Trust is a huge piece of the buying process. I’d wager that trust matters the most, not only when a customer buys something, but also when he recommends that product to another person.
Before you buy a product or service, you need to trust that you’re going to get what you pay for. Trust can mean the difference between zero sales and LOTS of sales, no matter what product or service you’re trying to sell.
You could sell the most amazing product in the world, but if your customer service sucks and you ship it two weeks later than the customer expects it, he’s going to be disappointed. Your customer won’t pass along the information for the amazing product that he got. Instead, he’ll probably warn people about the negatives.
The best and most effective way to sell without selling is to get referrals from people who fall in love with your product.
If a customer trusts you and your company, she won’t hesitate to tell her friends and family members about your services.
But, if she doesn’t trust you due to bad experiences she’s had with your company, she won’t. You want people to boost about your products in such a positive way that others have to check them out.
Once you’ve developed trust, you won’t have to worry about selling your product, because other people will do it for you. Pretty cool stuff. You’ll be able to focus on creating new products and improving the ones you have instead of spending lots of precious time on selling.
This probably sounds great, but you might be wondering how to put this plan into action. Follow these 5 steps to build trust with your customers:
1. Be honest about what your customers will get.
Some small businesses make the mistake of promising their customers things they can’t deliver. If you want repeat customers, you can’t do this!
Action: Look through all of your product or service descriptions, and ensure that you can back up every statement that you make.
2. Exceed your customers’ expectations.
To get repeat customers, always try to go beyond what your customers expect. For example, you might have a policy that says you always ship within four business days. Exceed expectations by doing your best to ship within two business days. You’re giving yourself a cushion just in case something comes up, but you’re also trying to go beyond what your customer expects.
Action: Figure out at least two ways that you can exceed your customers’ expectations and put them into place today.
3. Offer a 100% money back guarantee.
A lot of creative businesses already do this, so it’s something a lot of customers expect. I often see small businesses who won’t offer this, because they don’t believe in their products. If you’re confident in your product, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Action: Add a 100% money back guarantee to your policy today. This gives prospective customers a safety net, and they’ll be more likely to buy from you.
4. Admit when you make mistakes and do everything you can to fix them.
If a customer contacts you to let you know that her bracelet arrived broken, apologize, tell her you’ll send a replacement to her that same day if possible, and ask her if there’s anything else you can do. Send a little something extra with her new bracelet. Most of the time, your helpful customer service will override the issue with the product. She’ll let her friends know how fast you responded to her and what a great experience she had with your company.
Action: Respond swiftly to issues and fix them.
5. Try to get feedback from your customers
in order to improve your products and services. Contact each customer through email after they’ve received the product. Do not send out an automated message. Type something personal, and ask each customer for feedback. Keep the email short and to the point.
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