December 3, 2014
How to capitalise on glowing customer references
Lack of time
One of the most frequently cited problems within small to medium-sized business management is the lack of time to do anything proactive.
When a business runs on a skeletal staff structure, invariably the business owner takes on far too much responsibility.
This often means they neglect hugely important aspects of their business which could secure them a healthier and more profitable future.
One such area is customer feedback
Surprisingly few small business owners understand the potential opportunities that await them if only they paid more attention to the views and opinions of their clients.
Customer feedback is vitally important for two reasons.
Firstly, it helps businesses keep on top of their game and improve any areas of service which are weak.
Secondly, and most importantly, it provides a channel to attract new customers and develop brand recognition and loyalty.
If only they realised it, businesses have access to an unlimited sales team prepared to promote and persuade without a penny in return.
Why? Because they are so happy with your product or service, they’re prepared to shout about it – and it is these glowing references which will turn your reputation from a mediocre outfit to an industry-leader.
So how do you capitalise on good feedback?
To take advantage of free, positive publicity, you need to provide a platform for your customers to report their happy experiences in a public arena.
Usually, this means providing a facility on your website which allows customers to leave a comment.
‘But I’m so busy, I don’t have time’, is something I hear frequently from the business owners I meet.
There is a solution. Technology.
Innovative software such as Review Manager enables businesses to collect lots of feedback by doing very little.
The system sends customers an email asking them to provide feedback. This is uploaded automatically on to your website and available for all prospective customers to view.
But what if the feedback is negative?
This kind of technology now has the capability of differentiating negative publicity from positive and ensuring the former is filtered so that it never has a chance to affect your image.
This is a perfect solution for time-pressed business owners who still want to reap the benefits of word-of-mouth promotion.
Encouraging customers to fill out feedback forms can be notoriously difficult face-to-face.
Success very much depends on the personality and sales skills of your employees and not everybody gets it right.
Customers often respond better to such requests by email when they can fill out their comments in their own time at their own leisure.
With information collected and uploaded electronically, no member of staff needs to be taken off their duties to process the information – it can start working for you straight away.
I hope this article has encouraged you to place more importance on the unseen sales team all businesses have but few really appreciate. Often, the simplest tweaks in a business can mean the difference between survival and success.
Is your companies reputation important to you? If so why not look at putting it on autopilot...book a free demo today and we will show you how the customer feed centre tool works.
Get Customers Fast, as our name suggests, helps you get customers for your business.
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