eBusiness Weekly
Robert Gonye
The ability to operate and remain in the fight for business survival is no easy matter, especially where you have to maintain perspective in the midst of action.
Great pirates are made in the midst of rain and high waters, so too are loyal customer relationships which are the life-giving spirit of your business.
Customer relationships are like stitches in the making of a woollen garment — you cannot drop them and expect to pick them later on. Rather, consistency in business communication will oil the relationship and ensure you remain speaking the same language, even at times when you are not able to fully deliver on the expectations. Just being there will make a difference.
While a plan may make sense now, (e.g. closing down shop, reducing operating times), tomorrow you may discover the unimagined effects of today’s actions and have to modify accordingly.
What will stand out and matter to the customer is the effort you put forth to ensure their convenience while you we went through business turbulence. Were you there for them? You do not need to be breaking your back, but the least effort you make in being with them through the trenches is highly appreciated. As alluded to in the previous article, something as simple as communicating as a business on the decisions being made is very pertinent in fostering robust relationships which create a loyal customer. This type of customer is the one who will fuel the profitability of your business, make you a fortress impenetrable to competition, and keep you afloat.
In this second instalment of the article on survival strategies, we drop in on the relevance of adopting key tactics for your business to avoid repercussions of yesteryear pitfalls.
Currently, a visit to retail stores will show aisles full of products, with the only surprise being the ever higher price one gets at the till point for the same product daily. As if that were not enough, a walk into the pharmacy will require you to be abreast with the currency changes which affect price pegging. The list goes on.
Even in the service sector, this has become the new “normal” of the day. My role is not to question why these businesses are where they are, or why they are doing what they are doing. Rather, mine is to interrogate and pose to you, the business owner the uncomfortable questions: What guarantee do you have that the customer will come back to your store the next day? What makes you sure that you will be in business for the next year, two, or five while clinging to the same principles and attitude?
Nurture the relationship. Price will ultimately stop being the common denominator to your union but loyalty. Where the customer will dedicate a share of his wallet to your product regardless of the price and you the business owner or sales manager will be loyal in making him feel loved. It sounds like such a cliché but it is the heartbeat of sales transactions, at least those with a repeat purchase.
Follow up. I repeat, follow up! Give the customer a call, email them, send them a tweet. But the big one is call and check up on them and see how they are doing and how they enjoyed the transaction service. Call centres were credited with generating over 4 billion dollars annually according to a recent paid for report by statista.com.
I am not here advocating for your business to open a call centre. But is your business doing a follow up by telephone? It is not just an emotional connection. Yes, you could send the customer a whatsapp message. But why is it we all attribute more relevance to a call than a message and why did whatsapp or all the social sites pushing for a calling function? Think on that while we move on.
People who want to buy from you may often procrastinate taking action on your offer. Follow up with a low-pressure, information-oriented telemarketing effort at least seven to ten days after your sales letter, email, or business decision has been sent. You will be surprised to learn how easy it is to rekindle the customer’s enthusiasm for your product or service.
Telemarketing is a really powerful sales medium. It is very effectively used in cold-calling, but this is the most difficult job in marketing because consumers have an inherent repugnance for it unless used under the auspices of service to customers. If your business is in the service industry, follow up after a service has been rendered or scheduled to make sure that everything went right. When you use your sales emails or letters, invite people to call you. It is without a doubt the most effective use of telemarketing. And, when customers call in to talk to some knowledgeable person, you are getting a tailor-made, wonderful opportunity to up-sell them.
Calling current customers is even easier and more successful. You are serving their needs, showing an interest, and being informative. Now while it is always good to follow up, there will be some negative feedback along the way. Take it and own it because feedback is a gift. Beyond a willingness to accept casualties and acknowledge people’s losses, one typical action that almost diffuses any potential resistance to your business and personal initiatives is simply practising what you preach. If you offer a warranty, then do exactly that. So apart from handling complaints, follow up then is a vehicle for maintaining relationships/contact with your active customers. It will increase customer satisfaction, increase repeat purchases,maintain customer loyalty during any high pitch weather, all in addition to the many reasons already mentioned.
Lastly, listen to everything that your customers are saying, because they do know a lot about your business. In fact, you may actually learn how to structure your pricing by listening to your customers’ objections and concerns.
The views given herein are solely for information purposes; they are guidelines and suggestions and are not guaranteed to work in any particular way.
Robert Gonye is a Business Growth Expert and Influencer. He writes in his personal capacity. Comments and views: [email protected] twitter@robert_gonye
