The Tribune

By D’Arcy Rahming

One of my good friends and I have an accountability agreement. If I ever seem to be lost in my business, he has leave to shake me awake and put me back on the right path. And vice versa.

Recently, I had the opportunity to shake him up because he had gotten into a rut. You see, he runs an Internet marketing business and, over the years, has built a huge responsive list that basically helped him to enjoy a good lifestyle. Recently, he had been bombarding his list with offer after offer. However, results have been less than stellar.

It is really easy to get stuck in a rut, particularly if you have been successful at something for a long time. I am no armchair general writing this column. I’m living these things with my own business. I have a great customer base in my Judo and kickboxing programme, but after a while they get tired of seeing the same thing over and over. That is why I offer special camps during the holidays. I don’t want to tire out my list.

I know getting stuck in a rut is a reality for many business and service providers, even churches. I am not suggesting that you change your core offerings and company values. But what I am suggesting is that you disguise the repetition of your message, or you will wear out your list.

For example, new product offerings are always a good way to spice things up a bit. That is what I recommended to my friend. Rather than just sales on existing products, try offering some affiliate products that are related but different from what they are used to hearing about from you.

Another strategy is to make your products and services seasonal. Some companies, such as Starbucks, will bring out different products at different times to reflect the season. They know that if a guy has been coming to them year-round, maybe a different flavour will make him more likely to spend some time and dollars in their establishment.

But what if you are in a business that has the same product and no real variation possibilities? Then you change the environment. A company that sells gas may have its pump attendants dress in Santa hats during the Christmas season. Customers know fun when they see it.

Some of you may think that not wearing out your list does not apply to your business. Remember, your list is only as good as your relationship to it. By employing the above strategies you are managing the relationship with your customer and client base. And this will keep them interested and responsive to your offers.

• NB: D’Arcy Rahming holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Mr Rahming has clients in general insurance, the retail, health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. He is also treasurer of the Bahamas Olympic Committee. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://darcyrahming.com