I recently wrote three separate articles on small business tips about how to incorporate Trust, Knowledge and Convenience respectively. These traits are what customers look for in a business - and like with other factors that impact the buying decision, they are expecting these at a subconscious level.
If you ask what a customer is looking for, it’s unlikely they will say “I want to buy from a company that I can trust, has all the information I need and is going to make the ordering process really easy.”. They are more likely to describe the product they are looking for, or possibly a problem they need solved. For example, they might not be as skilled at parkour as they hoped and your product, shoes that stick to walls, could be the answer.
Even if you have the perfect product, a competitor may have it too. If you want to increase the chances of winning business, you need to exceed these subconscious expectations.
Below are the traits, and links to the articles on how to easily exceed customer expectations in those areas.
Does your business have the customer’s best interests in mind, or is your primary objective to get more money?
In my experience, a business that is genuinely trying to help their customers will have no problem at all building trust. Take the parkour wall-sticking shoes as an example, this business could let a customer trial the product for a few days. This would be a selfless investment where you would be showing compassion for the customer.
Trust is more vital than ever, as research shows there is a high-level of distrust in society. If you can build trust over time, you can show people you are not trying to rip them off.
Click here for the full article on how to do this through the areas listed below.
You’ve probably heard the term “Knowledge is power”, which can be true. But in a less sinister approach, I prefer “knowledge gives your customer the power to make buying decisions more effectively.” Doesn’t roll off the tongue as nicely, but by giving the customer expertise you’re giving them a reason to remember you.
If you can provide information on what kind of walls the parkour shoes stick to, the customer won’t waste their money on a product that might not be suitable. Even if the buying decision results in a no purchase, you’ve established yourself as an expert and the customer is more likely to return.
Having extensive product and service knowledge provides more benefits for your small business. You’ll be able to confidently talk about your offering, impressing the client further and you could gain valuable competitor intelligence too.
Click here for the full article on how to increase your knowledge by utilising the areas below:
Research shows that even if you can compete on price, if your service isn’t convenient for the customer, you could lose out on business. 83% of shoppers say that convenience is more important than 5 years ago, especially because our lives are far busier and fast-paced.
Your wall sticking shoes might be half the price of a competitor, but the customer can get the alternative product delivered to their house the next day. In many circumstances, time is more important than money and as a small business you need to consider this when providing a service. The easier you are to buy from, you’ll see higher conversion rates.
Click here for the full article on how to make your business more convenient through implementing the below:
There are hundreds of articles, videos and blogs pointing out marketing hacks for small businesses. But some of the most important things your customers need are the simple ones:
Trust, convenience and knowledge are vital factors that drive marketing success for small businesses. I hope this article will help you create a great customer experience that keeps your audience coming back for me.
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