Win Over Customers With These 5 Tried-and-Tested Tips
By Andrew Patricio
June 24, 2015
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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By Stefanie Neyland, Small Business Content Developer at BizLaunch.com
We all know that businesses are built on relationships. Whether you get to know your customers in person, online or over the phone, the fundamentals are still the same: it’s all about forging meaningful connections and offering value.
There’s no better way to start wowing your customers than by leaving them with a great impression of your business, so here are five tried-and-tested tips you can use to win over your customers – whether they’re regulars or first-timers.
1. Knowledge is power.
The more knowledge you have about your product, service or industry, the more valuable you become to your customers. Take every moment you can to expand your knowledge base when it comes to your business – your patrons will recognize and appreciate your expertise.
2. Need for speed.
Strive to help each customer as quickly and efficiently as possible without undermining the quality of the support experience. Remember: reducing the time it takes to assist a customer directly reduces the time other customers have to wait.
3. Make it easy for your customers to reach you.
There’s nothing worse than struggling to find the address, phone number or opening hours of a business. Whether you run an online venture or own a brick-and-mortar location, every company should make it as quick and as easy as possible for customers to find and contact them. A great way to make sure your customers are able to discover your business online is to make sure you’re visible on all of Google’s products – that includes Google search, Google Maps and Google+. Doing so will not only increase your company’s online visibility, but will also enable you to effectively target customers that are local to you.
4. Continue to offer value– even after the sale.
Your sales efforts shouldn’t end once the money has exchanged hands – especially if you sell products that customers can potentially buy again and again. If you continue to develop that relationship after the sale, you’ll stay at the top of your customers' minds and they will be more likely to come back for more. Make sure your customer service team is well-trained to keep customers happy and minimize returns. Have your sales and marketing teams work together to get repeat customers coming back to buy again. All processes should start with a customer entering your funnel, and then spinning in a perpetual circle where they continue to make purchases from you.
5. Share content your customers can use.
With so much material being produced online on a daily basis, it’s more important than ever to fill your site with interesting, useful and well-written content that stands out. Don’t use your social media channels to market your latest product or service – you can do that once your customers get to your website. Instead, make your content and general tone lighthearted and conversational. Social media allows you to give your business personality, so be sure to include links to videos, quotes or other useful articles you think your readers may enjoy or find useful.
Once you start to see people engaging with you through social media, don’t forget to write back. Create a conversation. The goal is to let your customers know that your brand is responsive and is interested in more than simply making a sale. People do business with people they trust; once they get to know you – even if it’s online – that trust will build and may eventually turn into sales.
What techniques do you use to wow your customers and keep them coming back for more? Share them by tweeting @StaplesCanada.
We all know that businesses are built on relationships. Whether you get to know your customers in person, online or over the phone, the fundamentals are still the same: it’s all about forging meaningful connections and offering value.
There’s no better way to start wowing your customers than by leaving them with a great impression of your business, so here are five tried-and-tested tips you can use to win over your customers – whether they’re regulars or first-timers.
1. Knowledge is power.
The more knowledge you have about your product, service or industry, the more valuable you become to your customers. Take every moment you can to expand your knowledge base when it comes to your business – your patrons will recognize and appreciate your expertise.
2. Need for speed.
Strive to help each customer as quickly and efficiently as possible without undermining the quality of the support experience. Remember: reducing the time it takes to assist a customer directly reduces the time other customers have to wait.
3. Make it easy for your customers to reach you.
There’s nothing worse than struggling to find the address, phone number or opening hours of a business. Whether you run an online venture or own a brick-and-mortar location, every company should make it as quick and as easy as possible for customers to find and contact them. A great way to make sure your customers are able to discover your business online is to make sure you’re visible on all of Google’s products – that includes Google search, Google Maps and Google+. Doing so will not only increase your company’s online visibility, but will also enable you to effectively target customers that are local to you.
4. Continue to offer value– even after the sale.
Your sales efforts shouldn’t end once the money has exchanged hands – especially if you sell products that customers can potentially buy again and again. If you continue to develop that relationship after the sale, you’ll stay at the top of your customers' minds and they will be more likely to come back for more. Make sure your customer service team is well-trained to keep customers happy and minimize returns. Have your sales and marketing teams work together to get repeat customers coming back to buy again. All processes should start with a customer entering your funnel, and then spinning in a perpetual circle where they continue to make purchases from you.
5. Share content your customers can use.
With so much material being produced online on a daily basis, it’s more important than ever to fill your site with interesting, useful and well-written content that stands out. Don’t use your social media channels to market your latest product or service – you can do that once your customers get to your website. Instead, make your content and general tone lighthearted and conversational. Social media allows you to give your business personality, so be sure to include links to videos, quotes or other useful articles you think your readers may enjoy or find useful.
Once you start to see people engaging with you through social media, don’t forget to write back. Create a conversation. The goal is to let your customers know that your brand is responsive and is interested in more than simply making a sale. People do business with people they trust; once they get to know you – even if it’s online – that trust will build and may eventually turn into sales.
What techniques do you use to wow your customers and keep them coming back for more? Share them by tweeting @StaplesCanada.