Going The Extra Mile to Business Success
You cannot fail when you give more than 100 percent. In
whatever endeavour you are doing, always give more than one
hundred percent. You will find that whenever you do this, your
rewards will always be far greater than the extra effort you
expended. Some people refer to this success concept as going the
extra mile. What it means is that you need to give people more
than they expect.
If you are working in your business and want to see it grow, the
surest way to achieve it is by giving more. Customers are
impressed when they discover a business that is innovative and
gives them more than what they expected. Look for better and
more efficient ways to do things. For example, make it easy to
order from your site. Reduce the number of clicks to get to
relevant information about your product or the order form.
Don't be afraid of giving information for free. This is a
crucial step in the online world to building credibility and
trust. A free report or a sample (or extract) from your
information product will enable your potential customer to
determine whether what you are offering is what they are looking
for.
Always include some free (but valuable) bonuses with every
product ordered. This also promotes the perception of getting
more than what was paid for. In some cases, I have purchased
products on the net because the free bonuses interested me more
than the main product.
Ensure that your product delivery is quick and efficient. If you
sell an information product, ensure that the customer can
download it as soon as they have paid for it. Provide
alternative download formats and locations so that all needs are
catered for. Follow up a couple of days later to ensure they
received their products without problems. If they had problems,
resolve them straight away and provide an additional bonus to
compensate for their inconvenience.
If your product needs to be shipped, provide your customer with
alternative shipping methods. You customer can then choose how
quickly their order is to be delivered and they can pay for the
faster alternatives. Again, follow up to ensure they received
their order on time and without problems.
Go the extra mile with customer complaints. This is an excellent
opportunity to turn a disgruntled buyer into a life long
supporter of your business. Acknowledge problems and resolve
them quickly. Thank the customer for making you aware of them.
You can be sure that if one customer has had a problem, then
others have also had the same problem too.
For those working directly with customers, always give them more
than they expect and you will generate more sales. Sometimes
just giving a big, warm smile and courteous attention to the
customers' requirements are all that is required. In the online
world, prompt attention to email and courteous responses will
boost your reputation and your sales. Spend the time to
determine the customers' need and then you will be in a position
to satisfy it. I stress to you be sure to concentrate on
satisfying the customers need.
Have you ever been into a store and everyone is glum and does
not want to serve you? Do you feel inclined to buy from them?
No. But go into a store where they seem glad to see you and
willing to help you and you feel far more like buying their
products. The same applies to the online world. A well-designed
web site with easy access to information will yield greater
results. Make your web site user friendly!
Don't sit around waiting for people to buy. Ensure that your
marketing communications ask for the order! Encourage responses
through offering a strong guarantee. When someone makes a claim
under your guarantee, honour it. This is part of the trust
building process.
Make the effort to develop additional skills in your spare time.
Studying about leadership or how to motivate people will always
be of help in building your business. There is always something
new to be learnt when it comes to dealing with people and
influencing them to buy.
However, never lose sight of your most important task right now
- keeping your existing customers satisfied.