By analyzing today's scenario we have to do Grass root marketing.Here we have to pay attention to the bloggers out there who write to your target audience. Product specific Blogs are great resources to get free exposure for your products.

Implement New Schemes like on Electrical & Electronic equipment do sales - cost to cost, so that on long run, from their maintenance the basic target could be achieved. Implement the scheme by adding some depository amount say 8-10% of cost of material for some span which in turn give client support service free of cost after warranty expiry.

There are 02 types of sales:

a)     Retail Sales

b)     Project Sales

Under Retail sales following Strategies could be of good result:

i)                   Best Pricing

ii)                 Extended Warranty (than other brands)

iii)               Best demonstration to net the client

iv)               Explaining additional Technical Features than other brands

v)                 Keeping self in customer’s shoe, if they require something within a particular budget, offer one with high quality with same budget.

Under Project sales following Strategies could be of good result:

i)                   Check with end client when the real requirement of material is. If it is urgent, best way to offer on site delivery without extra charges for transport before the schedule date of requirement.

ii)                 Under third party inspection is required, absorb the cost if directly dealing with Mills / Manufacturer, which certainly click the order as those over heads could be loaded on manufacturer.

iii)               Keeping self in customer’s shoe, if they require something within a particular budget, offer one with high quality with same range.

 I think increasing online advertising dollars will help to boost up sales . Margins are higher for manufacturers who e-tail. Google Ad words is an easy, do-it-yourself tool to help you with online advertising. Well written pay per click advertising campaigns can rapidly increase your ROI also.

Change the sales pitch to something unique. Sell differently.. you may want to say "I do not sell databases, but help you organize critial information". Having  different sales pitch can generate interest in people and might get them talking to you better.

What is recession?  Inrecession  salary increases .increments are not good. At work spot employablity depends on necessity and urgency to cope with costs.

The security of employment is not so good. so the consummer thinks twice before spending. He always thinks of saving on purchase. Thinks of saving some money for tommorrow.

Prior ro recession realestatefirms, fmgcs, apparels, banks targeted the segement s of youth where they have lot of money to spend .

sudddenly scene changed. To make the bussiness going now each and every is business is looking at other segments as wellas once free spending  now conservative spending segment.

In view of the above to boost sales 1. companies should impress upon the customers why he is paying prescribed price  and utility

2.In pre recession period high niddle class and middle class were targetted. Now these segments becoming spend thrifts middle class and below middle class should be targetted by prooper pricing and affordable pricing.

3. Semi urban and big villages should be targetted for consumption.

The word affordability should be one of the important words for seller.

The above steps canattract consumers who are trying to shy away from shopping.

I feel give back to your loyal customers is also a good idea for boosting up sales during recession as everyone is struggling now. Do what you can to give back.Try to get press in markets which will help your retailers, or give small discounts to your customers. We all appreciate the notion that we "are in this together."

Hit untapped industry with existing product, invest more on R&D, hit new industry  and think in their point of view and see how your products suits there need, if does not customize it... this is a great opportunity to discover and innovation 

what you say guys, i welcome all your postive and negative comments

Regards,

Karthick

You dont have much choice here excepting to work with your old customers and give them cuts in normal   pricing. Recessiona is all about being in the business, but living and riding out a negative margins. I recollect time in a particular country where the tradition they had during a deflation period that came with the Asian Crisis was

1. Bring down   price points
2. Cut down costs, salaries and bonuses, even the MD had to suffer 5-25% cuts, humiliating but had to be done
3. No staff cuts happened but travelling and overtime was actively scrutinized and need approvals. Late sitting was simply discouraged, or was unpaid for.
4. The question of new customers was always difficult as in recession periods, admin - advertising - IT are always the first on the cost cutting exercises. Even the idiots know this, so to recruit and look for new for new customers is monumental stupidity as concerned sales person will only waste time, show late hours and hard work and bill for expenses incurred to demonstrate how he is working to get new customers.  Makes better sense to use your salesperson to do PR work, knock with old customers or existing ones and do whatever your customer wants.
5. On new projects, sign up - give them figures and execute 30-70 percent of the assignment to get whatever billing one can extract. Japanese firms in their local markets quote low, but later keep hitting the clients for changes once the guy is signed up. Of course, negotiations take long, and the market out here generally pays up only after you have delivered work. Only system integrators will pay you advance, but after hard negotiations and evidences that there is work going on in parallel in your firm.

Recession in its very inherent meaning is a lean and mean period, the question of "boosting" sales does not arise and is extreme stupidity even to look for claim this is possible, I mean if such was the case, everyone would be claiming great sales in Recession. One needs to recollect, the fad of Indian IT sales has also to do a lot with our currency generally getting devalued every year between 5-20 %, which is what has sustained India the last decade and a half.

Now the fun period of honeymooning is over, the marriage blues have begun - You have to work within the same rules that apply to the local firms.

It is a lean period, you have to ride it out, and you get to do with your old customers with a lot of PR and mutual negotations and understanding, not all of it documented on paper. Firms that are into this dirty business of keeping 2 good guys onsite and 30 idiots screwing up the works and getting paid for is over.

4

this helps in attracting the new and old customers to buy /sell your products for instance , if give an offer or discount on sale of the product then more customers will come to buy it and in the same , if you are buying an product from retailshop u will get the same product in whole shop with less price so that u can do financial planning for every month so this way u can do sales in recession. this type of ideas are used by known brand like reliance, vodafone, airtel, fmcg products like colgate, pepsodent and softdrinks and beverages like pepsi,coke, 7up, appyfizz etc.

If the product / brand has the attributes that can enable direct user contact, promotions inviting these users and involving them intop the activity would naturally boost sales. It gives them a reason to be 'more' happy with the product / brand, it also increases the chances of non users trying the product / brand at least once and moreover it translates into the bottomline - 'MONEY'!

Boosting up sales during economic downturn requires not only the involvement of Sales or Marketing Managers rather all hands must be on deck to keep a company afloat and be in the vantage position to maintain, sustain and increase its market share.

It must be borne in mind that marketing is a warfare of the mind and the war takes place in the mind of our respective customers who are unwilling to part away with their seemingly eroded income. Hence the first and most important marketing strategy to use is Word of Mouth Marketing Strategy.

Five Word of Mouth Marketing Strategies:

1. Leverage Existing Social Networks.
2. Target the Influencers. 
3. Exclusivity and Scarcity.
4. Micro-Market.
5. Industry Marketing.

Other strategies to employ are:

• Look internally at your business:
   Remember to work on your business, not just in the business.
• Attitude
  Be proactive, focus your efforts on growing your client base and avoid the effects of an economic stranglehold
• Allocating resources
  Sales and marketing budgets should not be slashed rather, be maintained or increased as the case may be, most competitors at this period make financial cuts and it is important to stay ahead, quickly penetrate the market.
• New business New business is the lifeblood of a healthy bottom line
• Existing clients
  Treat each client as if they are your only one and you only work for them. Expand your offering and expand the relationship. Give your clients more for their money and they will find it difficult to leave
• Listen
   Don't assume you know what your clients want; listen and they'll tell you
• New business from old clients
  Combine the last two steps and you will find yourself with new business from a familiar face. Building up a good rapport with existing clients will unlock the door to further business; either directly from them or a referral
• The elevator pitch
  Take the time to construct and learn a 30-40 second pitch for your company and its product or services. You never know when or where a new business opportunity may present itself. Be ready to sell
• Qualifying
  Actively qualify each new lead. Being economical with your prospecting may also uncover a new niche market for your product or service

Advertising that target children brings more popularity among children and parents

In addition above point i feel that If you have rigid views on taking in odd or small clients, then you should become more flexible. If you have not previously entertained clients with different needs, such as smaller orders or staggered deliveries, now is the time to do so.

Keep an open mind and bend your rules a little to accommodate them, since they could not only pull you out of the recession, but over time could bring in new clients.

The best part is that if their business grows quickly, then their order values could quickly come into your regular scope of business.

There is no financial harm in servicing smaller clients or those with special needs, as long as it doesn’t eat into your profits. You can start by taking a few trial orders before deciding if this route suits you or not.

if the company is exixting in business for longer period,understand the needs of customer rather imposing or saling new product to customer.always put ur feet in customer shoes and than deal.if deal is closed with customer ask for reference customer,he is ur data base.dont neglect custmer once deal is final.give after sales service support and comfort.

sales promotion

marketing mix

product mix

advertising

retaining existing clients

finding new customers markets and avenues working 360 degree in aquiring sales

reduce cost by reducing expenditure and adding warranty to the product and explaning low or zero maintainance cost

using modern and tradition ways of salesmanship ie net and sales force

expanding channels of sales and maitaining them and directing them to avoid confussion

better sales pitch ie pull effect not the push effect

new blood always brings more enthusiasm so not from industry should not be the criteria for candidature because expirience people always have recession as excuse