How to Stay Motivated When Your Online Sales Are Down

It’s easy to stay motivated and focused on your goals when things are going well with your business.  

But, what happens if your sales start to slow down and stagnate, and no matter what you do, nothing seems to be working out for you?

Will you still feel excited to get up and hustle?

Probably not, and that’s okay because it’s a normal reaction.

What’s not okay is giving up.  

Many people stop and quit pursuing their dreams of running a successful business the moment they encounter a problem, not realizing that it’s an inevitable part of the process and things are likely to go wrong before they start going right.

If you’re going through tough times, think of it as an obstacle you need to overcome before getting to your breakthrough. What’s important is that you don’t lose hope and keep moving forward.  

Because if you stop, there’s no way you’re going to get to where you want to be.  

In this article, we will share with you how to stay motivated when your sales are down and what you can do to find a solution.  

Without any delays, let’s get started!

How Can You Stay Motivated When Your Online Sales are Declining?

Look How Far You’ve Come

Whenever you feel like giving up, remind yourself of everything you had to go through to start your business.  

Not everyone has the guts to leave their job to focus full-time on their side hustle. Not everyone is brave enough to make their dreams into reality.  

You should also relive your best moments and past successes. It doesn’t have to be related to your business. It could be something related to your previous job, family, or in your life.  

Remember how good it feels to figure things out on your own and overcome a problem. Re-create those times you overcame a hurdle and emerged victoriously.  

Look how far you’ve come and remind yourself that there’s nothing you can’t handle. This will help you gain confidence in dealing with your current situation.  

Tell Yourself You’ll Get Past This and Succeed

Psych yourself up to awaken the motivation within you. Tell yourself you’ll get past whatever obstacle you’re faced with right now.  

Avoid complaining and grumbling because the negativity is only going to stop you from moving forward. Most of the time, it’s the mindset that’s holding people back from achieving or doing what they want to do - not their abilities or inabilities.  

Here are  three scientist- tested ways to psych yourself up:

• Give yourself a pep talk. Say things like “I can do this”, “Other successful entrepreneurs went hell and back to get to where they are today”, “I’m destined for greatness.”
• Release some steam by doing what you love - like dancing, singing, running, or beating your pillow and screaming or crying (that works too)  
• Write down an “if-then” plan. Consider this example: “If I start worrying about my problems, then I will take a deep breath and shake off my negative feelings.”

If these ideas don’t work, make time to reconnect with the reason why you started your business, what gets you excited, and what pushed you to get up each day and hustle.  

When your problems seem unbearable, always remember that nothing is permanent in life, including your struggles. It will soon be over.  

Remind Yourself That Pain Is a Part of the Process

Many people learn more through their mistakes than they do from their successes, which is why you must remind yourself that pain is an inevitable part of the process.  

It’s there to help you grow, change, and become better than you were yesterday. In the end, something good always comes out from enduring the pain and pushing through.  

What Should You Do to Find a Solution?

After psyching yourself up and reminding yourself that having a problem is not the end of the world, it’s time to get back on track and find a solution for your problem.  

Take a Step Back and Figure Out What’s Wrong

Whenever you feel like nothing you’ve tried is helping you fix your problem, you want to take a step back and take the time to figure out what’s wrong.  

For example, your sales start to slow down and only a few of your loyal customers are re-ordering. What could be the problem?

Does it have anything to do with your product? Or does it have something to do with your website or is it because of a competitor?

You want to map out your customer journey and sales funnel to see where you’re losing your customers and prospects.  

It’s also a great idea to ask them directly or conduct interviews to know what they think and gain customer input.

If people say your checkout process is complicated and that your payment options are limited, you can now work on streamlining your checkout and offer more payment options.

Once you know what the problem is, it’ll be easier to find the right solution that can provide long-term results - not a band-aid solution.  

Try a New Approach

Consumer behavior and beliefs shift from time to time.  

So, one of the possible reasons behind why you’re not getting new customers or why your existing ones are starting to switch to your competitors is because they no longer resonate with you, and you can no longer cater to what they need and want.  

If this is the case, you might want to take the time to figure out who your ideal customers really are and if your current branding still makes sense to them. Your brand possibly needs a facelift to make you feel more relevant to modern consumers.  

You also want to explore other ways you can serve your customers better by expanding your offerings with complementary products or services, creating content to promote customer self-service, making strategic partnerships, and more.  

The point is, you want to offer them more value and make sure you’re giving them what they need.  

Pivoting is necessary for a business’s survival and success. It’s one of the surefire ways you can attract new customers and keep your existing ones happy and satisfied.  

Write Down What You Need to Do

Write down all the possible reasons why your sales are down and prioritize your list. Pinpoint the changes that are easiest to make and start with that.  

Don’t try to change and improve everything in one go because this can overwhelm you.

As soon as you know where to begin, slowly start implementing these changes and tick them off your list.  

Set SMART Goals

To help you back on track, write down the SMART goals you want to achieve. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.

When you set goals that are not SMART or unrealistic and vague, you’ll never have a concrete plan on how you’ll be able to achieve them.

Having specific, attainable goals allows you to allocate your resources properly, prioritize what you need to do, and it gives you a sense of direction.  

For example: My goal is to sell 25 t-shirts and have a total sale of $2,000 by the end of this week.  

With this in mind, you can work on making sure that you earn $2,000 at the end of the week or sell 25 t-shirts.

Remember, small steps lead to long-term success.  

Invest in Digital Advertising and Marketing

Without a doubt, the competition in today’s market is more competitive than ever before. According to SBA, more than 627,000 businesses open each year.  

So, another possible reason explaining why your sales are plummeting is because there are more competitors in the market and they’re doing a better job at reaching their target audience than you.  

This is a wake-up call that you need to step up your game when it comes to advertising and promoting your business.  

Consumers today are distracted. It’s no longer enough to just have a website or have social media accounts.  

You need to be proactive in putting your business in front of your ideal customers, cut through the noise, and connect with them.  

So, how can you do this?

• Focus on advertising and marketing to local customers using geo-targeting.  

• Personalize your ad copy and call-to-action to target your ideal customers.  
• Use data to deliver highly relevant content to your target audience.
• Be authentic with your audience. The more relatable you are to them, the more they can resonate with you.
• Tap into local influencers who you think have a follower that will likely buy from you.
• Create a Facebook group for your local customers where they can share their experiences, thoughts, complaints, and build a community. For example, you can create a Facebook group and call it “DIY Moms and Dads of Florida” to appeal to your target market who are parents who like doing DIY projects for their little ones and convince them to buy the materials and crafts from you.

These are just some of the many things you can do to make sure you reach your ideal customers.

Ask for Help

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from experts, especially when you know they can better tackle a situation with their knowledge and expertise.  

For instance, you can use Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is an essential part of a business’s marketing strategy that wants to succeed online. However, it’s very complicated and there’s just no point in trying to DIY your way around it just to save money.  

Instead of consuming your time figuring out how SEO works, entrust it to experts and focus on running your business.  

Digital Resource is your go-to digital advertising company in Florida.  

Conclusion

Don’t let hurdles stop you from moving forward. With the right mindset and expert help, you can get your sales back on track and skyrocket your business to success!

Digital Resource is your go-to digital advertising company in Florida. We can revamp your website, strengthen your SEO strategy, boost your social media marketing, increase brand awareness, and get you the leads you need to start getting more sales. Contact us today to know how we can help you!

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