Move the Ball Around, Hit the Open Man, and Play the Good Defense

That, in a nutshell, is basketball. At least according to my father. This three step process also applies to merchandising. Ah, ah ah! Stop right there. If you were going to leave this blogpost because you don’t have a store, guess again. Do you have a business? Then whatever you talk about is your store front. What you don’t talk about, but offer is your inventory. Read on and freshen up your display for better sales.

1. Move the Ball Around

If you have a storefront, you literally need to move stuff around. Customers become blind to what just sits in the front all the time. Trade it out and move it around. If a customer sees something new every time he or she walks in, it creates a sense of urgency that if they don’t buy it ‘today,’ you are going to sell out.

Service providers, the same thing applies to you. Change your spiel so you aren’t beating a dead horse at every single networking meeting. And consider changing your website’s home page. If what is usually on tab #3 is suddenly front and center, you might find you’ll find some interested parties in that particular product or service.

2. Hit the Open Man

When you change things up and keep moving forward, you are going to get the ball into the hands of the player who can score much quicker than if you just sit there and dribble. The scoring player in this case is your new client. You have to pass and pass to get it to the right person(s) positioned to take it to the basket.

3. Play the Good Defense

The best defense is a good offense. Focus on customer service. Somewhere down the road businesses starting getting sloppy and getting defensive. The customer is no longer always right. In so many places and with so many service providers it feels like the policy is that the customer is always trying to rip you off. Sure, there’s a player or two who need to foul out, but the rest of the team deserves a good teammate—be that teammate. Focus on good sportsmanship and you will win customers for life—true fans!

Suit up and practice your free throws. In this economy you can’t miss any easy shots. Swoosh!