As a small business owner, you need to be particularly conscientious about making a good impression on your customers. When you have a fairly limited operating budget and a small workforce, you have to be careful about how you invest your time and resources. However, winning over new customers and shaping positive customer experiences is vital to your business’ growth. Here are some winning strategies on how you can project the right image to your customer base.
Be Available to Answer Calls
Customers may quickly lose interest in a business if nobody answers the phone when they call. Long hold times can also give customers pause about doing business with you. However, when you have a small and busy staff, it may be hard to always take calls throughout a workday. A virtual receptionist will ensure that somebody is always available to take your customers’ calls. You can provide specific instructions about what information to take down from customers and have them relay specific pieces of information.
Be Responsive When Customers Reach Out For Help
If you sell somebody a product or service but then you’re unavailable if the person has follow-up questions, he or she will not be pleased with the transaction. It will probably be the last time that you do business with that person, and it may get you a negative review. Be sure to get back to customers as soon as reasonably possible when they reach out for help.
Get Good Reviews on Third-Party Sites
A lot of people will judge a business based on what other customers have had to say about it on third party sites. Work on earning some great reviews by encouraging people who give you compliments to leave feedback.
Stay Connected With Your Customers
Earning repeat business can hinge on your outreach efforts to existing customers. Take time to follow up with emails and calls to make sure people are happy with their purchase or to alert them of sales that they might be interested in. Customers will like seeing your initiative, and they may be more likely to do more business with you in the future.
Raise Your Business’ Curb Appeal
If your business has a physical location that customers go to, they will start forming opinions about your business before they set foot in the door. You need to make sure that your business’ signage is conspicuous and professional looking. Your parking lot, walkway, and windows should be clean. When customers look inside, they should see an area that appears well-appointed and well-organized. If a business looks dirty or disorganized, it may appear to be poorly managed.
Train Your Workforce on How to Represent Your Business Professionally
One-on-One interactions with your staff are going to be a driving force in how you earn and sustain customers’ business. Train your staff on how to interact positively and professionally with customers. When people work with a small business instead of a large corporation, they expect personalized attention. Your staff needs to let your customers know that they care about making sure they get what they need and they’re happy with your products and services. Your frontline sales staff may benefit from in-depth sales skills training. In addition, they need to have extensive training about your business’ products or services so they’ll appear knowledgeable when customers ask them specific questions. Ultimately, you want your staff to inspire an image of confidence, competence, and readiness to help.
Join Professional Associations and Get Accreditations
Being part of one or more professional associations in your business’ location will give your business some credibility and make customers feel better about working with you. If you’re a women or minority owned business, joining an association or getting an accreditation for it may help you earn business.
Offer Sales, Promotions, or Price Match Guarantees
Prospective customers will think well of your business when you’re able to offer them savings. It shows them that you care about earning their business, and they’ll be more likely to work with you when they’re getting a deal on something.
Strategies aimed at good customer relations will help your business make a good impression on prospective and current customers. Over time, your efforts will be rewarded, and your business can become a local leader in your field.