If the 'recession' has achieved anything useful, it has been to force many businesses to stop and think very carefully about their marketing habits. Complacency and habitual patterns – ‘we always do it like this’ – are easy traps to fall into. Nowadays, it’s the people thinking or doing things differently that are succeeding against the odds.

There are all sorts of examples … Harley Davidson is now marketing bikes specifically to women. Restaurants are setting up wine clubs, cocktail groups and cookery classes to fill down-times, boost trade and promote their business all in one go.  Hyundai cars in the US are offering a 2 year moratorium on lease car deals if the customer loses their job – the buyer can walk away from the deal with no impact on their credit rating. In one stroke they made it OK to buy in a difficult marketplace.

We can’t change people’s ABILITY to buy – but you can change their WILLINGNESS to buy. People are still spending but you need to make sure you are in the right place at the right time – and offering the right product.

Consider the possibilities for you. Can you …

Sell to someone different?

• In other words, the same products you normally sell, but to a different group of people … eg. using the Internet to expand your geographical boundaries,
• If you’ve sold mainly to medium sized businesses before, can you scale down your product to make it attractive to smaller businesses?
• If you’ve sold mainly to women, can you sell to their partners – perhaps, gift ideas for ‘the Mrs’? Could you form a joint venture with another business – you share one another’s database for mutual benefit.

Sell something different?

• Your normal clients – but a slightly different product.
• Retailers could bring in complimentary products, or work with joint-venture partners that match their client base. For example, a dry cleaner offering curtain and furniture cleaning, or becoming a drop off point for shoe repairs.

Sell differently?

• Once again, the Internet offers huge opportunities and new markets.
• Join a networking group. Expand your gift voucher business if you are a retailer.
• Use direct marketing or even door-to-door promotion (great for restaurants and shops).
• Invite customers to ‘closed events’ out of hours.

Think out of the box. Don’t accept the status quo as the norm. Dare to be different.

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