The American Advertising Federation of Asheville (AAFA), led by ClearPoint president Brenda Murphree, received a National Club Achievement Award for outstanding work in membership development at the national AAF Conference in Orlando earlier this month.  The national awards are presented annually to AAF clubs that display exceptional accomplishments in club operations, membership, public service, and other areas.  Congrats to Brenda and our WNC ad club!

There you sit.  You’ve got credit card in hand, visions of a new widget burning in your mind, and you can’t get anyone to answer the phone at the store where you’re trying to place your order.  Are you a bit annoyed?  Frustrated?  Downright angry?  Are you considering calling another store – or even forgetting the purchase altogether?

That’s how your customers feel when they call your business and don’t get an answer.

So, what do you do?

I’m glad you asked.  Let me share this story from a friend of mine who is a marketing consultant and then you decide.

A few months back a large auto parts company hired my friend to help them build sales in the weakening economy.  On his first visit to the flagship store, the general manager gave him the grand tour.  He showed my friend the neatly arranged shelves stacked with every part an ailing auto could ever need.  He introduced his “spit and polished” and highly trained staff.  And he proudly announced that he ran the best store in the company.

While my friend listened to the rather lengthy presentation, he said he couldn’t help but notice that the phone rang incessantly. In some cases, it would finally be answered after over a half-dozen rings.  Other times it would just stop ringing before anyone got to it.

At the end of the tour, my friend told the general manager that he would be providing a list of recommendations to the corporate office after visiting other stores.  But, he suggested that in the meantime, the general manager should have his staff answer all phone calls before the fourth ring.

After thirty days, my friend stopped by to see the general manager and asked how sales were going.  He was told that, as suggested, the staff had begun answering the phone before the fourth ring – and that the store had just had the best sales month in its history!

Now, I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that it’s worth a bit more effort to answer the phones if it can produce sales like that.  So take a look at your business.  If your staff is too busy to answer the phone, then hire someone to do it.  It’ll make all the difference to your sales numbers.  And, it’ll make your bottom line very happy.

1. Develop strategies for where your customers are hanging out – for example, niche blogs, Google groups, industry forum sites. Don’t allow yourself to become lazy and only rely on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Remember to make content the heart of your social media strategy. What stories are happening around your brand that make your company or products interesting to your prospects?
3. Finally, it’s crucial that you understand your role in social media. Is it to observe? To engage? To develop conversations? Or to develop relationships? Get clear on this, and your social media efforts will be much more productive.

Just because you’ve relied on the same marketing strategies to drive your sales year after year doesn’t mean you can expect similar results in a down economy.  In fact, being complacent about your marketing program may be much more damaging to your business than it would be in a soft market.  So what can you do about it?  Here are three areas that can help you bounce back.

Customer Requirements
When the economy changes dramatically, so does customer behavior.  You may need to make adjustments in your product line, pricing, and your marketing copy.  But don’t assume anything.  It’s always safer to get information straight from the customer.  So do surveys or focus groups.  Find out what they really want – and then provide it.

Lead Generation
Whether you’re getting leads through traditional advertising, your website, or the Yellow Pages, you need to evaluate the overall effectiveness of your source.  If you’re generating less leads as the recession drags on, look for what’s limiting the response to your marketing.  Is your copy doing its job?  Is the design right for your customer demo?  Is your media targeted properly?  If you’re not sure, get advice from the experts.

Conversion Rates
What percentage of your leads become paying customers?  Look at what’s holding you back from increasing that number.  Is your offer right?  Are you following up with prospects regularly?  What could you do differently?

Just because your marketing has been successful in the past, don’t assume it will carry you through a severe economic downturn.  Problems in the market require imaginative problem solvers that can reevaluate and create new ways to get consumer attention, develop desire, and stimulate action.

So don’t be complacent.  Take a good hard look at your marketing program – keep the things that work, throw out the things that are holding you back, and innovate.  Your bottom line will thank you.

Got a killer website that traps bunches of leads?  Great!  But do you turn those leads into paying customers?  If your conversation rates aren’t what they should be, maybe you’re not following up enough.  Research shows that the majority of customers don’t make a purchase until they’ve had at least 5-6 contacts with a company.  So be persistent.  It pays off!