Starting a new business has many challenges associated with it, but perhaps the biggest hurdle to get over is finding customers from the start. The longer it takes to build up a customer base, the longer it will take to start making money and even longer before you make a profit. In some cases, this can be too long, and the business has to scale down or fold completely before it even has a chance to begin properly.
That’s why it’s important to impress people from the very start. It’s not as difficult as it might sound, particularly in this age of technology. Here are some ways you can do it.
Social Proof
Social proof is, simply put, testimonials and reviews for your business. It is massively important as it will not only impress (assuming everything is positive), but it will also show that you can be trusted, that you deliver on your promises, and that your customer service is excellent too.
Even if there are issues with a customer and their review isn’t recommending you as high as you might like, there are ways to turn this around and impress others as well. Respond well, making your response public where appropriate, so that others can see that you take these things seriously and you are determined to put things right. Reviews can be changed, and if you work hard here, it will pay dividends later on.
Be Professional
No matter what you do in business, you should always be professional. Whether you work in a huge multinational corporation or it’s just you as a sole trader, you must not take things too personally. If you take things to heart, you will not be looking objectively at what you are doing, and you might not be as professional as you should be.
Being professional means responding to queries promptly, being polite and courteous, sending out invoices and reminders on time using free online estimate templates, getting the job done well, and helping customers wherever possible.
The more professional you are, the more likely people are to buy from you, buy from you again, and recommend you to friends and family.
Listen
Not everyone has the ability to listen, and when you run a business, making sure you do have that ability and ensuring that you put it into practice when potential customers are asking questions and talking about what they need is crucial. Firstly, it will be a pleasant surprise for the customer to feel they are really being listened to. Secondly, it means you will be able to help them much more easily, thus ensuring a happy customer and a well-received product or service.
Listening will help you to get the job done the first time correctly. It also means you don’t have to keep going back to the customer to ask more questions, which can be frustrating, irritating, and even off-putting altogether. It certainly doesn’t give off a professional impression of you and your business!
Say Thank You
Growing up, our parents always taught us to say thank you when someone did something for us or gave us something. Showing appreciation to your customers is an important step to take; it will make them feel as though you have enjoyed transacting with them, and they will like the good feeling that your gratitude gives them. They’ll want to experience it again, and they’ll come back to buy from you.
Not many shoppers experience real gratitude from the business owners they buy from, so it is a quick and easy way to impress. Plus, feeling gratitude in all aspects of your life is something that can help keep your stress and anxiety levels low, so it has a double benefit.
Make Them Feel Special
If a customer feels like just another faceless consumer buying from another faceless company, they won’t feel special, and their experience won’t be impressive. If you can do something to change that and show them that they are special, their attitude and how they think of you will change. Part of this can be done by showing appreciation as mentioned above, but there are other things to think about too.
Ask for feedback, to begin with. A customer will definitely feel special if they are asked for their opinion on your business, and even more so if you act on what they say (although don’t just do whatever every customer suggests if it doesn’t make sense for your business). You could also offer discounts and incentives to loyal customers, or create a loyalty scheme.
