As the Hungry Bear (Your Customers) emerges from Recession Hibernation you will notice him behaving differently.

• He’s going to decide somewhat slower and more cautiously.
• He’s going to consider price as a higher priority than before.
• He’s angry about the value of his home, and his investments.
• He will not be doing business the same way anymore.
• He will not be advertising the same way he advertised before.
• He’s online. Checking out your website – and your competitor’s website.
• He’s Tweeting, Face Booking, and Linkedin-ing. (Social media is still a firestorm.)
• He’s blogging about his experiences with you, for the world to read.
• He’s YouTubing about his experiences with you for the world to watch
• He’s Googling, not yellow-paging.
• He’s using his mobile device to nearly everything.

So going to market to attract this new “beast” has changed. You need to make sure you are able to deal with this new breed and new attitude to buying.

• Re assure them you are strong, fit and able to service their needs
• Remind them about your product, service
• Re-enforce the difference between you and the competition
• Make use of ALL the new marketing mediums – Twitter, Linked in, Web, Blogs, Video
• Introduce products or services that reflect their buying needs – keeping your existing range too.
• Be patient, he may take a little longer to decide.
• Bolster up your USP’s and Guarantees to create trust.

Remember “we” are the new consumers too.. Sometimes just looking at our own buying attitudes and feelings will help us to understand what is different about our own customers too.

*Some of the above was inspired by an article by Jeffrey Gitomer and his Caffeine Fix – Always a good read!