Does Your Customer Talk Back To You?
What is your customer saying about you? Do you really know? Does your customer really know who you are?
If you don't know what your customer thinks about you, your business, your product and your services, then you might as well close shop!
A customer is the lifeblood of every business and you must always strive to be in tune with what your customer thinks and how they feel. Don't leave your customers unattended and in the dark. Invite feedback. Add a feedback form to your website or a simple "mailto:" link that looks something like this:
"Questions? Comments? Send email to info@m..."
People love to give their opinion especially if they decide that your product or services, which they have purchased, needs improvement. How will you know this if you don't provide a means to communicate with your customers?
A customer's independent review of your site or product carries far more weight than your own ravings about how great your site is. Sure you know that your products and services are great or you wouldn't be selling them, but you will be more convincing if you can get honest endorsements from people who have tried them.
Oh, what are you thinking now? Yeah, Yeah. I know. Yahoo! Has already given you special attention. Even Wired Magazine has profiled your entrepreneurial skills. That's all good! But Yahoo or Wired Magazine doesn't know anything about your business because they haven't actually tried your products or services.
People should endorse your business not because they think it looks good but because they know it is good. If they have problems with your products, they can be a great source of objective advice to you on how to make improvements and if you allow a customer to critique your product or services, they will be happy and proud to endorse it.
Satisfied customers are another great source of endorsement. Approach your customers for testimonials about your product or services. If you don't yet have satisfied customers, ask someone to use your product for free or offer your services for free, then ask for their comments. If they are satisfied with using your product or services, ask permission to use their comments on your site.
Make your site interactive for your customers. Give them a reason to return to your site and especially to tell others about your unique product and/or services.
Here are some suggestions:
- Provide a help number - give people a number to call if they have questions about their order or your site.
- Return an acknowledgement that you have received their payment or their email.
- Create a feedback form as previously mentioned.
- Create a "tell your friends about this site" form that enables visitors and customers to email information about your site, directly from your site to others telling them about how great your site is.
- Create a guest book and invite customers and visitors to sign it so you can know who visited your site and you will be also able to send follow up emails to them.
- Be sure your site has contact information or contact link - too many sites forget to include such important information.
- Be sure to have an "About Us" link that includes information about your business as well as a mission statement.
OK - Now you are saying you have all that!! Now What? Well, if you have done all that, you are on the right track but there are many more things that can be done to create awareness and a liaison between you and your customers. You have to be very creative and design new and unique ways that you can continue to interact with your customers.
One of the proven methods that have worked consistently for me is sharing my expertise, especially through this medium - writing articles. The article you are reading suggest that I have knowledge of certain topics and you can use this to enlighten your readers and gain their respect. Put a link on your site that lists all the articles that you write. This is a very good source that will provide "inside tips and goodies" to your customers that they wouldn't be able to get anywhere else and will also bring new customers to your site.
Another way is to provide a "Tips Corner" on your website or a discussion board that your customers can find helpful and valuable information. They will develop trust and respect for you and this will bring you success in no time.
Every business person wants to attract a wide range of customers and as an Online business owner, you have a greater advantage when it comes to how far your business reaches but it all depends on how the effect you have on your customers. The web can be a lonely place. Find ways to let your customers talk back to you.
Copyright © by Cheryline Lawson.
About The Author
Webmaster of Startbiz at http://internet-home-employment.net, newsletter publisher of Homebiz4U and Freejobs4U. To subscribe to the newsletters and receive 7 free gifts, you may send a blank email to homebiz4u-subscribe@topica.com and freejobs4u-subscribe@topica.com.
 Google News Updated : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:58:10 GMT Migraine-hit Janet Jackson to resume US tour - Reuters
Reuters - By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A rare form of migraine forced Janet Jackson to cancel several dates on her Rock Witchu concert tour but she planned to return to the stage on Wednesday in Washington, DC, her manager said. Jackson was laid low by migraines Janet Jackson: She's Baaaaack* Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:02:47 GMT Jerry Jones exposed as gutless by Goodell's ruling - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Ian O'Connor Ian O'Connor is the author of the New York Times bestseller "Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry," which Kirkus Reviews calls an "exemplary sports history. Video: Dallas' Adam Jones Suspended Again Give Cowboys credit for not counting on Adam 'Pacman' Jones too much Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:52:30 GMT Obama’s spending how much on ads? - Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor - By Jimmy Orr | 10.15.08 It’s been a week of non-surprises thus far. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been suspended - again. McCain calls for 'voter fraud' inquiry A stolen election? Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:03:33 GMT AMR Plan to Buy 787s Will Update Fleet, Bolster Boeing Program - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Susanna Ray and Mary Schlangenstein Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- AMR Corp.'s American Airlines said it may buy as many as 100 Boeing Co. AMR overcomes fuel costs to squeeze out small profit AMR 3Q Net Down 74%, To Buy Up To 100 Dreamliners Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:24:10 GMT Polls: McCain forced to play defense in some red states - CNN
CNN - HEMPSTEAD, New York -- New polls out Wednesday in some crucial states that could decide the race for the White House suggest Sen. John McCain is having to defend himself in areas that once were reliably Republican. Union sues over policy banning political material at polling places Pollsters say odds of McCain winning election 'incredibly remote' Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:34:00 GMT It's officially over: Madonna and Guy Ritchie are divorcing - New York Daily News
New York Daily News - BY LEO STANDORA Madonna's marriage to Guy Ritchie really is kaput , her rep told the Daily News on Wednesday. "Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after 7 l/2 years of marrige," Liz Rosenberg said in a statement. Video: AP Exclusive: Madonna, Guy Ritchie to Divorce It's Official: Madonna And Guy Ritchie To Divorce Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:56:56 GMT Hurricane Omar gains strength and nears Puerto Rico - Reuters
Reuters - By John Marino SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Hurricane Omar strengthened on Wednesday as it bore down on Puerto Rico and the small islands of the northeastern Caribbean, and could be a "major" storm by the time it reaches them, US forecasters said. Omar on the Move. Paloma Next? Hurricane Omar heads for US Caribbean islands Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:12:36 GMT More Web Site Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... The Call Center world is an intense pressure-driven environment continually... Read More On a recent airline flight I was an upset... Read More With all of the recent data theft in the financial... Read More This morning I was having breakfast with my good friend... Read More The simplest way to describe a 'durian' (pronounced doo-ree-ann) is... Read More Regardless of what business you are in - you are... Read More Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know... Read More Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, in his cassette album entitled, Win... Read More Two situations, two perfectly acceptable experiences, but in one case,... Read More Like any business, carpet and upholstery cleaning requires excellent customer... Read More Q: One of the big chain bookstores recently opened up... Read More 1. Tis the SeasonRecognize that everyone is frazzled during the... Read More I returned a rental car at an airport yesterday. As... Read More Last night I was at my computer and a Skype... Read More Service can be described as a "performance" of some kind... Read More Why do some businesses offer points, stamps or every tenth... Read More It should be a straightforward business scenario: making sure that... Read More As an entrepreneur, I'm always intrigued by small businesses, home-based... Read More My regular readers will know that one of the things... Read More The other day a reporter call to interview me on... Read More The Reason Why Direct Internet Marketers Have To Work So... Read More Listening to complaints, whether they're reasonable or not, is a... Read More Do you remember the last time you went into a... Read More Background The company was experiencing an increase in the number... Read More Homebuyers are an interesting study. Watching people make their home... Read More
Adsense
websites
Accountability
Dissatisfied or Rude Customers Can Be Satisfied Customers
The Drawback of Hacking Off a Blogger Through Weak Process Gaps and Pathetic Customer Service
Learn to Anticipate Your Customers Needs
Make Your Customer Your Friend
Customer Satisfaction Is Your Business
Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service
What Every Employee Should Know About How to Win the Loyalty of Customers
More Customers - Watch those Little Things
Carpet Cleaning in Surrey
Writing The Book On Great Customer Service
Five Tips to Calm Cranky Customers
And The Difference is... Attitude
Do You Want More Profits? - Follow The Golden Rules Of Providing Good Customer Service
Service Equals Performance Equals Service
How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back -- Understanding Customer Retention
Proofs of Delivery and Logistics: Speeding Throughput and Avoiding Pitfalls
Whats For Lunch?
Automating Your Customer Support
The death of customer servie
Why You Should Always Honour Your Guarantees - Even When The Customer Is In The Wrong
What Every Manager Should Know About How to Learn from the Complaints of Customers and Employees
How to Easily Increase Your Profits
Developing A Customer Complaint System
The Logic of Emotion!
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
At the Carwash; The Customer really is always Right
You have no doubt heard the saying that the customer... Read More
Got A Consumer Problem?
Millions of people, just like you, end up with a... Read More
Making Customer Satisfaction Surveys Work
Why bother? Good customer service is the life blood of... Read More
Boomerang Customers- What You Might NOT Think Brings Them Back!
With all of the calendars and PDA's and lists I... Read More
How To Use Your Current Customers
Jay instructed a customer of his to offer a rare... Read More
My Child Has Opie Eye!
7:00 a.m., the silence in the house is broken by... Read More
Minimize The Pain of Check Recovery
$350 million in bad checks are written each and every... Read More
Making The Most Of Newsletters
Newsletters can be wonderful tools for communicating with your customers... Read More
Client Service as a Competitive Advantage
As someone who has been heavily involved facilitating strategic planning... Read More
Over Deliver - The Key to Customer Satisfaction
Client satisfaction starts with meeting or beating the contractual obligations... Read More
Putting The Serve Back Into Customer Service
Good service is easy to spot and hard-to-find. Mediocre service... Read More
Customer Service Consultants
When all else fails in your company to meet the... Read More
Is Your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System Doomed To Fail?
"Right, People. Let's blast out that mail campaign we've been... Read More
Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service
Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know... Read More
Customers - What They Really Want - 6 Secrets of Customer Service
What customers really want can be divided into two areas.Firstly... Read More
Moments That Matter
Many years ago, I was a first year apprentice assigned... Read More
You Bever Know Who Youre Serving
You Never Know Who You're Serving when customers turn irate.I... Read More
The Number 1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional
Have you ever walked into a store and things looked... Read More
To Complain and Win! - My Personal Recipe
Prime directive: Make sure your claim is reasonable! Otherwise, forget... Read More
Retail Store U-Scan Machines: Self-Serve or Voluntary Part Time Job?
Do many of us realize that we are working an... Read More
Foolproof Customer Service Strategies (That Only A Fool Would Try!)
Ever notice how customer service varies from store to store?... Read More
Does Your Customer Talk Back To You?
What is your customer saying about you? Do you really... Read More
Doesnt Anybody Work Here? Nametags Impact Employee Communication
Walmart was the first business to require all its employees... Read More
Develop Loyal Customers for a Lifetime ? part 1 (1 ? 10)
Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their... Read More
Accountants / Lawyers Do Yourself a Favor - What do Your Customers Want?
In my day to day practice in strategic human resource... Read More
Customer Service |