Astonish your Customers With These Customer Servic

Astonish your Customers With These Customer Service Tips

by: Catherine Franz

Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and you build your business for life. Proven by the leader in the industry Nordstromกs. Nordstromกs customer service keeps improving and they continue to drive others out of business because of it. Here are six ways you can thrill customers and snatch a larger market share from your competitors.

…Offer to do an extraordinary favor

Example: A customer of a moving firm wanted to ship a kitchen table and chairs set to his son in a city 300 miles away. But the moving firm had a hefty weight requirement and a high minimum fee. The firmกs manager said he made regular trips to that city. So he offeredat no costto load the set in his station wagon and deliver it on his next trip.

…Under promise, over deliver

A wellknown air freight company promises to deliver a package by 10 am the next morningbut often delivers by 9 or 9:30 am. A local printing company always finishes the job before the due date. These are companies customers can count on.

…Give them a benefit they don’t know exists

If your business offers coupons for certain items, discount those items for those purchases even if customers don’t have the coupons.

…Put concern above profit

Only offer customers items they can use. Don’t sell them higherpriced products just to make a big sale. Youกll win the loyalty of customers if you look out for their best interest.

…Follow up after the sale

The most successful salespeople follow up regularly at scheduled timesnot when they have a spare moment. Help yourself follow up by keeping a log of commitments made and when you promised to keep them.

…Comfort customers in time of need

Letกs discuss this with an example. If a customerกs air conditioning unit blinked out on the hottest Saturday of the year. Have a backup plan for these type of emergencies. People never forget it when you ease their comfort and will become your biggest raving fan. Return their call no matter how busy you are or have a plan on how to handle these calls. Work later than normal or have someone parttime and oncall. Talk with them on how you can ease their comfort until you can make it there. Ask if they would like to go to the mall or a movie where it is air conditioned and you will call them when you arrive. It doesn’t matter if you are in the air conditioning and heating business or you’re a consultant, think of ways you can ease customerกs comfort. And don’t forget to advertise that as well.

About The Author

Catherine Franz, writer, speaker, marketing master, specializes in infoproduct development. More at: http://www.MarketingStrategiesToGo.com and http://www.AbundanceCenter.com. Including articles and ezines.

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 21

by Catherine Franz

7 Killer Ways To Increase Your Online Sales

7 Killer Ways To Increase Your Online Sales

by: Tony L. Callahan

Every online entrepreneur I talk to is asking the same question, กHow do I increase my online sales, NOW?ก

Online selling is essentially a numbers game. The more visitors to a site, the more sales that site will make. The number of sales made divided by the total number of visitors to a site is called the conversion rate. A typical site will have a conversion rate of between 1 and 2 percent, or 1 to 2 sales per 100 visitors.

It is obvious that if the number of visitors increases, and the conversion rate remains the same, then sales will increase. Traffic is the first variable that most online marketers attempt to influence when they begin their online marketing campaigns.

There are two basic problems with the increase traffic method. The first is that it is expensive to run advertising and improve a siteกs ranking in the search engines. The second, and subtler issue is that there is no guarantee that the conversion rate will remain constant.

So what about increasing the conversion rate? Using the example above, if the number of buyers could be increased from 1 or 2 per hundred visitors to 2 to 4, sales will have doubled! So what can be done to increase a web siteกs conversion rate? Below I list 7 techniques designed to accomplish this goal:

Provide plenty of testimonials

These testimonials should be from previous customers and should include specifics as to how the product or service helped them solve a problem.

Obtaining testimonials is no problem, just ask. People love to be asked what they think; most will be willing to share their thoughts on your product or service. Implement a process of following up with your customers with a questionnaire. Leave plenty of room for their comments and make it clear that their comments may be used in your advertising.

Improve your follow up

Many people will not buy the first time they see your product. In fact, some experts claim that people must see your message seven times before they are ready to buy. Autoresponder courses are a great way to follow up with the potential customer. There are many free autoresponder services on the web. I use FreeAutoBot.com.

Give away free samples

By letting your customers try before they buy, you can significantly increase your sales. If you sell an information product, provide a few paragraphs or even the first chapter by autoresponder. This technique also helps to improve follow up by guaranteeing you obtain contact information.

Give a bonus product

Everyone likes to get something for nothing, especially if that something is perceived as valuable. Ebooks make a great bonus, especially if they contain original content. If you are unable to create your own ebook, you could give away someone elseกs. FreeeBooks.net is a good resource for finding Ebooks to give away.

Focus the web site

Use the Direct Response Site model. A direct response site is one where the customerกs choices are very limited. Essentially they can buy the product, bookmark the page, subscribe to your ezine, or leave the site. The more options a visitor has, the less likely they are to make a purchase.

Follow on sales are crucial

It is well known that successful businesses make 75% of their sales to repeat customers. Start a free ezine and get your customers to subscribe. Get their permission to send them information on upgrades and new products. On their receipt, mention a product that compliments their purchase. Don’t have a product to offer for follow on sales? Find and join an affiliate program offering products of interest to your target market.

Change the web site copy

Appeal to target emotion rather than reason. People respond more intensely to emotional appeals than to intellectual discussion. Design your copy to focus on the visitorกs dreams, desires, fears or goals. Position your product to appeal to their emotional needs.

Implement these seven tips, and watch your online sales increase.

About The Author

Copyright 2002 Tony L. Callahan, All Rights Reserved Tony L. Callahan is president of his own Internet marketing company, LinkPromote.com. He also publishes WebLinks Monthly, a newsletter full of tips, tricks, tools and techniques for successful web site promotions. http://www.linkpromote.com/wlmonth/subscribe/index.html.

This article was posted on September 04, 2002

by Tony L. Callahan