I’ve read that in tough economic times, it’s your most loyal customers you should stay close to. But how do you keep these relationships strong, exactly? And why is that seen as the most important target for your selling efforts in a down economy?

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Jay’s Answer: You become a leader.

Instead of keeping your marketing message the same (“We have product X that’s perfect for solving Y”), show people that your offerings actually anticipate their needs. This means that you’ll want to shift your focus from being customer-focused (where you respond to their requests) to being future-focused.

If you’re in business long enough, it’s easy to become customer-focused — just like your competitors. Everyone is showing how they are more customer-focused. That’s a reactive model.

You want to show that your company understands needs that they’re currently unaware of, and in these economic times, give them hope that you can both solve these needs and lead them to a stronger ROI. To project strong leadership, showcase your company’s history (building trust) and show how you’ve led in the past and how you’ll continue to innovate in the future.

As you know, it’s much easier keeping existing clients than acquiring new ones. That’s why you want to keep in touch with your existing clients no matter what the economic situtation is.

As businesses struggle, they are suddenly more interested in new options, vendors, solutions, and information, especially if there’s a clear benefit to them. So besides your loyal customers (who already trust you), re-examine your offerings to see if there are new niches that you can additionally target. Your past successes will help strengthen your message into these areas.