Trainer Veronica Broome suggests seven steps that organisations can take, even during an economic downturn, to keep good clients and attract new ones.

In a recession, businesses selling training and coaching services to other businesses face huge challenges to get customers to continue investing in staff as a way of increasing business success.

An economic downturn does present opportunities for some businesses as they expand their products and services to a wider range of customers. Businesses are faced with the uphill task of retaining customers and attracting new ones cannot rely on a bruised and demoralised sales and marketing teams.

What they need are simple and effective actions to create an innovative and energised working environment. This article summarises seven steps organisations can take to strengthen relationships with current customers even as they attract new ones.

Whether you call it recession, economic downturn or financial crisis, there is no doubt that events over recent months have caused major concern and severe upheaval for many in business. For some, however, it has been an opportunity to expand their products and services to a wider range of customers. In contrast, many business owners and managers have faced the huge challenge of how to keep current customers, rather that increasing the search for new ones.

Training and coaching services are often the first budget items to be withdrawn as organisations are reluctant to spend when their assessment on the return on investment is not easy to calculate. Sales trainers, however, are often busy during this time as organisations focus on how their sales and marketing teams can hit even higher targets. After that initial blitz, the situation returns to what it was pre-sales training and, even worse, a weary sales force with staff more concerned about who will be the first ones to be asked to leave. There is an alternative. Organisations can choose to strengthen relationships with current customers even as they attract new ones.

Here are seven steps you can take to ensure you retain existing customers, even as you attract news ones:

Difficult economic climate calls for creative solutions and innovative approaches and repositioning of businesses. Businesses offering creative and flexible solutions and responding quickly to opportunities will survive and prosper in the current financial crisis.