If you are a retail based business, offer products/services business to business, professional service provider, commissioned sales rep etc   You will want to read this article.  Over the past few years the way to the customer’s wallet has changed. 

| YellowPages are dead…Google is the new directory |

No longer can you expect to place a yellow page ad, newspaper ad, send out flyers, advertise on radio, runs ads on TV blasting “I’m here, I’m here” and expect to get results.  Customer behaviour has changed and if you do not change with it you are doomed.  How you adjust, adapt and prepare for the new customer will determine your long term success.

So what’s changed?  In the last little while, online has taken over.  Comparison shopping occurs in just a few clicks versus hours of phone calls or in-store visits.  Speaking of in-stores visits…those occur in the comfort of the customer’s own home or desk via Google, Yahoo, Bing etc.  

| We’re open Monday – Friday 9-5 no longer works for people. |

Days and weeks of research done the old fashioned way are now compressed in to hours, minutes and seconds.  It’s no longer Monday to Friday 9-5…it’s 24/7 365.  Yes, the internet has been around for the last 25 years but it has firmly taken hold as a shopping option and has become a trillion dollar shopping option for customers and consumers around the globe.

Trillion dollar pie?  Do you want some of that?  Here are some examples of businesses doing things different.  Investment firms, car dealers, banks, insurance companies, real estate agents, dentists, restaurants to name a few have adjusted their business model…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The customer today versus before? Night and day…they’ve changed too…want to know what they look like and behave?  Keep reading.

• Their purchase decisions are slower…they compare everything.
• They get upset easier and want to let you know about it sooner and faster or they’re gone.
• They want faster resolution to what ever they are upset about or they’re gone…CAN YOU SAY “what have you done for me lately?”.
• They will not be doing business the way they used to.
• They will not be advertising the same way either.
• They will choose banks differently.
• They will buy cars differently.
• They will buy homes differently.
• They will invest differently.
• They’re online…checking your website and your competitor’s website.
• Their word of mouth travels at cyber speed via social networking
• The new tell one person if they’re happy and tell 10 people if they’re unhappy is now 100 and 1000 and spreads like a California wild fire.
• They’re using: Facebook, MySpace, Tweets, LinkedIn, Blogs, You-Tube, texting to tell the world about their experiences.
• They’re Googling…what are Yellow-pages?
• They don’t know what newspapers are.
• They listen to IPods and Podcasts not radio.
• They watch TV when it’s convenient for them and skip through commercials using their PVR.
• They buy at all hours…and it’s in the ga-zillions.
• They want to buy from you if you make it easy to buy from you.
• They are value driven…but price has moved up a couple of notches in the purchase decision.
• They want a relationship.
• They want, need and expect AMAZING SERVICE after the sale.
• When they WANT they WANT IT NOW.
• They HATE voice-mail or IVR hell.
• They need help and expert advice immediately.
• They know more about your product than you do…Oh and they also know everything about your competitor’s too.
• If they need a recommendation…see line referenced earlier about Social Networking…you better have testimonials.
• They want rapport and trust and expect to be heard and understood.

This is just the short list are you going to do something about it or stick your head in the sand?  I sure hope it’s the former and not the latter.  Failure to address the new way is surely the fast way of going broke.

For TV and radio it’s the correct demographic and the proper frequency coupled with the right message. 

For newspaper it’s placement and call to action. 

For yellow pages it’s content. 

A proper campaign ususally means BIG BIG BUCKs.  It also means nice fat juicy commissions for the sales rep who sold you the campaign.  In my opinion, the only time one should consider using the above broadbased mediums is when you feel like burning cash!  Think about it for a second…when is the last time you picked up the yellow pages?  I personally picked up the yellow book once this year…looking for a plumber when my waterheater sprung a leak.  How about TV?  I can honestly tell you I have never hurried out the door to McDonald’s when I saw one of their commercials airing…have you?  Same thing for radio and newspaper…quick! what ads come to mind when you think of the last radio commercial or newspaper ad?

Want to save a few bucks?  Figure out how you can help your customer make a decision to buy and make sure that you are closest to him/her at the time the decision is made. 

I recently made the decision to purchase an in-ground pool for my house.  How did I choose my pool builder?  Well, when I tossed the idea of getting a pool I asked friends that had pools who did they use…you see…the name of the game is referrals.  I then proceeded to check out websites for information on pools and found not much to be had.  I met with 3 pool builders and one by one they all came out to give me their pitch.  It was a bit of a hassle because we had to coordinate meeting times etc and each meeting took about an hour.  In my opinion a lot of time wasted as the pool building process is pretty much the same.

So what can a small business owner do to get more business?  Develop a BLOG or website that engages the visitor’s emotions and provides all the information they are searching for. 

Remember this, in general people DO NOT like being sold to but they love to BUY.

A small business blog or site should contain several key elements:

• a sign up box to allow visiors to get free information or stay up to date with your business via email,
• information to overcome any possible obstacle to making a purchase,
• a way for your site or blog to be interactive with your visitor,

You can set up a Blog or Website in as little as 3 EASY Steps.