Winning Customers in a Crisis – What Companies Learned From Covid
Winning customers despite Covid – was that even possible? Yes, companies could win customers even in the crisis. But there was something to bear in mind.
A tree must bend in the storm so that it doesn’t break.
The year 2020 confronted the global economy with a challenge. Entire sectors lay idle, and companies looked for new ways of winning customers. By the time this article was last updated, the situation had normalised somewhat over the previous two years, but some industries and livelihoods were still seriously threatened by the crisis. The good news: customers hadn’t gone away. They were just busy elsewhere for a while. Read how companies won customers in the crisis and how a crisis can become an opportunity.
The Covid crisis brought losses in many industries. Orders were withdrawn, projects postponed, employees put on short-time work and/or sent to work from home.
No question: the situation was serious – for quite a few, it threatened their very existence. But in times like these, business owners should keep a cool head and warm feet, not the other way round. One of the best motivational sayings I read at the time is this:
The tree that does not bend with the storm will be broken by the storm.
African proverb
That’s why we used the situation to test our flexibility and explore new paths – in our product portfolio, in our company philosophy, in winning customers and in handling projects. And we would like to share these insights with you.
Note: much of what you read in this article may seem trivial. It is, but most companies and marketing professionals still don’t apply it. (We know this because we are business owners and marketing professionals ourselves, and keep learning anew. We regularly experience our clients’ challenges first-hand.)
How did you use the time? Walking through the streets back then, you saw houses being renovated, gardens redesigned and flats decluttered everywhere. Why don’t we business owners do the same? Let’s use the time to critically question our business model, our offering and how we win customers – and make them even better!
What customers really want – create added value
As already mentioned: it should actually go without saying that your product or service creates added value for your customers. Otherwise, why would your customers pay for it?
Hand on heart: what added value do you create for your customers? Can you answer this question within 3 seconds?
The truth is: many companies sell products or services, but not added value. They sell activities, but not results. Examples:
A tradesperson sells solar systems, plumbing installations and roofing work.
A management consultancy sells SEO analyses, marketing advice or market research.
An industrial supplier sells components, aluminium tubes or specialist software.
That is correct, and it is what your customers need. But it assumes that your customers know what they need – that they are aware of their problem and already know the solution:
“I want a beautiful bathroom > I need a plumber and a tiler.” “I need more production throughput, so I need automation software.” “I want to win over more customers faster, so I need a corporate film.”
The problem: not all customers know what SOLVES their problem. (Quite a few even pay a lot of money just to find that out.)
But all customers know what their problem IS. And that is your opportunity to win customers.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What do your customers WANT, and what is their problem?
Does your customer need marketing advice – or do they actually need more customers, more sales or more employees? Do they need automation software, or do they need lower error rates and higher production throughput?
You may already notice from these examples: if you act as a problem solver, you no longer sell only on price and performance. You sell on emotion and needs. That lets you win new customers.
If you are the one who can solve your customer’s problem best, fastest, most efficiently or even most pleasantly, you are no longer interchangeable. Then you no longer have to negotiate prices (which someone can always undercut) or justify service components (where someone can always add more bullet points to the package).
That’s why it is important – and was more important than ever during the crisis – that you know exactly what your customers need. To do that, you of course need to know your customers well. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to interview your customers and ask them. A nice side effect, especially at the time: simply picking up the phone again and staying in their memory with a pleasant conversation.
Remember: you don’t want to sell products and services. You want to solve problems. Then you will win customers too.
Formulate offers that really help your customers. In the examples above, that could be:
A tradesperson provides cosy warmth (heating), lower electricity costs (solar system), a private wellness oasis (plumbing) or a well-insulated, safe house that keeps its value (roofing)
A management consultancy provides greater visibility and reach (SEO), lower fixed costs (resource optimisation) or higher long-term customer loyalty and easier sales (marketing advice)
An industrial supplier ensures smooth production processes (spare parts), high-quality production (special parts) or concrete problem-solving (system solutions)
Doesn’t all that sound much better than simply listing products? Your customers can immediately picture your offer, because it is concrete, tangible and solution-oriented – precisely because it offers real added value. That lets you win new customers even in times of crisis.
Bend or break? – Explore new paths
Let’s come back to the image of the tree. If we don’t want to break in a crisis, we have to bend with it.
Let’s look at what new possibilities have emerged since we last reviewed our business model and services from some distance. Perhaps there are new technologies, new trends and new challenges that we wouldn’t even think of if the situation didn’t literally force us to.
Admittedly, a crisis isn’t the best time for costly experiments. For quite a few, time was literally running out, because bills and running costs still had to be paid – both by the business and privately by employees and management.
But think about which new channels could be considered for winning customers and for your sales activities. For example:
No question: the situation was extraordinary and confronted us all with great challenges. But at a time when everyone has it equally hard, it is more than ever up to us to turn the crisis into an opportunity. And those who invest wisely and make the right marketing decisions will come out of a crisis stronger and win new customers.
Yvonne Schwalowski ist Marketingberaterin und strategische Filmproduzentin bei Pathfinder Studios sowie mehrfache Belletristik-Autorin u.a. beim Piper-Verlag. Mit 18 Jahren Berufserfahrung und erfolgreichen Multimedia-Projekten für 450+ Kunden ist sie eine erfahrene Marketing-Expertin für europäische Unternehmen – vom Tech-Startup über Hidden Champion-Industrieunternehmen bis zu Konzernen wie MAN, Miele und Audi. Ihre Werbefilme und Kurzfilme haben mehrere internationale Auszeichnungen gewonnen, ihr erster internationaler Kinospielfilm ist derzeit in Fertigstellung. Wikipedia – Portfolio – LinkedIn – IMDb
Yvonne Schwalowski ist Marketingberaterin und strategische Filmproduzentin bei Pathfinder Studios sowie mehrfache Belletristik-Autorin u.a. beim Piper-Verlag. Mit 18 Jahren Berufserfahrung und erfolgreichen Multimedia-Projekten für 450+ Kunden ist sie eine erfahrene Marketing-Expertin für europäische Unternehmen – vom Tech-Startup über Hidden Champion-Industrieunternehmen bis zu Konzernen wie MAN, Miele und Audi. Ihre Werbefilme und Kurzfilme haben mehrere internationale Auszeichnungen gewonnen, ihr erster internationaler Kinospielfilm ist derzeit in Fertigstellung.
Wikipedia – Portfolio – LinkedIn – IMDb
