How to increase sales to business clients during a crisis

In times of crisis, sales decline despite one’s best efforts – this is one of the common misconceptions. It can happen, and it does happen, to many companies. However, it needn’t happen to everyone.

Sales will decrease if we continue as usual, and we don’t change the templates that are rooted in our business. So, what are the things we should change?

• Pay more attention to your client bases and make sure they’re up to date! It’s characteristic of the crisis that in some areas, activities will actually stop or continue at a much smaller scale. These companies are certainly not the best target group for sales during the crisis. And this should be taken into account. Information on how to alter your database to meet the current crisis can be found HERE.
• Expand your circle of potential customers! How old is your client database? Has anyone been working on supplementing and updating it on a regular basis? If the answers to these questions indicate that the database is not very up-to-date or complete, some companies that could be buying or ordering from you are probably missing. It’s possible to expand sales to completely new target groups, but you also need a database of them. Doing this alone is costly and time consuming. You can get help from Fontakt, whose database is the most up-to-date and information-intensive in Estonia and includes the direct contact information for key personnel. Read more HERE.
• Use your sales resources more efficiently! In times of crisis, it seems that the salespeople may be working harder, but there are no results. The chances of “misfiring ” are certainly greater than before the crisis. However, this can be avoided if the salespeople would reach only the customers who are already potentially interested in the product or service being offered. And here’s where Fontakt can come to the rescue with its sales service. Read more HERE.
• When trying to make a sale, you must communicate with the person in the company who decides whether to buy or order the product or service you are selling! In the case of existing customers, they are usually known and things are taken for granted. However, this is definitely not true when it comes to companies that haven’t purchased or ordered from you before. The contact information for decision-makers along with their areas of responsibility are available in Fontakt’s databases. Read more HERE.
• Adapt your marketing activities to the changing situation! Understandably, existing channels may no longer be as effective: fairs and markets don’t take place or the number of visitors is limited; outdoor advertising no longer reaches everyone, because people, including decision-makers, move around less or not at all. Yet, your message still needs to reach your target audience. You should definitely think about how to reach them. And what channels to use. Every experienced marketing manager is capable of this, but Fontakt can help. See more HERE.

And of course – don’t give up! The crisis can provide an opportunity for your company!