Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. No matter what concept you have as an entrepreneur, your customers are looking for specific things. Identifying what that is will be critical to the success of your business. The following contributed post is entitled, What Are Customers Looking For From Your Business?
Whether working in B2B or B2C environments, customers have the casting vote on whether your business succeeds. Therefore, understanding what they expect from a modern company should be one of the top items on your agenda.
By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, you will be better positioned to build a brand and business that they respond to. Focus on the following factors and you won’t go wrong.
A Great First Impression
Prospective clients will begin to form an impression of your business within seconds. While setting a positive vibe doesn’t necessarily guarantee a sale, a negative one could end your hopes. A growing percentage of consumers now discover brands online. So, a well-designed website and strong SEO strategy will be vital. Not least because it boosts brand awareness.
When meeting prospective clients in real life, good body language is essential. However, you can aid your cause with a host of materials. You should print business cards with premium designs and materials to make a lasting impression. Meanwhile, the right outfit and personal styling can make a significant impact. People judge you as well as the business.
Whether online or offline, customers interact with thousands of businesses. Make yours stand out with a great first impression to boost your hopes of success.
Clients also need to have 100% trust in the business. To secure their trust, you must show legitimacy and professionalism in every step of the process. After all, prospective customers now have more choices than ever before. So, if your company falls short in its bid to build a brand that consumers can have confidence in, sales will fall.
Customers are concerned about privacy, which is why safeguarding customer information is vital. However, you also need to provide excellent client care underpinned by quick responses. Chatbots and live chat facilities can transform online interactions. Similarly, automated messages during order fulfilment help too.
Accolades and business memberships can highlight your credentials. When supported by testimonials and reviews, consumers will have every reason to trust your firm.
Value
You need to provide value to the customer. This begins with creating quality products and services that they can rely on. Without them, nothing else you do will save your reputation. Of course, customers want value for money, which is why affordability is key. Still, most will happily pay more for better products and customer experiences.
Value doesn’t only come from the products, though. It can also be created by association to your brand. Using greener packaging can be a great way to connect with the desire to adopt a responsible lifestyle. Meanwhile, running membership programs and loyalty schemes can work wonders. Making customers feel more valued will increase repeat conversions.
Flexible repayment plans, ideally with 0% APR, will also be appreciated by customers. Given that it can open your brand to a whole new audience, the potential impacts are huge.
The Final Word
Building a business that appeals directly to the customer will always boost your hopes of success. Finally, then, you should ensure that everything is geared towards your demographic while also connecting with them on an individual level.
As long as your business operations are under control too, success should follow.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. When you are partnering in business, trust is critical. A part of that trust is protecting customer information. The following contributed post is entitled, The Responsibility of Safeguarding Customer Information.
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Safeguarding your customer data cannot be underestimated. Organizations of all sizes and industries owe it to their customers to safeguard their personal information, both legally and to build trust and maintain positive business reputations.
When we refer to “customer information”, we mean any data that can be used to identify an individual. Including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails addresses and payment data gathered through customer interactions. Given its sensitivity, businesses must treat customer data with great care and consideration.
Protecting Customer Information through Robust Security Measures
Effective security measures are key components of safeguarding customer data. Companies should invest in advanced encryption technologies that protect both in transit and at rest. They can employ multi-factor authentication, update software regularly and conduct vulnerability assessments as key elements to bolstering their organization’s security infrastructure. Businesses should also educate their employees on recognizing and avoiding common cybersecurity threats like phishing attacks.
Establishing Transparent Privacy Policies
Crafting clear and transparent privacy policies is important to communicating your commitment to data protection to customers. They should detail what data is collected, used, protected and managed as well as the rights of your customers with regards to their data. Furthermore, reviewing and updating them periodically with ever-evolving regulations and best practices helps maintain ongoing compliance while building customer trust.
Ethical Use of Customer Data
Ethical considerations play an essential part in how businesses handle customer information. Businesses must use customer data responsibly, avoiding practices which might be perceived as intrusive or unethical. Consent must always be obtained prior to collecting or using personal information, with customers given an opt-out option available if applicable. Openness around how data usage occurs helps build trust while showing respect for privacy concerns.
Getting ISO 27001 Certified
Acquiring ISO 27001 certification can be an enormous undertaking, but using an ISO 27001 Documentation Toolkit makes the process significantly more manageable. This comprehensive toolkit offers a structured approach for establishing an information security management system (ISMS) compliant with ISO 27001 standard requirements. Information security documents come equipped with customizable templates, guidelines, and checklists that make documentation simpler while covering all necessary aspects. Businesses using this toolkit can systematically address the standard’s various controls and speed up their journey towards certification. Furthermore, this resource can provide ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement of an ISMS that helps protect information assets effectively.
Building Trust Through Accountability
Responsible treatment of customer information involves being accountable. In the event of a data breach, prompt and transparent communication with affected customers is critical. Companies should have an incident response plan in place which includes notifying affected customers promptly and offering assistance where needed while also taking immediate steps to mitigate the breach. When companies demonstrate accountability by taking responsibility in such scenarios it can build customer trust and confidence more quickly than competitors can.
Continuous Improvement and Adaptation
Data security is ever-evolving, so businesses must adjust to stay up to date of emerging threats with continual adaptation of measures to secure customer data. Regular audits, staying informed of security trends, and gathering feedback from customers all form part of an adaptive continuous improvement strategy that ensures effective data protection strategies remain efficient against emerging challenges and opportunities.
Conclusion
Safeguarding customer data requires an all-encompassing effort that includes strong security measures, clear privacy policies, ethical data usage practices, getting ISO 27001 certified, accountability measures and continuous improvement strategies. Organizations that prioritize these aspects not only comply with legal requirements but also create strong, trust-based relationships with their customers.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In order for your business to thrive, it must be appealing to your customers. The following contributed post is entitled, Are You Doing Everything You Can To Make Your Business Appealing To Customers?
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Your business needs to appeal to customers. This is true of every single business out there on the market right now, but there are only a handful who are actually putting some thought into this. If you were a customer, what would you want to see from a business that would entice you to choose them over the others? If you’re struggling, the good news is that we have got some ideas for you to consider. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.
The first thing that we’re going to say is that you should work on marketing your business well. This is one of the best ways that you are going to be able to make yourself more appealing to customers, as it gives you a chance to present yourself in a positive light. It’s the message that you are putting out to the market rather than anyone else, and allows you to highlight all of the good things that you do.
Ideally, you should have a marketing team that takes care of this for you on a range of different platforms, but you should also ensure that you are signing off on everything before it is being sent out.
Giving Back
Have you thought about giving back, or helping others who need it? It’s one thing to be a good business, but it’s another to help someone else in need. People no longer want to purchase from companies who are faceless and who don’t do anything other than provide a service or product. They are looking for people who share their beliefs, and people who care about helping others.
To do this, you might want to try looking at a donation platform and donating to a non profit, or a charity that you believe in. There are plenty of ways to give back, you just need to find a way that works for you.
Going Green
Last but not least, you should always consider going green. The greener you can make your business, the more of a friend you are going to make in a lot of people. The green issue is a big one at the moment, and as a business you should be doing everything in your power to move towards being as sustainable as possible. You can do this in small steps, you don’t have to try and tackle everything at once, as long as you are moving in the right direction. There are companies who can help if you are not sure what the next steps should be here.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be working on to make your business more appealing to customers. There are many different ways that you can play your part when it comes to making your business appealing, and these are just some of them. You should be doing everything in your power to see success, so make sure that you start making changes asap.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. There are multiple important aspects to building and maintaining a business. One of the most important ones is connecting with your customers. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Build An Emotional Connection With Your Customers.
Providing the best customer experience is crucial to creating an emotional connection between the customer and your brand. Research shows that remarkable customer experience is vital for achieving sustainable business growth. By creating an emotional connection, customers are more likely to feel positive about your brand and will be more likely to return and make future purchases. Here are four ways to increase emotional connection in your customer experience.
1. Provide exceptional customer service
It is essential to go above and beyond when it comes to customer service. Treat customers with respect and go the extra mile. If customers encounter a problem, try to resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Be responsive to customer inquiries, offer helpful advice, and provide a personalized experience. Ensure to give customers the attention they deserve and be willing to promptly address any issues they may have. Stay updated on the latest customer service trends so you can use the most effective techniques to keep customers engaged and create a lasting emotional connection with your customers.
2. Personalize the experience
Customers want to feel like they matter to your business, so take the time to get to know them. You can address them by name when they come in or call and ask them questions about who they are and what they’re looking for. The more you know about them, the better you can tailor their experience to make them feel special. Research has shown how storytelling can impact customer experience. However, you can take this further by allowing customers to live the story. For instance, marketers and brands deploy Virtual Reality like oculus quest 2 multiverse to put users in the center of the action by making them feel, think, and even alter their habits.
3. Show appreciation
Showing customers that you appreciate them is a great way to increase emotional connection. A small gesture of gratitude can go a long way in creating a positive customer experience. Offer discounts or rewards for loyal customers or thank them for their business. This act will make them feel valued and increase their emotional connection with your brand.
4. Follow up
Make sure to stay in touch with your customers after the sale. Follow up with them to ensure they’re satisfied and see if there’s anything else you can do for them. Doing this shows customers that you care about their experience and are willing to go the extra mile to guarantee their utmost satisfaction. Following up can also create opportunities for feedback and allow you to find out if there’s anything else you can do to improve the customer experience. This step will help cultivate a long-term relationship and create a stronger emotional connection.
By implementing these four strategies, you can create an emotional connection with your customers, making them more likely to return and recommend your brand to others. With a little effort, you can create an amazing customer experience that will keep customers coming back for more.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. While your primary goal for starting a business may be to make money, you also want to ensure the safety of your employees and customers. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Ways To Make Your Business Premise Safer For Employees And Customers.
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When you’re running a business, the safety of your employees and customers is always a top priority. There are many things you can do to make your business premise safer for everyone who visits or works in it. That said, this blog post will discuss five ways to make your business premise safer for employees and customers. Keep reading to learn more!
1) Install security cameras
One of the best ways to deter crime and keep an eye on activities taking place on your business premises is to install security cameras. This way, you can monitor who is coming and going, as well as keep an eye on what’s happening inside your building. However, if you don’t have the budget for security cameras, there are also many affordable options available these days that can still provide you with good-quality footage.
2) Ensure a steady flow of traffic around the premise
When there is a good flow of traffic around your business premise, it helps to deter crime. This is because potential criminals will think twice about attempting something when there are people constantly coming and going. If you have a retail store, for example, make sure to keep the doors open during business hours so that customers can come and go freely. It’s also important to ensure there’s no build-up of traffic when things get busy; a flashing beacon sign can help with this. You can also consider hiring security guards to patrol the premises if you have the budget for it.
3) Install a burglar alarm
Another great way to improve security at your business premise is to install a burglar alarm. This will make it much harder for burglars to break into your property, and it will also help to alert you and the authorities if someone does manage to break in. There are many different types of burglar alarms available on the market, so make sure to do some research to find one that best suits your needs.
4) Use motion sensor lights
Another effective security measure you can take is to install motion sensor lights around the perimeter of your business premises. These lights will automatically turn on when they detect movement, which will not only deter burglars but also help you to see what’s going on outside your property. If you have a large premise, you may need to install several motion sensor lights to cover the entire area.
5) Keep valuables out of sight
Finally, it’s essential to make sure that all of your business’ valuables are kept out of sight and out of reach. This includes things like cash register drawers, safes, and any other items that could be tempting for criminals. If possible, keep these items in a locked room or office so that only authorized personnel have access to them. By taking these precautions, you can help to deter crime and keep your business premises safe for everyone.
Suppose you’re looking for ways to improve security at your business premise; make sure to implement some of the tips mentioned above. By taking these simple steps, you can help to deter crime and keep your employees and customers safe. Remember, the safety of your business should always be a top priority!
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Of all the elements of your business, you brand may be the most important of all. It can be a great ambassador for you, but it can also be a great liability to you. The following contributed post is entitled, How Your Brand Can Influence Customer Purchase Decisions.
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As an entrepreneur, the pressure to influence customers’ purchase decisions is inevitable. And according to reports, 71% of people are more likely to buy a product based on social media referrals. It requires taking proactive steps to strategically position your brand to ensure profitability. The first step in that direction would be to assess your brand’s health. After that, you can use the suggestions below to influence your customers’ purchase decisions.
1. Create a personalized product to satisfy groups of people
In marketing, sales and customer initiatives, there is a lot of focus on the individual or consumer of the product. While this is not bad, experts say it would be more useful to extend it to groups. In other words, think about your target market as categories in the marketplace. For example, plan your marketing activities to target groups of medical professionals, college students, media organizations or artists. By categorizing your consumers, you would be more aware of their needs to develop a product or service to meet them, so feel free to consider this.
In no time, your consumers will start to base their purchase decisions on how your product serves their category of people, so keep this in mind. The Coca-Cola beverage company made a huge global impact using this technique. With a brand built around sharing happiness with friends and family, the company started branding bottles with categorizations in mind. This was the period when their bottles had “Mama,” “Friend,” “BFF,” and other personalizations. After a huge success with it, the company targeted millennials and made a slight move from baby boomers in 2014.
2. Make the product stand out by intensifying tangible benefits
Making your product stand out requires creative thinking and effective marketing. If it is a tangible product, it will take a team of experienced and highly-skilled product designers. On the other hand, if it is an intangible product, you may want to concentrate on tangible benefits that are easily recognizable. For example, a car wash is categorized under intangible products because it offers a service. To get customers readily hooked on your car wash brand and services, you will need to make them see the tangible benefits.
For example, you must use authentic car shampoo that helps customers’ vehicles maintain their original color. And that is a tangible benefit that can be seen. As expected, customers will always consider a brand that offers ready-to-see, lasting benefits of its products or service. When you understand it from this perspective, it is easier to remain on the minds of consumers. This mental availability intensifies your brand’s category entry points – good news for future profits.
3. Be intentional about putting your product out there
It is already established that the consumer market is fiercely competitive. You wouldn’t be wrong to assume it is a dog-eat-dog environment. This is why you stand a chance to be seen by deliberately putting your product out. Your brand can only make waves when you devise strategies to get it to the consumer. Apart from accessing the customer, your brand or product must have enough reason to stay relevant to the target audience. Over the years, many companies have used this strategy and reaped great benefits.
One example is Hutchison, a Hong Kong-based mobile company. When the brand released its flagship mobile product, it had to up its game in the customer access department. The company used an intentional approach to put their product out there. They sent young people to train stations at specific times of the day, with the new mobile product in hand. Within a few weeks, people got attracted to the flashy appearance of Hutchison mobile products. This technique helped boost the company’s initial sales.
4. Make effective use of the urgency approach
The power to influence a customer’s purchasing decision is not handed to entrepreneurs on a silver platter. It would help if you worked very hard and smartly for it. The fact that your marketing activities are all checked doesn’t mean that customers will patronize your product. This is where a gentle push may be required. You can accelerate their decision-making process by using the urgency method. Global companies like Apple have successfully used this approach.
By creating a scarcity of a product, you increase urgency among consumers. Indeed, this has worked for well-established global brands like Apple, so how can it work for a yet-to-known name like yours? The trick is to release your products and let them flood a section of the target market only for a short period. When initial sales exceed expectations, you will be right to maintain this move. Once people hint at your product’s efficacy, they want to own one. In this scenario, you will be controlling their purchase decisions, so keep this in mind.
These loyalty programs effectively retain old customers who have stuck to your brand for months, years and even decades. Chances are that you can already control or influence this group’s purchasing decisions. And the repeat business they give your business proves they have your brand in mind. However, it is important not to take their loyalty for granted. A strong competitor can easily sway old or loyal customers when you fail to maintain standards.
This is why you will need a customer loyalty program. By rewarding existing and old customers, you unconsciously encourage them to return for repeat business. Using this strategy keeps your brand on their minds, especially when they must purchase a product you create. Many skincare companies like Nivea, Dove and Clinique have successfully used customer loyalty programs. This technique would be useful for a brand with a huge existing customer base. But it can still work for growing businesses, so feel free to consider this.
It costs five times more to attract a new customer. So, you can safeguard the ones you have until you can fund activities to draw in new ones. For businesses, having control over consumer purchasing decisions is a necessity.
This blog post is going to involve the areas of Blogging/Writing, Business/Entrepreneurship, and Technology. As many of you know, I was able to monetize my blogging platform a couple of years ago. With multiple projects, I only have a little bit of time throughout the year to generate pieces here for myself now. Much of the content is generated by customers/collaborators. By the way, my new blog entitled, ‘Big Words Authors’ is now up and running and has a more literary/storytelling focus. Take look if you want to read creative writing narratives, stories, poetry, and my new book project entitled, “The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story”, and the many supporting promotional pieces that are on the way.
This piece, while it will discuss how I monetized my blogging platform, will also talk about two important aspects of starting your own enterprise: monitoring your business receipts and customer service. Over the years I’ve heard that systems are an important part of any successful business, and I’ve found that to be true. I will thus also discuss what happens if some of your critical systems breakdown, compromising important aspects of your business like your customer service.
There are currently numerous documents on the Big Words Blog Site involving blogging. Some were written by me, and some were written by a customer. A year or two after starting the Big Words Blog Site, I unexpectedly entered the business of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I plan to discuss SEO in greater detail in a separate post. For now, however, I’ll just say that I started collaborating with other entities to publish content, for which I’ve been compensated. I’ve worked with several collaborators, and each involved the generation of business receipts and customer service.
Checking Your Business Receipts
In one of my Fathers’ Day posts (2017), I shared a memorable experience where my father reprimanded me for not taking my receipt and counting my change – a life changing experience for me. It turns out there’s a business context for checking your receipts. As I’ll describe in the business context, checking your receipts not only ensures a given transaction was executed properly, but it can ultimately save your business.
In short, I was able to monetize my blogging activities through the area of SEO. I’m no expert in SEO, by any means, but essentially it involves increasing your rank in the Google search engine by being linked to other websites. This is a big thing in our modern digital age and there are companies that specialize in this. The client/company/partner I started working with created short informational pieces of all kinds, linking companies in them.
Our partnership involved my publishing the content they sent to me perfectly, meaning that the final published version needed to match the draft they sent me in terms of content, structure and the weblinks inserted in the original piece. Once I sent them the published link and it was satisfactory, they would send me a receipt letting me know that the piece was perfect. I have partnered with other customers performing the same service, and still others who simply want their links added to specific contents. When the partnership with my main customer started a couple of years ago, I couldn’t believe it. It involved me publishing large amounts of content and it became profitable.
Interestingly, in some instances with large numbers of pieces being generated and passed back and forth, inevitable mistakes occurred. These were either on my end or on theirs. This was understandable as they were generating thousands of pieces (from me and others), and I was publishing as many as they could send me. Occasionally, I would unintentionally leave a link out, to which I’d receive a polite message saying, “Can you please put the X link back into the piece?”. In some instances, they’d send me an apology and would ask me to change something to update it from the draft they sent me – an error on their part.
In some cases, a link that was anchored to text would need to be changed to a naked link (the actual ‘https’ web address), or sometimes the other way around. Either way, the receipts were communications that we were good to go, and that I would be paid, or that a change needed to be made, and typically, quickly. These communications also occurred when I was offered a piece, when I accepted it, and in some instances, when they needed me to delete a narrative for whatever reason. They were very important communications for our partnership.
The Importance of Customer Service in Any Business
Up to this point I’ve discussed an important element for any business/organization without explicitly stating it, Customer Service. Depending on the office in which you work, many federal employees are rated for their level of customer service every year. Simply put, customer service is the proficiency, quality, and speed with which you see to the needs of your customers.
An example from a McDonald’s restaurant comes to mind. Years ago in a McDonald’s Restaurant I ordered an extra value meal. I could taste the food as I ordered it and was set to scarf it down as I picked the tray up from the register. Somehow, I tipped my tray in such a way that my fries all fell on the floor, spilling out everywhere in front of me. Embarrassed and sure that I’d have to pay some more, I turned back to the register.
“Can I have another medium french fry, please?” Within seconds the girl working at the register got me my new fries fresh out of the fryer, and she didn’t charge me for it. This was an example of stellar customer service.
In terms of bad customer service, how many of us have had to call technical support for your cable/internet provider? Maybe you’ve had to call for your new technology device you just purchased. How long did you have to wait on the line and did the person even speak English? Was your problem resolved or did it linger for hours, days and weeks? Depending on your answers, you may have experienced poor customer service and have either complained about that particular business, or you may have never returned to do business with them.
In a nutshell, they say that the reputation of your business spreads by word of mouth. Thus, if your customer service is poor, the word could spread quickly. The same is true if your customer service is stellar. You want to stay in the latter group as it can affect your profits. That goes for whether you’re in the food service industry or SEO.
Business Receipts, Your Business Systems, and Your Customer Service
It is said that the most important part of your business is its systems. When I started the Big Words Blog Site, I set up a Microsoft Outlook account to handle the email correspondence for the site. I eventually downloaded the Outlook app onto my smartphone and upon using it, I could quickly see the notifications my customers sent to me once we started working together. From the palm of my hand, I could see if the published pieces were satisfactory or if something needed to be changed. Outlook and its app allowed me lots of agility, so to speak.
Unfortunately, there is generally at least one technical glitch per year for my business. Earlier this year something disappointing happened. My Outlook account was hacked and I could receive emails, but I couldn’t send them. This threw a major wrench in my operation. If I couldn’t send emails, how was I going to accept and confirm the documents from my customers? Immediately, I had a light-bulb moment and decided to set up a G-mail account to conduct my business while the host attempted to fix my Outlook account.
In short, it worked, but it wasn’t the same. Fortunately, my customers started sending their content to my new G-mail account so that aspect of our partnership continued. One problem I encountered though was the functionality of the G-mail account wasn’t the same as the functionality of the Outlook account. With the G-mail account, I could see when new emails were coming in, but I couldn’t quickly differentiate when an action was needed. Also, when I opened the account on both my PC and my phone, it was difficult to differentiate between the new posts that were sent, when they were sent, and if they were satisfactory.
Because I was multitasking and was a little lax in terms of checking my business receipts, I was slow to accept documents and slow to react to errors in the pieces I published. My response time had become embarrassingly slow, and frustration built for both me and my customers. One issue went unresolved for a week and half, which was unfortunate because my customer worked according to deadlines. This was confounded by the fact that my blogging software didn’t always update in the most expedient way. A customer wrote me back once saying that they would slow down sending content and I came to the sobering realization that I may have permanently destroyed our collaboration.
Restoration Of My Outlook Account, Moving Forward and Lessons Learned
It took my webhost about three months to fix my Outlook account. In the meantime, my troubles using the G-mail account with my business taught me a valuable lesson. I paid much closer attention to every piece my customers sent to me, as they had not abandoned me. I refocused and attacked problems with a renewed intensity. I closely watched my business receipts and responded to customer emails expeditiously. Once my Outlook account was restored, things were pretty much back to normal and hopefully they will stay that way.
Closing Thoughts and Conclusions
I learned several lessons from the entire turn of events. They are as follows:
• Check your business receipts and ratings regularly. • Make sure your customer service ratings are as high as possible. • Have a backup plan should one or many of your business systems go down. • In the business arena, you must remain ever vigilant.
Thank you for reading this piece. For the next phase of my writing journey, I’m starting a monthly newsletter for my writing and video content creation company, the Big Words LLC. In it, I plan to share inspirational words, pieces from this blog and my first blog, and select videos from my four YouTube channels. Finally, I will share updates for my book project The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Your personal information and privacy will be protected. Click this link and register using the sign up button at the bottom of the announcement. Regards.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. As a business owner, one of the things you’ll want is for your customers to feel comfortable. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Tips For Getting Customers To Feel Comfortable.
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To break down barriers and start selling your product or service, you first need to make potential customers and clients feel comfortable about your business. Customers need to feel safe as they want to know where they’ll be putting their money towards. It also helps if they’re able to see the product, service, or even have a one-on-one conversation. Customers and clients don’t want to feel ripped off. Nowadays, it’s so easy to scam people, unfortunately.
Anyone can build a website, create ads, and begin “selling” on the internet. In-person and online shopping are both completely different experiences but both need to be presentable so potential customers and clients can feel at ease when making their decisions. Here are some tips for making your target audience get comfortable with you.
If your business has a physical location, utilize this. You want your business, whether it be a shop, service, or anything else, to look professional. Some customers and clients want to meet and have a discussion face to face. Some are old-fashioned and it should be something that’s respected. If your physical location doesn’t look the best, such as lacking curb appeal or lacking any visually appealing qualities then you’ll want to look into fixing that. Having a comfortable and professional-looking space is vital. Not only will potential customers enjoy this, but it helps employees work more efficiently as well.
You may want to look into a skip bin hire and then make some changes to your workspace. Adding some nice furniture, painting the walls, and changing up the flooring can truly transform the space. Lighting and décor are important as well, as these help out in setting a desired atmosphere to the space. You may even want to add something to the exterior such as plants so the outside looks presentable too. It may seem like a lot of work but first impressions matter as they are long-lasting.
Have a Contact Page on Your Website
If you have a business website (and you should), you need to get yourself a contact page. Yes, a professional and up-to-date website is very important but it’s also important to have the appropriate pages on there too. This contact page should contain information about the company so customers and clients can reach you. You should provide a number as well, and answer any incoming calls. Sure, there may be challenges of using articulate speech during phone calls but it’s crucial to let customers know they’re real humans and you’re running a real business.
Utilize Customer Testimonials
Reviews are one of the most important components for a customer. This is what will help them in deciding on what to purchase or who to hire. You’ll find reviews on social media ( such as Facebook), Google Business Reviews, The Bom, YouTube, and even on a website testimonials page. Whether customers want to compliment you or criticize your service, they should be allowed to. Both positive and negative reviews will let customers know that you’re a real business and it will raise their comfort levels.
Make Sure They Know How To Use Your Products or Services
It’s important that your customers know how to use the4 services or products you’re selling. That’s why demonstrations and customer training processes can be very useful, particularly in certain niches. Software as a service is the perfect example of a niche that requires customer training in order for them to get the most out of the product. Good saas customer success training makes a real difference to outcomes in the industry.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key component to the success of your business is customer satisfaction. As such you want to avoid those things that would sour your customers. The following contributed post is entitled, Common Reasons For Customer Dissatisfaction.
Customer dissatisfaction occurs when your business fails to meet the expectations of your customers.
For you, the consequences can be dire. After failing to satisfy your customers, you may lose their custom in the short or long term. The reputation of your business could be badly affected if bad word of mouth and online reviews reflect the areas in which your business has fallen down. And as a consequence of these situations, you could make losses in your business if news of customer dissatisfaction spreads.
As a business owner, you know the importance of making your customers happy. Dissatisfaction is not the word you want to hear. But to understand more, let’s consider why customers may be dissatisfied.
#1: Poor quality product or service
What are you offering your customers? If it’s a particular product, it needs to be of good quality, functional, and long-lasting. Something of poor quality that breaks within days or weeks of purchase is hardly likely to satisfy your customers.
If you are offering a particular service, you need to fulfill what you have promised. The work you do for the customer needs to be of good quality because this is what they expect when they pay you. A rushed job that fails to meet their needs is going to cause dissatisfaction.
To ensure quality, you should commit to training for yourself and your team when it is needed. And if certain tasks can’t be managed properly in-house, you should outsource to experts, such as industrial sewing services if you are selling fabric-based products. By taking these steps, you will be better able to offer quality to your customers.
#2: Bad customer service
When your customers reach out to your business, they expect timely answers, polite interactions, and a proper answer to the questions they are asking. They don’t expect a long wait on the phone, rude customer service representatives, and a less-than-satisfying response to their queries.
For the benefit of your customers, you need to make sure your employees are trained in customer service skills. You need to monitor their interactions occasionally and give them guidance or warnings if they aren’t treating your customers well. And you also want to cut down on wait times when your customers try to reach you. Outsource to a call center if you need to, provide a live chat option on your website, and be diligent when it comes to answering emails and returning phone calls.
#3: Overpricing
You will be keen to make a profit in your business but that profit shouldn’t come from overpriced products. When a customer realizes that they have paid more than is standard for a product or service, they will be quick to let the world know on business review sites and social media.
You make a profit by gaining more customers and not by ripping them off. So, make sure your pricing is fair by conducting a pricing survey before settling on a final cost. This way, your customers won’t slam you for unfair pricing and you won’t lose them to business rivals that are offering cheaper prices.
Finally
By keeping your customers happy, you will experience return custom, better word of mouth, and higher profits. So, consider your customers. Are they satisfied with your business? Find out by asking for their feedback and by checking reviews about your business online. If you need to make changes to counter criticisms, then do so.
Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Arguably the most important part of any business is its marketing. A part of marketing is figuring out how to maintain your customer’s attention. The following contributed post is entitled, Tips For Maintaining Your Customer’s Attention.
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Maintaining the attention of your customers is super important so that they don’t lose interest. Non-interested customers will slowly hinder your business sales, which will decrease profits and make it harder to grow and expand your business. To make your business more effective and successful, it is important to engage your customers.
On that note, here are the best tips for maintaining your customer’s attention.
Make an engaging website If your business runs an online website, that it will need to be as engaging as possible to maintain the attention of your customers. If your business doesn’t have a website, then it will benefit your business to work with a website design team who will help to build your site. A business website will help your business be more discoverable, which will boost sales and success.
Your business website should be as responsive as possible, which will maintain the attention of your customers. Using an expert in the field will ensure that your website is easy to use and smooth so that your customers do not lose interest.
Fast responses An effective way to keep your customers engaged is to respond to their comments and questions as fast as possible. Although it would be ideal to offer your customers immediate responses, sometimes it simply isn’t possible. Therefore, ensure to stay on top of your comments/queries so that you can turn around quick responses.
If you do want to try and increase your response time and offer more frequent immediate responses then it can help to build a live chat service on your website. During business hours, customers can contact you there and attain an immediate response to their query, which will keep them attentive and interested.
Never promise anything You should avoid promising anything to your customers because if you fail to meet the expectations that you have set out for yourself, then you will lose your customer’s trust. Therefore, never hand out promises.
Instead, fulfilling your own expectations should be enough to satisfy your customers and keep them interested.
Get to know your customers The more personal you are with your customers, the more engaged they will be. Simply knowing their name or their preferences will ensure that you can be friendly and create a relationship, which will keep them coming back to use your business.
Getting to know your customers will also mean that you can rely on them for regular and honest feedback. The more feedback you attain from your customers about your business, the more you can improve and ensure that you provide your customers with what they want.
Offer regular deals Every customer will appreciate a good deal from time to time. Therefore, offering regular deals to your existing customers will make them feel appreciated and encourage them to keep shopping with you to attain more deals.
You could offer a reward scheme whereby you offer a free product for every ten purchases made. It will keep them interested and engaged with your business, which will maintain their loyalty.
