Dandy Tip for Growing your Business:
"Build relationships. People buy products from people they like & trust. Invest your time in people."
From early 1987 through late 2000, we spent 14 wonderful years living in Savannah, GA. You may have heard it said before, but I'm here to confirm that folks 'down South,' do things differently.
Southern etiquette fascinated me! Besides teaching their children to address their elders as Mr. (as in Mr. John) and Ms. (as in Ms. Sharon), people in Savannah also listened, really listened when folks talked.
There was an 'order' of conversation that always took place when we first met with a friend (or even stranger) in Savannah. And, we learned it was best not to start talking immediately about business.
The unspoken rule in Savannah was to first catch up on what was happening in each others world. How was their family? What was new in their life?
We asked them what they would like to drink (like Savannah Sweet Tea, but that's another blog for another day). We quickly learned to be a gracious host and hostess (Savannah Style of course!) and when people visited, we made sure they felt welcome and very comfortable in our home.
Then, only after spending sufficient time catching up with the goings on in their world (and who's to define sufficient?), was it safe to broach the topic of business. If we had something of a business nature to discuss with them, we would gently move the focus from life's happenings to our business topic.
In the South, the focus was on People and Relationships. It was more important who we knew and less important what we knew! Like people all around the world really, people in Savannah did business with people they liked and trusted. But, having just moved there, we had to first earn that highly regarded status, it was not something that was just handed to us.
Today's question is, if you are new to an area, how do you earn someone's trust?
- Just like in any relationship, you earn it by spending time with someone you have something in common with
- You nurture the bond between you in appropriate ways
- You are there for them when they need you
- You are honest and treat them fairly, because it is just the right thing to do
- You are dependable, they know they can count on you
- You care about the other person and give them a part of yourself without asking for anything in return
- You repeat this over and over
The guidelines do not change, we just need to learn how to apply them to our virtual relationships. To be clear, most everyone we come in contact with is either a potential customer, or a link between you and someone they know who could be your potential customer.
Let's break these points down:
1) Spend time with your customer... Social media is perfect for bonding with potential customers. Talk with them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Join in discussion forums and add valuable and timely comments. Post some items using Pinterest that are interesting to you, which lets people get to know what you are interested in. Start a newsletter signup and send a newsletter letting them know a little about you and your personal life. Caution though... do not bombard them with products. Let them get to know and trust you before ever offering anything for sale.
2) Nurture the bond you are building... Post your picture where they can see your smiling face. The visual element is important in building that bond.
3) Be there for them when they need you... Be sure your site prominently displays your contact information. Let them know you are 'Standing by to help.' When they send a question, answer it quickly, courteously and professionally. If there is a problem, solve it like you would want it solved if you were the buyer!
4) Be honest and treat them fairly... Offer an exceptional product at a fair price. Do not inflate your shipping.
5) Be dependable... Consistently ship the products quickly. Pack your products well and include a personal thank you in the package. Include contact information and tell them you appreciate them.
6) Give them something for free... Wow them with great customer service! Send them a little something free with their purchase. Offer a gift certificate and include one for them to give away.
7) Be a gracious host or hostess... What buying experience do your customers have when they visit your site? How is your 'First Impression'? What is the feel of your site? Is it clean and uncluttered? Does it have cobwebs in the corners in the form of old terms and policies that have been around forever? Do you have broken links or pictures that no longer display correctly? Is it time to clean house, pare down, tighten up and offer a more modern shopping environment?
If you've had the same site for years, chances are, you just can't see a better way of doing things. It's the old adage "you can't see the forest for the trees" type of thing. So, it may be time to have a new set of eyes look at your site to offer suggestions for improvement. A friend or colleague may help, don't be afraid to ask.
Bottom line... spend time building those important relationships with people that will help turn them into repeat customers who come back time and again. Why would they do that? Because you have taken the time to let them know you value them and their business. And, because they like how you make them feel!
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