think more about “what really matters.”</p>
<p>“What really matters” is not having a new car or a new house, but being able to be with the people you love.</p>
<p>Consider running “holiday-style” ads year-round in a bad economy. Images of happy families, cuddled up together, embracing your product.</p>
<p>You should also emphasize any aspect of your product that will help people have more time to spend with their families. For example, a new dish detergent isn’t great just because it gets off the tough grease. It’s great because you can spend less time scrubbing and more time with your family.</p>
<p><strong>The Way Out Of This Mess</strong></p>
<p>When things are tight financially, people are looking for The Solution. Your product or service can be The Solution to their problems.</p>
<p>I recently heard a story about a Yoga instructor who has taken to selling her classes as a way to help people ace job interviews. The confidence, self esteem and well being that come from Yoga classes will be appealing to any potential employer.</p>
<p>Clothes likewise can help someone do well on a job interview, or feel better about themselves after losing a job.</p>
<p>A new computer program can boost efficiency and salvage a company’s profit margin. A copywriter like myself can help prop up declining sales.</p>
<p>Your company might also be part of The Solution to the broader economic mess.</p>
<p>Highlight your charitable activities, your commitment to integrity in business relations, and how many jobs you create in the US.</p>
<p>Be the hero of the unfolding economic crisis, and you’ll be rewarded with sales.</p>
2009-02-07T20:57:03Z
2009-02-08T09:11:40Z
-11.8252
295
3102
true
15
25457
how-to-make-the-recession-work-for-you
2
2009-02-08T09:11:26Z
2009-02-08T09:11:26Z
Due to the economic crisis, people are thinking differently about spending money. Here are four ways to use "recession psychology" to your advantage.
How To Make The Recession Work For You
0
2009-02-24T09:49:13Z