Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Repeat customers are the lifeblood of all businesses, and it’s critical to understand to have your customers return to your establishment time and again. The following contributed post is thus entitled, The Curse Of The One-Time Customer.
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Repeat customers are crucial in business. They’re the most profitable customers you could hope for. They’re also most likely to promote you through word of mouth. If sites like www.bizjournals.com are anything to go by, customers who have been with you before are also liable to spend more.
Sadly, this isn’t a goal every business manages. In the starting stages especially, it isn’t unusual for sales to be a one-time thing. This is disheartening as it means continuing to spend a fortune on marketing at a time when every penny counts. But, this vicious cycle needn’t become your business reality. In truth, a trend in one-time buyers is often due to a few rookie mistakes. To ensure you don’t make them, we’re going to look at what they are, and how you can avoid them.
Too little follow up
Following up sales is crucial. At the very least, it helps you to collect reviews which show what you do right, and what you do wrong. From a repeat-custom standpoint, it’s also a fantastic way to remind customers you exist. Those first few customers might be a massive part of your business journey, but you’re just another company. The chances are that your shop was far from the only one they bought from that day. If you aren’t careful, then, you could fall off their radar even if they like what they got. By sending a review email, you nudge them into thinking about you again. All without having to outwardly advertise to them at all. With a bit of luck, that alone will get them back on your website looking for more.
In the same breath, too much follow up from a company is sure to be off-putting. As a rule, one email should be enough to cover you here. If you send more than that, you’re soon going to become a nuisance. Note, too, that even companies who only intend to send one email can often end up sending more. That’s because they haven’t dealt with a little something called data management. If your customer information is all over the place, customers may end up on more email lists than they should. This could result in a bombardment which ensures they never buy from you again. Don’t let it happen. Learn to manage customer data with the help of companies like profisee.com. That way, you can automate one follow up email and rest easy that it’s the only one which lands in your customer’s inboxes.
A stagnant business model
If a customer buys a product from you, there’s little chance that they’ll want to buy that same product again. At least, in the majority of cases. That’s why a business model which stagnates is never going to get people coming back. Instead, you need to think all the time about where to take your business next. The more developments you offer, the more opportunity there’ll be for repeat custom and increased success in the long-run.
Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. The lifeblood of any business is its customer base as it won’t thrive without sales. As such, businesses need to understand what the customers are thinking, and what’s important to them. The following contributed post is thus entitled, What Really Makes A Customer Choose Your Service?
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One of the major things that you always need to try and master in business is how to get enough customers to choose your business, your services and be loyal to your way of doing things. Marketing is all about making sure that this is more likely, but if you only ever outsource your marketing you might not really have come to grips with what makes someone choose one thing over another. Personal differences and taste will always come into it in some way or another, but there are also many things we can infer from the evidence too. In this post, we are going to discuss just three things which can often make a customer choose one service or business over all the others. Improve and work on these, and you will be moving in the right direction.
The marketing is there for a reason – it works when it is done well. Arguably the most central part of marketing is the brand – as long as you have got that right, you will find that you are much more able to get plenty of customers on your side. Very often, the brand makes an unconscious difference to the point where it might even be the thing that tips the scale. If you can work on your brand to the point where you are truly happy with it, you will find that this makes a huge difference and brings that many more customers to your doors and to your products. You’ll probably want a marketing firm to help you and let you know what kind of branding is likely to work, which is fine. But make sure it is original and creative as well.
A Strong Reputation
Just as with your personal life, you want to make sure that you have a strong reputation for your business too, as it is one of the biggest influences on whether people choose your service and product, or whether they go elsewhere. There are many things which affect your business’ reputation, and it is worth acquainting yourself with some of the more important ones and working on building them up as best as you possibly can. For instance, you will find that having a good reputable address makes a difference to what people think of your business, so using a virtual office address if you don’t have a reputable one yourself can really help things along massively. Or you might want to think about acting in a manner which is ethical, focusing on, say, environmental policies. A better reputation makes all the difference in the world.
Finally, let’s not forget the product or service itself. The most important thing is that your service or product is as good as possible, in such a manner that it will encourage people to spread the word. If that happens, then you will be drawing in more customers away from other rival businesses merely because you are actually offering the better product – that is definitely the most pleasing way to go about things.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. The lifeblood of any business is its customer base. Keeping them happy is in most cases, ensuring success. The following contributed post is thus entitled, The Customer Is King: How To Ensure Your Clients Feel Like VIPs.
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If you run a business, there’s every chance you’re familiar with the old adage, ‘the customer is king.’ Sadly, while many companies strive to provide a VIP experience, not all succeed in the mission to put the customer first. If you’re eager to improve your review scores, you’d like to put more emphasis on customer service, or you’re looking to raise your game to leave the competition in your wake, here are some suggestions to ensure your clients feel like royalty.
Analyze what you’re offering If you’re running marketing campaigns, you’re offering promotions, you’re sending out emails on a daily basis, and you’re providing new customers with incentives, it can be difficult to keep track of what you’re actually offering. Take a moment to analyze exactly what you’re providing for new and existing customers, read through your offers and adverts carefully, and make sure you can deliver on your promises. Check the small print, and ensure that clients have access to information about the terms and conditions attached to promotions and discounts. It’s also essential to realize your legal responsibilities as a business owner. If you sell products, for example, the last thing you want is to be challenged by a customer seeking legal advice about consumer claims. Your products should meet the relevant safety and quality standards, you should provide accurate descriptions, and you should have a refund policy in place. To avoid complaints and negative reviews, it’s crucial to ensure that you can fulfil promises, so take a good look at the promotions, products, and services you’re offering, verify that the information you’re providing is correct, and make sure you tick every legal box.
Act on feedback More and more businesses ask for feedback. Research shows that over 90% of people now read reviews before making a decision about which product to buy or which brand to choose. With reviews playing an increasingly important role in the decision-making process, it’s crucial to make use of feedback. If you’ve asked clients to provide and share comments, take the time to read and digest them, and act on them. It can be tempting to focus on positive feedback, which provides a feel-good factor, but negative comments can be even more valuable. If you know you’ve got something wrong, or you’re doing something that your customers don’t like, you can take steps to address the issue before you get any more comments. Feedback can also give you an insight into how consumers view your brand and provide you with ideas and inspiration to push your business forward.
Don’t overlook loyal customers Sometimes, businesses are guilty of chasing new customers so ferociously that they overlook their existing clients. As a company owner, there is nothing more valuable than a repeat customer. You’ve got a ready-made client ready and waiting to buy from you again, and that customer is also likely to recommend you to friends and family. If you’re building your client base, it’s natural to want to attract new customers, but don’t underestimate the importance of loyalty. Offer incentives for new clients, but don’t forget to reward those who have already contributed to your profits. There are lots of ways you can celebrate loyalty, from rewards cards to access to special offers or exclusive events. Remember that there’s nothing to stop your customers being lured in by introductory offers advertised by the competition.
Offer a personalized service Even if you’re one of a million customers, it’s nice to feel special. When you run a business, and you’re focused on providing exceptional standards of customer service, it’s incredibly beneficial to add a personal touch. This could mean anything from offering a bespoke shopping service to sending out personalized emails or offers on a customer’s birthday. Instead of addressing all your customers with a generic subject line and welcome, add that customer’s name. Research shows that personalized emails have a higher conversion rate. Use your own experiences as a customer. What has impressed you, and what has put you off choosing a specific company or brand?
Create a positive user experience When you go shopping, you browse your inbox, or you take a look at a website, what do you look for? Many buyers are now looking for more than a simple transaction, which involves swapping cash for a product or a service. Modern consumers want to enjoy an experience, which feels new, fresh, and engaging. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment. Take a walk through your salon, store, or restaurant, spend half an hour navigating your way around your website and take a look at the emails you send out to subscribers. Make notes. Are there changes you could make to enhance the experience? Could you offer new features on your site? Is it possible to improve the aesthetic of your shop or add ambiance with music or lighting? Could you provide a more luxurious experience by offering clients at your hair or beauty salon a coffee with fancy latte art or a glass of bubbly? Try and be original, and match the changes you make to your brand and the target market.
Provide staff training If customer service is an essential part of your business, or this is an area in which you’re keen to make improvements, make sure your staff has the relevant training, knowledge and skills to achieve the desired outcomes. If you own a restaurant, it doesn’t matter how brilliant the food is or how spectacular the interior looks. If the waiting staff is rude, this is what the diner will remember. Training can help employees to develop confidence and to understand what exceptional customer service entails.
To make it to the top in business, you have to be able to impress both new and existing customers. Consumers aren’t happy to settle for sub-standard products or poor customer service, and as a business owner, it’s your job to make sure that your customers feel like VIPs. If you can prioritize customer service, deliver on promises, add a personal touch and provide your clients with a positive, memorable experience, this will stand you in good stead to expand your business, attract rave reviews, and hopefully reap financial rewards.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. For businesses that ship inventory to consumers, it’s important to be able ship your deliverables in the most efficient manner and to keep customer satisfaction high. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Deliver The Best Deliveries For Your Customers.
Do you know what the biggest issue many customers have with businesses? It’s that they don’t offer quick enough deliveries or that they seem to overcharge for the shipment. As a result, some companies can struggle with their customer service reviews, and they might get a few more poor online reviews than they would like.
Don’t let your deliveries drag you down like this! There are ways you can up your game and improve the overall delivery and shipment processes within your company. Read on to find out more!
Make The Internal Process As Simple As Possible
One of the first things to work on is your internal delivery process. One of the main problems that many companies have with their process is that it is far more complicated than it should be. Thankfully, it can be easy to cut down and make a lot more efficient. The key to that is to try and take away as many steps from the whole process as possible. That will slim it down and make it a lot more effective.
You also need to offer regular training to all of your warehouse staff. As these are the employees that will be handling all orders and ensuring that they are shipped out on time, keeping them well trained will ensure their productivity. It also informs them about the best way to handle fragile goods and perishable items that might need to follow special regulations.
Consider Outsourcing Deliveries
If you find that trying to handle all of the deliveries is too much for your company, you could always outsource them. You could hand the packaged shipments to a courier service, for instance. If you sell large items, then you might need to find a flatbed trucking company. There are some businesses that also like to outsource their storage as well. Thankfully, there are some courier companies that will be able to store and ship all of your products for you for very reasonable prices.
If you do keep hold of your own stock, then it’s best to stay very organized with your stock takes. Ideally, you should try to carry them out at least once a week. This helps you carry out stock rotation and will reduce the chances of you ever selling out.
Ensure Customers Are Up To Date
I’m sure that all of your customers will want to be kept up to date with all the orders that they placed. In fact, it’s the not knowing part that can often result in a lot of bad reviews! So, make sure your customers always receive a tracking number and that they can use this to see every step that their item makes on its journey. At least this will give them a better idea of when they can expect their purchase to arrive!
Hopefully, all of these tips can help you improve the delivery of all orders for all of your customers!
Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key to running a successful business is to attract new customers and to continue to cultivate the relationship you have with your customer base. What are some ways to do this? The following contributed post is entitled; Want More Customers? It’s Probably Easier Than You Think.
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It’s common for business owners to overestimate how difficult it is to gain new customers and clients. You probably think a surge in new customers requires a heavy or hard marketing push and this is not always the case. There are easier, more financially friendly ways to gain new customers that you might want to consider. So, let’s look at some of the possibilities and determine whether they could be the right move for your company.
One of the easiest ways to increase sales and customer levels is to simply give them more ways to buy. You should work hard to make sure that every purchase option is filled. For instance, these days, mobile purchases have become a must for the typical business. In 2017, mobile web interactions increased beyond the level of more typical desktop interactions for the first time. As such, you should make sure that your site is mobile optimized and ready for orders from tablets and phones. This could include setting up an app. Apps provide an easy, fast, effective way for customers to make the purchases they want.
Of course, it’s not just about the resources themselves but how customers can interact with them. Some customers will want to buy on credit. You can make sure that this is possible by using services from providers like BlueSnap. This will ensure that customers who want to buy through credit systems are able to do this, providing more access to sales.
Business owners are typically focused on growing and reaching new customers. The reality though is that a lot of existing customers are already being neglected. Instead of looking for the new sale, you should be searching for the repeat sale. You can do this by utilizing customer mailing lists. No, email marketing is not dead and rather far from it. Through email marketing, you can access customers who have bought from you before and who could easily be pushed to do so again.
The trick here is to make the marketing personal. Make sure that an email is addressed directly to those who haven’t bought something in a while and fits with that particular target audience. This is something that must be considered when you are building or creating email marketing content.
Finally, you need to make sure that you are getting recommendations from existing customers to new consumers who have not yet used your product or service. To do this, you need to make sure that customer service quality levels are better than the rest. Do this, and you will have no trouble at all winning those recommendations. If you are addressing this issue, it’s a good idea to check on the reviews of your business as well. Make sure there are no flies in the ointment that are making people leave the feast before they have sampled the goods.
We hope you have found this advice helpful and see now that getting more customers doesn’t necessarily require an expensive marketing push.
