All posts by : 3030businessclub

With the complexity of one’s business comes the stress of an effective phone system. With multiple customer service representatives at my business, I found it hard to find a phone system that could handle the workload of the many users at one time. After researching other options, I found a website that allowed me to not only buy the complete phone system, but also the equipment to add additional lines to my current business system.

After reviewing the cost factors, their company made it easy for me to decide if it was more cost-effective for me to add additional lines to my current phone system or to purchase a new one. After consulting with the phone professionals, it was decided that a key system would be most effective for my business. This decision was made by weighing the costs of purchasing a new system versus upgrading an older one.

Ultimately, cost is most important in deciding the benefits toward one’s company future success. After consulting with my boss, we discussed the positives and negatives in purchasing a new system. While new equipment would be a great addition, we were concerned of the complexity of the new system. We would want to implement our current business activities into its use immediately and would have to be trained on using the new phones.

After great consideration, we purchased a new key system for our near 10 person customer service staff and 100 other employees. After an introduction meeting for the entire staff to the new system, employees were back at work immediately using the new system within an hour.

This decision has been very important to the continued success of my company. I have seen greater results with the speed in which calls are transferred to the appropriate representatives. This allows customers’ needs to be addressed in a more timely manner. Overall, this new system has positively increased the quality of our customer service.

By investing in a better system, the success of my company and the satisfaction of my customers are better dealt with. Quality definitely is essential to effective work equipment. And after taking the time to make a change in my company, I have continuously been satisfied with my decision.

Statistics show that, on average, U.S. companies lose half of their customers every five years.

It’s true that acquiring new customers will help your business grow. However, your current customers are the lifeblood of your business and keeping them happy should be your highest priority. Here are a few ways to make sure your customers keep coming back.

* Understand lost customers. Many business owners mistakenly believe that customers choose to patronize other companies solely because of better prices. While pricing can be a concern, customers often head to the competition when they don’t feel valued.

A change of lifestyle may have also created a situation where customers no longer need your product. By staying in touch with their needs, you might be able to adjust your offering to continue servicing them.

* Know your customer’s top priority. Maybe it’s reliability or speed or cost. Your company should know your clientele’s No. 1 priority and consistently deliver it. Remember, customers’ desires change frequently, so ask yourself this question every six months.

* Acknowledge the lifetime value of customers. The lifetime value of your customers is the income you would gain if a customer stayed with you as long as they could possibly buy your product or service.

For example, the lifetime value of a customer employing a financial adviser could be several decades and could span several generations. Treat the parents well and you could win the children’s business.

* Create a positive first impression. Good first impressions tend to generate loyal customers, and you get only one chance to make a positive first impression. Appearance is important. The exterior and interior of your business should be neat and clean.

* Listen to the customer. Employees should listen actively to customers. Reassure your customers that you genuinely want to help them. Customers will judge your business based on the politeness, empathy, effort and honesty of your staff.

* Address and resolve complaints quickly and effectively. Inevitably, your employees will encounter unsatisfied customers. Whether they’re returning an item or changing a service, customers expect a fair policy. If you cannot offer a resolution immediately, let the customer know when he or she can expect an answer.

Ah, keyword research: the foundation of every successful website out there.

Wow, that’s a strong statement, isn’t it?

Well, it’s true. For those of you who put little to no thought into, OR who don’t understand the high significance of keywords, the keyword research you do before getting one single web page up will have a tremendous impact on how well you market to your target audience.

No pressure.

So, why is this keyword research so darned important, you ask?

Let’s say you and I are standing behind a curtain. You are probably the most revered speaker in your area of expertise. I pull back the curtain and motion for you to go up to the podium and speak in front of an audience of about 200.

No problem. You pull some notes out of your pocket, confidently place your hands on the mic and speak ever so compellingly for about 35 minutes.

After you are finished, the crowd claps nicely…almost out of obligation. You don’t understand. It was actually one of your best presentations yet! You were compelling, but not too sales-y. You presented the problems, outlined the solutions available, and then unveiled your perfect product to fit the bill.

So, what happened?

This audience wasn’t waiting for you…they were actually waiting on someone else who was going to talk about a totally different subject. They don’t even know what you were talking about.

So…..this wasn’t YOUR audience. This was not your target market.

You had everything prepared…you had everything all perfectly laid out to be a “slippery slope” that led right to the obvious solution…your product. But….you were talking to the wrong people.

How does this relate to keyword research?

The visitors you get to your site are a direct relation to what keywords your site is known for. If you are telling the search engines that your site is known for “niche widget solution” or using other keywords such as your name, the name of your business…..that’s not the stuff your market is out looking for.

The keyword research you need to do is to determine what phrases people are searching for that have the problem for your solution. They are searching for “perfect posture” or “correct golf swing” not “Xtreme Putter.” They don’t even know your Xtreme Putter even exists!

And, unless you do effective keyword research, they never will.

So, how do you do the right kind of keyword research? Put yourself in their shoes. If you were someone out there with the problem your product solves, what would you be searching for?

“How to train my dog”

“Popular 30 something hangouts in L.A.”

“Seattle modern art”

“Ping golf clubs”

These are the things prospective buyers are searching for….you just need to have the right keywords as bait to catch them before they go surfing by.

You may have heard the phrase “the money is in the list”, or another similar saying. The reason behind this is that with your list you can target customers that are interested in your product or service. The likelihood of a successful relationship with your customers and to build your list is enhanced with the power of autoresponders.

Internet marketing is made easier with the use of autoresponders. They can fulfil tasks that would otherwise be difficult to complete and also be moulded to fit in with your marketing plan. For example, you may decide that as part of your online marketing efforts you would like to offer a 5-part e-course on your niche area. Without an autoresponder this would be very difficult, effectively and professionally anyway. However, with an autoresponder in your marketing arsenal, you are able to achieve this by automatically sending out your e-course spread over a number of days, keeping your customers interested and eager for the next part of the course. You are then able to target these customers with your future products and services, and will have hopefully built up the trust with your customer and conveyed to them that you are an expert in your field.

Once your autoresponder has been setup, you can rest assured that your emails and follow-up emails are running on autopilot. This saves you a lot of time, which can be spent on your other marketing work.

The number of uses for an autoresponder is vast. You could also set up an autoresponder to deal with invoicing if need be. There are many creative ways that you can use your autoresponder to build customer relations and make more sales.

It is wide belief that a potential customer must hear your message several times before they will commit and make a purchase. This is made possible with an autoresponder and most probably unachievable without one. You’ve probably experienced the scenario when you have received an email from a marketer with a hard sales pitch, to try and force you into buying their product with one message, but you have more likely than not declined the offer. Use an autoresponder and you can take a much more subtle approach to gain the trust of the prospect first off.

A good idea is to build interest among prospects gradually, starting by providing information on the topic that your product is related to. You can then progress from there with each message to include how your product is going to be of benefit to the customer and how it can solve their problem. Do not merely send a few emails saying the respondent should buy your product, else they will be left with questions such as “what will the product do?” and “how will it help me?”. You need to provide informative messages on the topic and how your product is going to solve a problem to keep the potential customer interested and for an end result of convincing the person to make a purchase.

Good practice is to concentrate on how successful marketers may contact you. Keep note of the methods they use and whether they work on you, and you can then mold a plan on the most effective methods that you have encountered and put them into practice with your own efforts.