Q-09Customers
Sales are dropping
Fewer sales than before, and you are not sure why.
Find out whether you have fewer customers, the same customers buying less, or lower prices. Each has a different cause, and guessing which one costs money.
4 things to look at
- Fewer customers. A new competitor, a changed route, or people who cannot find you.
- Smaller baskets. The same people are buying less each time.
- Your own basics. Out of stock, closed when people come, phone not answered.
- The season. Pay days, school terms and harvest move sales every year.
Checks you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time. Do them in order. If they answer the question, you do not need us.
Count customers for two weeks
A tally mark for each customer, each day. Compare with your records or your memory of a normal week.
Contact ten customers who stopped coming
Call or WhatsApp them. Ask what they do now. Do not argue with the answer.
Visit your competitors
Has someone new opened? Has someone changed their prices or hours?
Check your own basics
Were you out of stock? Did the hours change? Is the phone answered? Did your prices go up?
Check the calendar
Compare with the same month last year if you have records. Some drops come back by themselves.
- The drop has lasted more than two months.
- Customers are not telling you the real reason.
- You are about to cut prices to win them back.
- You are about to spend on advertising without knowing the cause.
Customer and Competitor Study
Find out whether people will pay before you buy stock, sign a lease or build a website.
From N$1,499
Related questions people ask
Should I lower my prices?
Only if price is the reason, and only if the lower price still covers your cost. Find the cause first. See busy but not making money.
Should I advertise more?
If people do not know you exist, yes. If they know and chose someone else, advertising will not change their reason.
Related questions
I am busy but not making money
Sales are coming in, and there is still nothing left at the end of the month.
OpenWill my business idea work?
How to find out cheaply, before you buy stock or sign a lease.
OpenSomething is wrong and I cannot say what
The business feels stuck, and there is no single obvious cause.
OpenTell us what you are trying to decide.
You do not need a business plan to talk to us. Say what the business is, what you want from it and what is in the way. A Business Check-up costs N$199 and comes off any other service you book within 30 days.