As we struggle through these uncertain economic times with no real end in sight, it’s logical that the survival of our small business may start filling our thoughts. Maybe not consuming every waking hour, but for some of us that may be close. I know, for me personally as an IT consultant whose livelihood is based on continued interest from new and existing clients, my family sometimes gets the short end of the stick as I work to figure out new ways to grow my practice in this shrinking economy.
Nothing short of winning the lottery is going to take away all of our fears. Nothing. And it’s a given that customers can be fickle — they’re looking to save money just as much as we’re looking to make money. The two are almost mutually exclusive, so we’re always looking for that edge — that balance that will make us as profitable as possible, keep our current customers happy, and win lots of new customers. But there’s no guarantee — no magic potion or formula. It’s often trial and error… hit and miss. Some sink while trying to figure it out, some flounder for a long time, and some… thankfully… thrive and grow.
If you’re losing customers, or just afraid you’re going to lose customers as the economy gets tighter and tighter and the remaining competition gets cut-throat, there are a few things you can do to tighten that bond with the customer and figure out exactly what they’re looking for so that you may be able to meet their needs even better than you have been so far.
- Stay In Touch
Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offer them a free e-zine subscription. Ask customers if they want to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your Web site. After every sale follow-up with the customer to see if they are satisfied with their purchase. 2. Friendly Web Site
Make it easy for your customers to navigate on your Web site. Have a “FAQ” page on your Web site to explain anything that might confuse your customers. Ask them to fill out an electronic survey to find out how make your Web site more customer friendly.
3. Easy And Free Communication
Make it easy and for your customers to contact you. Offer as many contact methods as possible.
4. Teach Your Employees
Make sure employees know and use your customer service policy. Give your employees bonuses or incentives to practice excellent customer service..
5. Impress Your Customer
Give your customers more than they expect. Send thank you gifts to lifetime customers. E-mail them online greeting cards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses or discounts to customers who make a big purchase.
6. Be Nice
Always be polite to your customers. Use the words Please, Thank You, and Your Welcome. Be polite to your customers even if they are being irate with you. Always apologize to your customers should you make a mistake.
You would think this would be a no-brainer to want to know this, but you’d be surprised at how many big businesses aren’t really paying attention to this either. I did analysis work that was sort of like this for a very large Midwestern grocery chain figuring out what their top ten sellers in each department were. Yes, you would think that their two hundred stores were already doing this and you would think that the corporate office had a standard way to do this, but that was not the case. It took a forward-thinking store manager to bring me in to help and then other regionally located stores from the same chain wanted the same services from me. It turned out nicely for me, but what a sad statement about this large organization that they had no reporting structure already in place to ensure that all stores are being as profitable as possible.
Global B2B buy sell website: http://www.bytrade.com
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