Do you remember a few years back there was a commercial where a small business owner has his sales staff in a room and is talking about how they have lost touch with their customers? He seems genuinely concerned about being in contact with them because as the owner he knows that they are his lifeblood. His solution was to hand each one of his sales folks an airline ticket so they could go see the customers and reconnect. Powerful thinking for sure.
Fast forward to 2008. In USA Today the sobering news of the mind numbing increase in the cost of flying makes the scenario described earlier a lot less likely for many SMB’s. In the article there is a list of some heavily traveled routes and the increases in fares from just one year ago. I would recommend you take a look at the list but to summarize it for you of the 35 plus routes listed the fare increase range from the low end of 110% to the high end of 276%. Those are scary numbers indeed for the small and medium businesses of the world.
This begs the question of what are the best options available to maintain contact with your clients and prospects without having to break the bank to get in front of them. It’s official, folks. Times are truly changing. It may not be practical anymore for the small business person to be flying all over to be in front of their client or prospect. Honestly, that is very bad news for this somewhat “old school” guy (I still think a handshake and the ability to sit in someone’s office has great power in business).
So what are the options? Thankfully the internet allows for some ways of making contact that while not even close to substituting for the handshake and a square look into the eyes can be effective.
1. Build out the website – Face it. You can’t just have an “online brochure” as a web site anymore. Neither do you need something that is overdone. Your site does need to show that you are active, alive and a viable alternative. This is critical for SMB’s for their existing clients as well as for prospecting. A dead site leads to a cold prospect almost every time.
2. Search marketing – You didn’t think I would let this go did ya? For every SMB like yours there is another one looking for your services and trying to save money as well. Google and the search engines help facilitate that. If you are not doing it then you will lose.
3. Blog – Tired of hearing about SMB blogging? You know why? It’s because you know you should be doing it. It is a chance to have interaction with clients, prospects and even industry peers that makes you more alive and viable. Don’t have the time you say? Find it. Stop complaining and make it happen.
4. Web conferencing – If your client has the capability on their end I think that this is an expense that quickly turns into an investment. I would even suggest that YOU pay to set up your client with this capability. It may be the next best thing to being there these days.
5. Pick up the phone – This is a lost art of sorts in this day and age but there are few substitutes for the ability to hear someone’s voice and the inflection when talking about their needs. Younger folks discount this option and think that e-mail is more efficient. I disagree completely. In fact, e-mail should always be a supporting / supplementary form of communication and never a primary one unless the other party is COMPLETELY bought in.
6. Get creative – White papers, webinars, lunch and learns, look for business closer to home. You name it. There are many ways to support your current customers and find new ones. In this economic environment creativity will win the day for the SMB.
Comment Starter: How are you reaching customers with traveling being more cost prohibitive? How do you maintain contact with your clients and prospects? What internet techniques work best for you?
SMB Takeaway: With the cost of business travel going through the roof it is critical that SMB’s find ways to maintain contact with clients and prospects that fills the void of less “face time”.
Thanks and have a great day!
