“Covid 19 – Sales Under Lockdown!”

 

So you face these challenges and important issues …

                                             

1. Your business is facing too many competitors.

2.Your sales are poor

3. Wondering how you can convert your social media connections to customers.

4.You lack effective digital marketing know how

5.You dream BIG

6.You enjoy learning new ideas

7.Your current education isn’t suffice for digital marketing

8.You spread yourself thin through multi-tasking

9.You have a lot to do but little time 

About The Author 

Hi! Iam Cain Ndhlovu the founder of Sunrise Digital Marketing Agency in Harare, Zimbabwe. I help startups and entrepreneurs through provision of outsourced digital marketing services that generate sales on their behalf so that their businesses can grow to medium sized enterprises.

In summary the benefits gained from this are; (1)  increased and sustainable sales (2) relieving the marketing function / helping entrepreneurs focus on less (3) gaining digital marketing skill (4)  achievement of business goals and beyond.

 I do relate …

 

Here is my own story. A generous friend called Thando helped me in 2007 to get employment as a Sales Negotiator at a real estate agency.

As the national economy went under my father always told me to start my own thing. So the entrepreneurial nature of commission based employment resonated with me but no one told me about what needed to be done to earn the commission.

The property market had vicious competition. I was not prepared for it. I was just a school leaver who only knew poem writing.

I still have fond memories of my masterpiece Wilderness

 Wanderer which talked about a beautiful girl searching for true

 love. 

Indeed, I was equipped with a table knife for a gun fight. I lost the fight because I was eventually fired.

I joined another estate agency. This time I wasn’t fired but the agency owner simply told me the words, “maybe selling real estate isn’t for you.” I left on my own.

Ultimately, I had to answer one question, “How can I improve

 my sales?”

I wasn’t prepared to quite yet. Being penniless and at the deep end I tried to make do with what was there.

So I managed to turn poem writing into property article writing. Noticing the new development my friend helped me set up a blog.

I am forever grateful for this because the blog published my property articles on the internet thereby marketing myself to a wider audience at zero cost (blogger is free).

 

   A turning point  …

The year 2014 was a turning point because after years of try and error the new approach finally paid dividends as I earned USD 1 000.00.

It all started when I wrote an article titled,

 “ Financial consequences of purchasing property from a seriously-ill seller and other purchases to avoid ”.

 

This article resonated with a Harare lady. She had just purchased a Msasa (Harare) house from a seriously-ill seller and there was an outstanding balance.

After reading the post she decided to clear this balance by selling another property - a piece of land in Madokero (Harare).

I was the real estate agent she commissioned to do the job on her behalf. Finally, I had discovered the winning formula!

Success happened when I was at my last real estate agency. Of course I wasn’t fired this time but I left with full honors!

After the digital marketing miracle of 2014 I was emboldened to start a digital marketing agency in pursuit of the vision of starting my own thing.

 

Covid 19 – Sales Under Lockdown

Introduction

The Corona Virus Lockdowns through their endless restrictions on movement affected sales that were generated through traditional marketing methods like billboards and banners.

In the UK this was signified by a £1 Billion decrease in traditional advertising expenditure Nielsen said.

According to Nielsen AdIntel data between March 23 and June 30 2020 notable reduction in traditional advertising expenditure were as follows;

McDonald’s - 97%

Sky - 60%

Amazon – 77%

There are many reasons that leads to poor sales and Covid 19 lockdowns is the latest. Start-ups and small enterprises that relied only on traditional marketing methods like banners, brochures and print newspapers suffered greatly during the lockdown.

Poor sales revolves around lower prices that causes lower gross margins.

Effects Of Poor Sales

 

Here are some of the effects of poor sales on a business;  

 

1. Impediment To Growth

Poor sales results in less money available to cover operating costs like marketing expenses and administrative salaries.

In addition, there may be not enough cash to invest in projects that will upgrade the company’s long range efficiency such as IT. The company may not be able to pursue opportunities like acquiring a competitor, hire efficient staff or attract the best talent.

 

2. Jeopardizing Company Survival

If the company cannot increase its sales through measures like innovative marketing it may experience ongoing negative cash flow and eventually have to close its doors.

 

3. Pressure On The Sales Team

What ever the reasons for poor sales even those like failure to invest in effective lead generation by the company, management always turn on the pressure upon the sales staff and tell them to up their game or else …

 

4. Retrenchments

As poor sales persist companies may have to implement radical reorganization of the departments involved in the production of the company’s products.

This restructuring often include eliminating personnel in an attempt to lower costs and raise gross margins. The company is not necessarily assured that the personnel cost reductions will bring about higher margins.

One outcome could be a decline in morale and reduction in productivity.