Business is changing. Are you keeping up?

There is no doubting we're in the midst of a digital revolution. Perhaps this is the way things were always going to go or perhaps the recent economic downturns have forced businesses to reinvent themselves. Either way, businesses are having to adapt to survive. The internet has created an entire industry that is rapidly changing the way consumers interact with brands. The traditional sales funnel is morphing in to a variety of channels aimed at meeting cinsumers where they are. If your message isn't being 'pushed' to the consumer and 'pulling' them to your website, well, you're left behind. 

So what's changed? Well I'd like to propose that the customer has changed. Their behaviour has evolved. They are smarter, more savvy and technically proficient. In the past, your customer would head down to the local store and chat to a salesman who would point him toward the best product for his budget. But then stores became chains, chains had shareholders and shareholders demanded profits. Of course this means cutting costs, cheaper products, cheaper staff, cheaper systems, cheaper everything. This broke the relationship that once existed between the salesman and the customer. The customer now no longer trusts the salesman and so now relies on word-of-mouth or publicly available knowledge to make his/her decision.

We're currently experiencing this shift. Customers are now educating themselves on the products they chose. They are no longer content to be sold to. They want to purchase from. They want to understand what it is they are purchasing and know that they are getting the best deal and support possible.

This is definitely not a bad thing. In fact, for those that adapt their business model, it's great news. You have the opportunity to get ahead of the competition and get your brand in front of the exact customers that are looking for it.