In doing everything you can to make your small business stand above all other competition, providing top-notch customer service should always be one of your top priorities.
Think for a moment about how you like to be treated as a customer when buying goods and services.
You likely want to get in and out as quickly and as smoothly as possible. When that does not happen, you might reconsider and decide to go elsewhere.
Much the same probably happens with many of your customers.
If they don’t like the speed and ease with which they can maneuver around your business, they could very well end up going elsewhere.
So, are you always there for your customers?
Speed and Simplicity Work
In order for your small business to make its mark in the minds of consumers, be sure you are doing the following:
- Best products and services – The items that you sell or rent to customers have to be the best around. That said do perennial reviews of your products and services, making sure that they are as good as can be. If you see the competition coming out with better items, look to see if you can match or even surpass them;
- Best pricing around – While you are in business to make money, you should always look to give your customers deals from time to time. One way to go about this is by rewarding your top customers with deals (see more below), coupons, reward programs etc. When they see that you’re willing to go out of your way for them, they are more likely to spread the word about your brand. In return, you get some of their friends, family, co-workers etc. coming to you and making purchases;
- Best technology going – In today’s technology-driven world, don’t drop the ball when it comes to going where your customers are, specifically mobile. If your company has a free mobile phone swipe reader, you are able to go where both the business and money are. With the reader on your side, you can connect with a number of consumer smartphones, making each purchase and billing as simple as can be. You also have the mobility to make sales away from your home base, be it your store or if you work out of your residence. By accepting mobile payments, you can sell goods and services at networking conferences, fairs, trade shows and more. With a simple swipe on a mobile device, customers can buy products from you without ever setting foot in your place of business ;
- Best offers available – When you deploy mobile marketing into your daily itinerary, you can let consumers know about sale specials even when they are in or around the corner from your store. Since many shoppers would be classified as impulse buyers, connecting with them on their mobile devices increases the odds you will land a sale or two in no time;
- Best social promotions – If you have not been using social media up to this point to promote how you can best serve customers, change that going forward. Use your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram pages etc. to demonstrate to consumers how easy it is for them to buy items from you with their smartphones. In turn, they may very well share your social posts with those they know, thereby sending more business your way. You can also turn to YouTube to run videos about mobile sales and how your business is a part of them. A short video tutorial on mobile sales and/or some customer testimonials on how easy the process is can do wonders for your brand.
In today’s mobile world, businesses simply are missing out on too many opportunities when they don’t have a mobile presence.
So that your brand can avoid being one of those dropping the ball on potential sales, make sure you are doing everything possible to be mobile.
If you were to poll your customers and how much they enjoy using their smartphones for purchases (and it isn’t a bad idea to do it), you would likely see the numbers going up each and every time.
Make it your goal to always be there for your customers.
When you do, they’re likely to be there for you with your money.
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers small business topics on the web.