Understanding Recession Psychology

During an unprecedented time, a wave of bad news can have a great impact on the confidence and buying power, driving consumers to adjust their behavior in fundamental and perhaps permanent ways.

These effects create a profound challenge for marketers, not only during the downturn but in the recovery that will eventually follow. The first step in responding must be to understand the new customer segments that emerge in a recession. Marketers typically segment according to demographics (“over 40,” say, or “new parent” or “middle income”) or lifestyle (“traditionalist” or “going green”).

In a recession such segmentations may be less relevant than a psychological segmentation that takes into consideration consumers’ emotional reactions to the economic environment.

Think of your clients as falling into four groups:

The slam-on-the-brakes type feels most vulnerable and hardest hit financially. This group reduces all types of spending by eliminating, postponing, decreasing, or substituting purchases. Although, lower income consumers or small businesses typically fall into this segment, anxious higher-income consumers and larger companies can as well.

Pained-but-patient clients tend to be resilient and optimistic about the long term but less confident about the prospects for recovery in the near term or their ability to maintain their purchase power. Like slam-on-the-brakes, they save in all areas, though less aggressively. They constitute the largest segment and include the great majority unscathed by unemployment, representing a wide range of income levels. As news gets worse, pained-but-patient consumers increasingly migrate into the slam-on-the-brakes segment.

Comfortably well-off consumers feel secure about their ability to ride out current and future bumps in the economy. They consume at near-pre recession levels, though now they tend to be a little more selective (and less conspicuous) about their purchases. The segment consists primarily of people in the top 5% income bracket and wealthy companies. It also includes those who are less wealthy but feel confident about the stability of their finances.

The live-for-today segment carries on as usual and for the most part remains unconcerned about savings. The clients in this group respond to the recession mainly by extending their timetables for making major purchases. Typically urban and younger, they are more likely to rent than to own, and they spend on experiences rather than stuff (with the exception of consumer electronics). They’re unlikely to change their consumption behavior unless they become unemployed.

Regardless of which group consumers belong to, they prioritize consumption by sorting products and services into four categories:

• Essentials are necessary for survival or perceived as central to well-being.
• Treats are indulgences whose immediate purchase is considered justifiable.
• Postponables are needed or desired items whose purchase can be reasonably put off.
• Expendables are perceived as unnecessary or unjustifiable.

Throughout a downturn, all consumers except those in the live-for-today segment typically reevaluate their consumption priorities.

We know from previous recessions that such products and services as restaurant dining, travel, arts and entertainment, new clothing, automobiles, appliances, and consumer electronics can quickly shift in consumers’ minds from essentials to treats, postponables, or even expendables, depending on the individual.

As priorities change, consumers may altogether eliminate purchases in certain categories, such as household services (cleaning, lawn care, snow removal), moving them from essentials, say, into expendables. Or they may substitute purchases in one category for purchases in another, perhaps swapping dining out (a treat) for cooking at home (an essential). And because most consumers become more price sensitive and less brand loyal during recessions, they can be expected to seek out favorite products and brands at reduced prices or settle for less-preferred alternatives.

How to increase sales and remain relevant for your client during a difficult time?

02 Try keeping your prices, but increase offering

If at a time of recession you suddenly drop your prices, clients will start thinking they were originally overpaying for your services or products and this feeling will be hard to recover.

We know it is hard, but you need to keep your head on the game. Of course, offering some small discounts can have a short term impact and that's ok, but don't go on cutting your prices in half otherwise you will have trouble in the long run to bring your value back when things settle down.

Instead of hitting the big discount mark, think about offering bundles, buy one, get one and most importantly, Marketing Incentives.

Incentives are one of the most impressive ROI (return on investment) tools that you can use at times like this. They have a psychological positive impact, creating a sense of recognition that is exactly what your customer needs right now. Who wouldn't want to receive $100 off a wine box for free as an additional gift on a purchase?

So once again, use your creativity to offer incentives to your clients that can come as an actual incentive, a bundle, an additional service, a book and anything in between that is relevant for your customer and to your business.

03 Talk to your clients, often

It is known that an average of 12 contacts like emails, texts, phone calls, meetings and phone conversations - make the sale. In a recession, it can take as many as 16 contacts to close a sale since credit and budget cuts lengthen the decision making process.

Our recommendation in this case is to increase the conversation, be there for your client, keep the channels open and think about where your prospects want to engage. Call them, ask questions, offer help and talk about what your company is doing to pass this strange time.

Don't forget about your current client base. They also might be in need of attention and one extra incentive can mean they stay with you instead of moving to the cheaper competitor. Stay alert, stay active and stay relevant.

04 Invest on your sales team

We know that the first thing that comes to the mind is to cut costs and let people go, but sales are the heart of the business and this team is the one that will keep the lights on.

Make an assessment of your current team and if you need to either bring additional help or switch a few things around to maximize your sales force potential.

Reassign or let go the bottom producers on your team and bring new minds to the team. Invest in training and plan an aggressive incentive plan. The same logic that works for your clients, fits also for your team. You can offer to your top producers incentives like travel packages, prizes, gadgets on top of a good commission. I've never heard of a good sales person without an aggressive reward package and this is the time to make them shine, since their success means your success too.

Download Whitepaper PDF

I have a game plan, what's next?

Ok, so at this point you are aware of the challenges and have some ideas in your mind on how to promote your products or services and remain relevant in your field.

On this whitepaper, we spoke briefly about Incentive Campaigns and how they can boost your sales and your sales team engagement.

Probably you must be wondering what gifts and incentives you should look for, what are the prices, how to handle delivery and many other details on how to make this real. And then you think, phew that’s complex.

Where do I start?

Creative Marketing Incentives was created to solve that issue for you.

Aware that Promotional Contests and Giveaways are excellent tools that boost and convert sales, they created a program in which clients can have access to as many gift certificates as they wish, paying only a monthly fee.

Sound too good to be true?

Many years ago we might have agreed with you. But for the last fourteen years Creative Marketing Incentive Group, Inc. has contracted with world-leading hotel chains, cruise lines and travel companies to bring forth powerful incentives.

FOR $99/MTH YOU CAN ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS BY CREATING EXCITING PROMOTIONAL GIVEAWAYS WITH AN UNLIMITED AMOUNT GIFT CERTIFICATES REDEEMABLE FOR:

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