Of Course You're in Business to Make Money, But Customers Also Need to Know That You're There to Help Them.
c2003 by Bob Leduc
Customers want to believe you're in business to help them. They don't mind if you make a profit by helping them. But they won't buy from you if they believe you're only in business to get their money.
Here are four ways you can assure customers that you're in business to help them:
1. Personalize Your Sales Approach--Customers will not believe you really want to (or can) help them when they see you trying to sell the same product or service to everybody.
Learn everything you can about your customers and their lifestyles. Then, sub-divide your targeted market into several narrowly-defined niche markets. Customize your sales messages to the specific interests and needs of prospects in each niche market. Customers should be able to see your product or service as the perfect solution to their specific situation.
2. Convert Everything Into Customer Benefits--One way to convince customers you want to help them is to focus on the benefits they can get from you. Customers don't really care about you, your company, your products or your professional credentials. They only care about the benefits they can get by using your products or services.
Keep this in mind as you develop your web pages, sales letters and other promotional materials. Present everything in terms of the benefit it provides to customers. For example:
* Don't just list the feature of your product or service. Explain how those features provide the benefits your customers want.* Don't just publicize your educational or professional credentials. Describe how those credentials equip you to do a better job for customers than your competitors.
3. Build a Relationship--You can also demonstrate your commitment to help customers by building a relationship with them. Few prospects buy on the first communication--even if they desperately want or need what you're selling.
Stay in contact with these prospective customers. Follow up periodically with some useful information...and don't charge them for it. Building a supportive relationship proves you want to help them. It gains their trust--and eventually a sale.
If you're an Internet Marketer, make sure you have a way of getting the email addresses of visitors to your web site. You need it to follow up with them. For example, offer a complimentary subscription to your email newsletter...or a complimentary special report delivered by email.
4. Encourage Questions--Answering questions is another way to demonstrate your interest in helping customers. It also captures sales you would otherwise lose from prospects unable to get all the information they wanted. Encourage prospective customers to ask questions when you're in a live selling situation.
Make it easy for customers to ask questions when they're at your web site or in other selling situations without live communication. For example, provide a phone number customers can call to speak with you or someone else who can answer their questions. Consider using a toll-free number unless you only do business in a local area.
TIP: Include a Question and Answer page on your web site with answers to frequently-asked questions. It will reduce the number of questions you have to answer individually.
Customers know you're in business to make a profit. But they also want to know you're in business to help them. The four methods revealed in this article will help you assure customers that you're committed to help them.
Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses just like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a totally new edition of his best-selling manual, HOW TO BUILD YOUR SMALL BUSINESS FAST WITH SIMPLE POSTCARDS and several other publications to help small businesses grow and prosper. For more information, contact Bob at:
Bob Leduc 7575 Rome Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89131 Email: BobLeduc@SierraNV.net Phone: (702) 658-1707 after 10 AM Pacific Time
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