Yesterday I opened the newspaper to read about the latest bailout mess. AIG seems to be paying bonuses right and left. The members of Congress are pointing fingers and claiming they were unaware of the impending payments. No one in government is at fault.
As I am shaking my head, I look over at my wife. She is intently scanning the grocery ads. What's the deal here? The country is in a depression and she is reading the ads?
Exactly! I am busy worrying about the stock market and billions of dollars that I will never see, and she is making sure that the few dollars we have are stretched as far as possible. No internet marketing technique will ever replace good ol’ newspaper ads for the grocery and local shops. They are so common that they can be easily overlooked as a marketing tool.
Sure, most of the chain stores have a CRM (customer relationship management) program in place. They have seasonal offers and keep track of what sales are slowing. They also can tell you when a certain item will peak in sales. All of this leads to being able to meet the ongoing needs of a customer.
Your business needs to be able to do the same. As customer bases are dwindling, competition is intensifying. Being able to anticipate your customer's needs becomes 10 times more important. A good CRM will help you direct print ads, postcards, pamphlets, brochures, etc., to the right customer at the right time. Anticipation of a need is half of the sales process.
How does your company target customers? Do you have a method of directing your print ads?
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