“Kind words with a gentle smile can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” — Mother Teresa
Smile – because it won’t cost anything.
With countless products being sold in the market and different types of services being unveiled every day, it is rather important that you ensure a follow up that is not only consistent but imperative in nature.
When you’re in any particular kind of business one of your primary goals is to convert potential clients into loyal ones. When you add value to the customer experience it results in profits. The most astonishing feature of this process comes in handy especially for small business owners, it doesn’t have to be necessarily costly or time-consuming!
Efficient customer service is only about keeping your customers happy and satisfied. What you need to do is identify their needs, categorize them, and work to help your customers fulfill them. You can serve your customers in various ways by friendly staff, prompt delivery, quality product, progress reports, post-sale services, and much more. This is a fantastically strong marketing tool that shouldn’t be undermined by you.
Quality determines your clientele
Quality determines your clientele If you’re struggling with your business and you see no positive growth – the word success seems to be a far-fetched dream then you have either of two problems:
- Your marketing method is uni-directional; hence it needs to be optimized.
- Your products and services lack quality.
To resolve the first issue, you need to consult with your marketing team and come up with a strategically sound and optimized marketing plan that will enhance the reach of your products or services to the right audience. Now, what do we understand by optimized marketing? Optimized marketing incorporates hiring efficient and reliable salespersons, spreading the word as far as possible, and ensuring follow back.
That’s a broad definition of optimized marketing. You may wonder, “How a business owner can achieve that?” It is pretty simple, invest in marketing! Invest in a sales process, salespeople. Remember you can only secure a client when you’ve scored a powerful sales team. One of the simplest ways to succeed in business is to have a sound and robust sales department, as they will maximize your sales and will secure clients for you. In smaller businesses, this could entail training your sales staff to work the counter to their fullest capabilities.
However, if your marketing strategies are on point yet you fail to generate profit then you need to add quality to your merchandise. You will not have a huge client base if your products and services are full of useless junk.
Yes! Unless you give people what they’re looking for why will they come to you? Also thinking about it, your competitors out there will be present next door as soon as any customers walk out on you. Don’t let that happen! The secret number four for creating massive wealth is quenching the needs of your clients, customers, or whosoever is the source of your income.
Always remember, in today’s era of modernization and globalization your client expects nothing but the great quality of service and products. Serve with quality, add a pinch of a smile, and ensure high returns on investment.
Follow up is essential – don’t undermine it
According to Harvard Business Review, the major complaint that customers have when associating with any business is poor follow up. 56 percent of customers complained that they need to re-explain their issue every time they were calling back. 62 percent report having to repeatedly contact the company to get their issues resolved.
As a result, 65 percent of the consumers are more likely to articulate poorly about the company and 48 percent of customers go on to tell 10 or more people about their bad experience. If the same happens to your business, you have to get your follow up routine in check.
If I have to rate the reasons why a business fails and people are unable to succeed on a scale of zero to lame, not following up with the clients would be the latest! We have absolutely no tolerance for any bad practices and anyone not looking after the client is not acceptable. What you have to understand is that it is your clientele that supports your business ventures, ensures it is smooth running, enhances the profit margin, and makes you a successful business owner.
Don’t get me wrong, but it is quite often that people drop the ball, and when they do so they don’t even follow up. Well, it is alright to commit mistakes but what you need to understand is that you have to make your client realize that they are really important to you and you would do anything to fix the mistake.
Because if you are not looking after the people who are paying for your products and services, then you’ve got a major problem. Often people think of customer service as a buzzword, if you ask me, it is an integral part of my business and I think it should be taken seriously by everyone. One of the best business strategies is if you sell a product to your client who is in dire need of your assistance you assure him of a great experience and solve his problems immediately.
Take note!
Also, you have to understand that your present client plays an important role in securing potential clients for you. That is how you expand your business through recommendations. If you’re taking care of your present clients and if you are treating them with utmost respect and care, which they deserve essentially, they will help you grow your business too.
Suppose a client with a great fortune in the market is utterly satisfied with your services, he will bring his friends by referring them to you. Given the quality of service you provide, if it tastes right by them, they may bring a couple of giants with them. This way you create a chain of substantial clientele. That seems a pretty good indicator of prosperity to me.
Certain researchers show that it will cost you seven times more money to find a new client than retaining your present clients. Do the math. The way to gain massive wealth is not by procuring new clients but rather by retaining the present ones.
At last, never forget to thank your new customers. Even the present clientele should be equally acknowledged for their association with your business. It will go a long way in showing them that they hold a special place in your heart and their business matters to you. The best thank you will be a personal note and offering some incentive to come back.
Maintain your goodwill in the industry
It is good being nice and the results you will gain are simply amazing. Yes being a nice player will get you a lot of desired results in life. Just triple the intensity and that is how much it will spike up your brand, your business, and whatnot.
Establishing goodwill and loyalty with your audience or clientele is essentially a global practice and it is followed by several successful entrepreneurs, be it Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. Your acts of goodwill never go unnoticed or unrewarded by your clientele. Your customers will always remember what you did for them and they will surely find a way to pay you back with loyalty and love.
Protecting your reputation should top your priority list because many a time people give you work or they approach you based on your market reputation. If something goes south with one of your clients, explain to him that you don’t operate this way. And take quick action rather than pondering, make amendments, and be accountable.
Being genuine does matter, trust me! The word “transparent” gets thrown like leaves during autumn. For most of us, it contains no meaning at all. In this shady world, you have to build such a brand that is entirely open and transparent. The confidence of your client should reflect on your relationships.
Trying to trick people or trying to hide something from them will not do much good. For the time being, you might escape the situation, but we all know that in the long run, nothing stays hidden. So, better avoid such bad practices and focus on enhancing the terms.
Cheating, hiding, conning, and other such activities give marketers a bad impression of your brand and it makes you a first-class rejection. If you want people to not walk out before walking into your office make sure everything you do and offer them is crystal clear. You will do more business that way.
Maintaining your goodwill is not a single day job, you’ve made it your habit and one such habit is always attending to your client. “Ignorance is bliss,” whosoever said that can never be an entrepreneur. Ignoring your people, your clients, and your employees are the worst thing you can do to yourself and your business. Say sorry, seek an apology, or come with an alternative plan to fix the situation but ignoring someone, especially when something didn’t go quite as planned is definitely not good business practice.
Problems, hardships, and hurdles are just part of our lives, they can’t be eliminated one hundred percent and we have to face them. Facing them, however, is also a business strategy. Your temperament and attitude during tough times will carry out a message and if you act aggressively, I am afraid the message will be a negative one.
I advise you to be calm and composed. Deal with the situation and clients rationally and respectfully. One acts out of impulsiveness and you will regret it for a lifetime. Your immature move can make the entire industry boycott your business.
Don’t argue with the client unnecessarily, respect them.
Ever heard the phrase, “The client is always right,” I totally second that. And if you’re among those who contradict this notion, you have to understand that the client is paying you for your services, not excuses. Having said that your entire focus should be on making your customers live happier, for that is a global practice. They should feel thousand times more comfortable and better after availing of your services. Not only should you cut all the connections after closing the deal, but you must also take their feedback from time to time. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an email, blog post, video, product, or whatever. It’s incredibly important to make sure they are happy they came in contact with you. Their gratitude will be reflected in their conversations.
Not only for your client but as your business moves towards maturity, as it expands, you should concentrate on investing in community goodwill as well. Some of the basic suggestions could be: make a small donation to community functions, offer a helping hand to those start-ups of a different industry that are struggling for a breakthrough and become their sponsor.
Encourage and promote amateur performers, artisans, and musicians by conducting exhibitions or concerts for them. Local residents are often interested and are willing to buy tickets that are fairly priced for such events. You should entail other small businesses to help with local events. Create fund-raisers for people you reckon are in need for some reason and benefit society. It will pay-off with long-term sales growth and business referrals.
Goodwill is all about the nature of the business, its integrity, its mission, its vision, and the ethics with which you conduct your business and balance all your relationships. The understanding between your clientele and you and your employees and you is also essential to create substantial business goodwill. Consider goodwill as an aspect that is quite impossible to imitate.
To maintain your goodwill is to empower your business.