Last week I emphasized the importance of personalizing your business, online and offline. One of the quickest and easiest ways to garner a feeling of trust from your customers is to offer up a piece of yourself for the taking. If you let them see you as a person, not a
corporation, they will begin to realize that you are not much different from them, and will become more comfortable with you.
I got some great comments back, and I want to thank everyone who offered up their opinions. One thing that seemed to be very important to you is to distinguish between what part the Internet has to play versus what your retail business is responsible for.
Many of you understand that the first step in just about any buying process these days is to hop on to Google.com. Some comments, however, indicated that it is really the “human
aspect” that is important to your customers.
I will whole-heartedly agree that your loyal customers would probably take your opinion and help over the Internet's every day of the week and twice on Sunday. YOU are what they are buying; the products and services are merely take-aways.
I will also firmly attest that it is much more lucrative to KEEP a customer than it is to GAIN new ones. New customers are much more expensive, when you really get down to it. Business 101.
But.
Does that mean you don't care about getting new customers? Of course not!
Unfortunately, it is no longer the norm for people to walk into 10 different stores to make their decision based on personality. Instead, most shoppers (who are your potential new clients) will start online, and only end up in your store if they like what they have seen by searching Google.
So that brings me back to my #1 point from last week: “Your products, your services, your staff...all online. The real question is how true is all this information?” And, following that, how enticing is that information, on your behalf?
Are you monitoring your online presence through tools such as Google Alerts or SocialOomph (Twitter Alerts)? Do you know what people are saying about you?
Are you even online for people to find you? Are you listed in Google Places, MerchantCircle, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs and all the other places your clients are searching?
If a local customer search for a service you offer, will your business show up? If yes, will it be a good enough result to make them drive over to your store to meet you in person, or at least pick up the phone to talk to you?
These are all very important questions you need to be asking yourself. If “no” comes up any more frequently than once or twice, you may need to think of ways to make sure your personality makes it online.
PS: If you need help with any of the online options mentioned in this email, I want to suggest checking out PoolInfoSite.com. I am NOT affiliated with this site, nor am I getting any kickback from it. I did, however, sit in on a webinar about it a few days ago, and I sincerely believe it will be the saving
grace of many a Pool Company over the next few years. Again, I am not a member or an affiliate, but if I were you, I would give it a look over and take the possibility of membership very seriously.
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