When the economy begins to spiral downward, there are several ways for small businesses to beat the storm and increase their sales. The global recession caused a lot of companies to tighten up their spending and take a good look at what cuts could be made. The downturn caused a lot of these companies to become more efficient at carrying out operations. In order to be a company that can keep sales up while the economy is weak, read the three tips below. The economy is still not at its strongest, so certain steps should be taken to increase sales if your company is lagging behind.

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Companies that put too many eggs in one basket were hit the hardest during the global recession. In order to increase their sales, these companies had to take a look at ways in which they could diversify and appeal to a greater range of customers. Depending on what type of small business you operate, there are a variety of initiatives you could carry out. For example, it's important to take a look at some of the companies and individuals that are cutting back on expenses. If these companies and individuals are among your client base, then you should rethink who you are marketing to and then expand beyond this demographic.

Justify Your Business

Each business should already have a good reason for customers to buy their product or service. Make sure that what your company offers is a priority to every customer. If you justify your business and market it as a priority, you can ensure that your product or service won’t be cut from the expense column. Refining what your company offers and working on its sales pitch will help ensure that your company's product or service is one of the last expenses your customer eliminates. Align your message with the economic situation.

Find Former Customers

While your company may not have needed them when the economy was strong and doing well, those old clients could be your business' best chance of increasing profits. Each business should have a database of clients. Using that list, you can contact individuals who used to be customers of yours, and target your marketing to this demographic. These customers were interested in your product or services at one point in time, and they likely still have some interest in your company. The downturn in the economy is still affecting many companies, and it is unlikely that your small business hasn’t been affected in some way. While it will take a while to move out of the economic recession, by following certain guidelines you can ensure that your company is able to keep their sales up during this time. By thinking of the downturn as a way to sharpen your business's operations, you will be further ahead when the economy fully recovers from the effects of the global recession.