Posts Tagged ‘aim’

This is part of a series of posts on what you can do to be more successful in your business this year. To get a free report full of success tips for your business, click here.

There is a famous scene in Miracle on 34th Street where Santa Claus is working at Macy’s. A customer is looking for a specific item, and Macy’s doesn’t carry it. Santa Claus immediately recommends to the customer to go over to Nordstrom’s, because he knows they have the product. The management at Macy’s is aghast at first. But then a strange thing happens. Customers start to flock to Macy’s. It seems the story of what Santa did spread pretty quickly and created some very positive buzz for Macy’s.

What got me thinking about this is a piece of advice that Marisa Wikramanayake gives in our free report, The #1 Thing a Small Business Can Do to be More Successful in 2010. Here is what she says:

Add value to what you are selling. You can do this by taking a genuine interest in your customers and helping them out as best as you can. I offer free cups of coffee over the free initial consultation for my writing/editing services and if I cannot help them, I make sure to refer them on to the other 90+ editors, writers, and web designers that I know. My point here is that from start to finish when my customers/clients deal with me, I want them to know that I want them to get the best solution possible for what they need. If I am not the best writer or editor for the job they have in mind, then I need to find that person for them. Even if you don’t make a sale, the clients/customers become your fans and then they and refer more people to you. Word of mouth marketing means you need to be someone worth talking about. Aim to be the person people cannot discuss without smiling by adding intangible and tangible value to your service/product.

Santa Claus and Marisa set a pretty high standard. Recommending that your customer go to a competitor is easier said then done. But it is true that if you are concerned with what is best for your customer, that it will translate into loyalty. Will you have streams of new customers if you send one to someone else who can better serve them? Probably not, at least not on “movie scale.” But there will be at least 2 people that know your true value. Your customer will appreciate what you did. Chances are good that they will recommend you to friends and even come back to you for the services you do offer. Just as importantly, you will know that you are truly acting in the best interests of your customers. You can take real pride in yourself for that.

You’ll Get a Reputation

You will get a reputation if you conduct yourself in this manner. Its not just the customers you will send away. That level of caring will effect every aspect of your business, and the customers you keep will benefit from it.

You’ll also get a reputation for excellence. The business that knows when to send a customer somewhere else also knows what it is they are good at. By focusing on your strengths, you are showing customers a lot. For one, you are not desperate for business. For another, you care so much about providing the best “x” that you won’t try to do something outside your area of expertise. The more narrow your niche or expertise, the more satisfied your customers will be. Also, the more likely you will have to refer would-be customers elsewhere.

Know What You Sell

The key is to know what you sell. If you don’t sell what the customer needs or wants, send them to someone who does. It is your job to qualify the customer to your product or service. If you find they don’t fit, be like Santa. Tell them that you don’t sell that product, but you know someone who does.

Know Who to Recommend

In order to do this right, you really do have to know someone who does offer things you don’t, but in a related field. For instance, I offer web design and some marketing services to small businesses and professionals. I don’t get into building big, fancy, corporate sites. For that, I would recommend a friend, such as Bella Web Design.

I know of Bella Web Design because I network on Twitter. You need to network too, wherever you are most comfortable. Get to know your “competitors.” Chances are good that you will find some in the same industry, but with a different focus than you. Get to be friends, get to know their work, and get comfortable recommending them.

You do your customer no good by saying you can’t help them, but then not being able to point them in the right direction. Build up your network of similar businesses. Trust me, good things will come of it.

I would be interested to hear if you have ever had a “Santa Claus moment,” where you ended up recommending a competitor to a customer. Let me know in the comments below.

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Bradford Shimp builds web sites optimized for small business at BroadRiverCreative.com. His favorite movie of all time is The Princess Bride.

One important facet of having a business presence online is accessibility. You want to make it easy for people to reach out to you. You can attract all of the eyeballs you want to your site, but if you aren’t accessible, you won’t be able to build any relationships. If you are going to practice conversation marketing, you need to make it possible for others to start the conversation with you. Here are 10 tips on how to be more accessible online.

1. Put contact info everywhere

Wonder why people never call? Maybe its because they don’t know your number. Your primary contact info should be everywhere, including your web site, business cards, and all of your marketing material. Make it easy for people to find your number, email, or any other means of contacting you.

2. Set up a Twitter account

Twitter is tops for ease of access when it comes to the social networks. Having a Twitter account and actively using it opens up a new channel of communication.

3. Set up some chat accounts

People actively use chat software, such as AIM, Google Chat, and Skype. You don’t have to use all of them, but you should use some. There are even chat clients that support multiple chat platforms.

Take this a step further by incorporating chat into your web site. Google Chat has a function to make this easy. It is often easier for people to reach out to you via live chat than to pick up the phone.

4. Have easy to find and use contact forms

Have a contact form on your web site. It is up to you what information to ask for, but if you just want a person to reach out to you, make it simple. Ask for name and email, along with their question.

5. Get active on Facebook

Facebook is here to stay, obviously. Chances are, you probably already have a lot of customers actively using Facebook. So it makes sense to start an account for your business. Alternatively, you can start a fan page for your business using your personal account.

Provide links on your site to friend you on Facebook. Once you get established there, many of your Facebooking customers and prospects will reach out to you there.

6. Allow comments on your blog

If you write a blog, allow for comments. Don’t worry about spam or negative stuff, you can moderate your comments to keep that stuff out. By having comments, you are opening up another means of communication. It is a good idea to respond to the comments on your blog as well as to send an email response to the commentator. Its a great way to start a conversation.

7. Get a toll free number

Make it as easy as possible for people to call you. If you don’t have a toll free number, consider using an online service such as Ring Central to get one. People will be more likely to call if its free.

8. Make signing up for your newsletter easy and obvious

Your newsletter is a primary means of regular communication from you to your customer. Sometimes, the only way  a person will reach out to you is to sign up for it. So make it easy and painless. Include big links to it on your site, and only ask for name and email when a person first signs up.

9. Host webinars and calls

A great way to be accessible is by putting yourself out there. Hosting a webinar or live call on a regular basis allows people to interact with you on a group level with the opportunity to make it more personal by them asking a question. This is easier for some people than picking up the phone and asking questions directly. With a webinar, they have a chance to just listen in. Its up to you to excite them enough to move that to the next level of interaction.

10. Engage in plenty of conversations

A hermit is not very accessible. Instead, be the life of the party. Be everywhere. If you are active on social networks, a regular blog commentator, a blogger yourself, you will have more face time and make it easier for people to discover you and engage you in conversation. Just by being there, you are naturally much more accessible.

photo credit: Mr. Read

Recommended Reading

I am constantly on the prowl for good business books. Right now, I am reading Crush It, by Gary Vaynerchuk. I love Gary’s take on passion and business. This book will give you a kick in the butt to get up and get moving as you pursue your passions and your business.

If you are interested in Crush It, you can get it through Amazon by clicking here or by visiting your local bookstore.

Have a Small Business Question? Ask me and I will answer it here – email me with your question now.

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Bradford Shimp is the publisher of All Biz Answers. He is also the co-creator of Idea Anglers, a place to see your ideas come to life through collaboration. Follow on Twitter @bradfordshimp. Let Bradford help you with your business – visit BroadRiverCreative.com