Tips for Business Growth

No doubt about it, for most businesses 2020 has been a challenging year. Yes, I do know of a few companies that are having a banner year. But that is the exception not the norm.

I am sure I can speak for most, that at the beginning of the COVID situation we all thought the disruption would be short lived. We were wrong. Initially we all pivoted to short-term solutions to sustain our businesses. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be a short-term situation.

Many companies have changed their business focus completely, some have modified their businesses and others are starting to come back.

So how do you grow business in difficult times? Pretty much the same way you do all the time. I think that many of us get caught up in survival mode and don’t focus on growth. And we should be, because there is business out there to be had.

Keep In Touch

One key element for us has been staying in touch with clients and prospects with a phone call. Most of the time, I am not contacting for business, just touching base. Of course I want them to know we are still in business, but I also just want to know how they are doing.

We also stay in touch regularly through emails. These, in most cases, are more business oriented. We’ve put together various presentations that we feel would be beneficial for our clients and prospects. For example, items that would be needed to welcome employees back to the office; items that would be useful for those working at home; gifts that say we appreciate all that you do; and so on.

And they have worked. We have clients that said they had no budget for this year to contact us and say “your appreciation ideas hit home, we want to move forward”. We also got calls from prospects for the same reason and now they are clients.

Direct Mail

Direct mail helps us keep an even more personal connection with our clients and prospects. Many of our services are sensory in nature. We want people touch, smell, taste, hear and see products to help them connect with the brand and experience.   

So sending customers and prospects product samples when we can’t visit in person has been key. We pick items we think appropriate and send with a simple note. We are also producing Gossett Marketing branded and themed packaged messages. We’ve done a few so far and have two more in the works to send out in the coming weeks. So far, each one has received positive responses. And our most recent package resulted in another new client.

Expanding Our Network

As I’ve said before, we were big into networking to fill our new business pipeline. We would attend multiple events a week. Obviously, that option is not available right now.

One key way we have been expanding our reach and network is through LinkedIn. We post articles of interest and new product concepts regularly. And, we have been reaching out to old colleagues, clients, friends, and of course connections of connections to connect. It has worked.

This has been part of our growth strategy for some time. And growth connections can take time. Two years ago I had a client move to a new company. I saw her new position announcement and reconnected via LinkedIn. She wanted to continue to work with us, but they had their own “vendors”.

A year goes by and another client from a different company moves to a new position at that same company she joined just before the Pandemic began. Again I send a note of congratulations and reconnect with them via LinkedIn.

Now I have two connections at this company. And again, they say they have their own “vendors” but sometimes they review new options in the fall. Now, keep in mind, all this communication is taking place via LinkedIn.

So, in late September I reached out again via LinkedIn and ask if they are conducting a review. And you guessed it, they said yes. And now we are becoming a vendor for the company. We already have several prospective projects. Persistence truly pays off, even in a Pandemic!

Persistence Pays

Like most, we have target lists of companies that would be a good fit for our company client roster. And back in January, we made a key connection with a decision maker on our target list through LinkedIn. We reached out to schedule a meeting to better introduce ourselves. They wanted to wait until their new VP started.

Fast forward to June (and a number of LinkedIn and email conversations) and we had a zoom meeting with 6 people from different departments of the company. As of late summer we had completed 3 projects and are currently working on three more. And it is an array of projects; a PPE mask project, an online store and a direct mail project.  Then, just yesterday our key contact referred us to another department!

Ask for the Referral

Granted, that’s the best referral situation, when someone thinks of you and makes the introduction.

That’s why asking for referrals should be a key part of your regular client communications. That reminds them that you would like to continue to grow the relationship and your business. If they like what you are doing for them, they will refer you internally and externally.

And also, don’t forget to ask for the business. Many times we are so worried about coming off as too salesy that we miss out on opportunities. We may not ask what other projects might be coming up or if there are other opportunities within the services you provide within the company. Trust me, it doesn’t hurt to ask!

Ask for the Business

I don’t know about you, but we get pigeon-holed a lot. Some companies think of us for high-end incentives, one actually thinks of us as the “hat” people (one CEO in particular), others think of us as the direct mail people or the promo company.

Now is a great time for a total services reminder to all your clients and prospects. Because they may not be doing traditional promotions and don’t realize the breadth of knowledge and services you provide.

I have a number of clients that are in the hospitality business. As we all know, that industry has been hit particularly hard. Again, though, I have stayed in touch and have included case studies of different projects we have been doing.

Just this week, one of those clients called and said, “I forgot you did design and printing and I’ve got a few upcoming projects that I’d like to discuss with you”. She indicated that she really appreciated us staying in touch, being pleasantly persistent. Now we’ve got four projects in the works.

Social Media

All the social media networks are also a key element to staying connected and up to date. I had lunch with a client last week and she indicated she gets up at 4:30am every morning to workout. But she doesn’t start her workout till 5:30am because she spends that first hour of every day checking Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and more.

I have to admit, I’m not that dedicated. We do post, we do explore and it might be one of the areas to expand again. But I have heard from members of my mastermind group that they have gained new clients from their social media interactions. This is another area of connection that is so important, especially now.

Growth is an Option

During this Pandemic year with the efforts I have made, I have increased business with three clients through introductions to new departments and gained six new clients. Business is out there if you look.