Are you converting your telephone and web enquiries into profits?
How much does your business spend on advertising and marketing?
As a business owner you know how much it costs in money, time and resources to entice new customers to call you.
It could be a whole new website, endless search engine optimisation, professional networking fees which can easily add up to thousands of dollars per year, newspaper or magazine advertising… and the list goes on and on.
Sometimes we can feel like we are filling a bottomless pit with our marketing dollars and getting nowhere.
But if you know how to turn those valuable enquirers into customers when they DO finally call, you will reap the return on your investment.
Have you ever considered what your customers experience when they contact YOUR business?
Is your “Director of First Impressions” making enough of an impression to help steer the conversation and convert your hard earned enquiry calls?
Research suggests that the customer perception of your business is based on the impression formed within the first 3 seconds. For your customer, this becomes their reality and will determine whether or not they choose to do business with you, or phone your competitor instead. One thing’s for sure, if you don’t look after your customers they will find someone who DOES.
Do you know what your customer reality is?
It can be immensely beneficial to see your businesses through the eyes of your customers by making a few phone calls in, or having a mystery shopper do this for you.
So, how can we easily build rapport and instil trust in your potential customers to make YOUR business the obvious choice for them?
Firstly, before you answer the phone, STOP what you’re doing and SMILE J. Sound genuinely pleased to hear from the caller. Imagine you are opening your front door to a friend and inviting them in for coffee.
Secondly, LISTEN to their needs and ask the appropriate QUESTIONS to steer the conversation to where you want it to go. Offer to send them some information or a free sample, so you can get their details to follow up with them. Or offer them an appointment or a free consultation to get them in the door.
Many enquirers do want to take the relationship further during that initial phone call, they are just waiting for your invitation. People have said to me, Ava we don’t like to appear to be pushy. Well it’s all in the delivery – if you have a smile on your face and a helpful tone in your voice, it will be come across as genuinely wanting to help. And that is the most attract-ive thing a customer can experience.
They could be doing the ring around to get a feel for who they want to do business with – which business cares most about their needs.
Statistics show that only 9% of customers are interested in price only, whereas a massive 67% are more interested in being cared about.
So show them that you CARE and you will soon be on the receiving end of much more business than ever before. And remember, if the product or service you are selling is not for them, they will certainly tell their friends about their great experience with you, and that’s the most cost effective form of marketing you’ll ever do.
The businesses that take action now to ensure their customer’s first impression is always positive will invariably end up being the ones that attract and retain enough customers to survive these tough times.
