Are You In Business To Help Customers?

by Bob Leduc

Are You In Business To Help Customers?
Copyright 2003 Bob Leduc

Customers want to believe you are in business to help them.
They don't mind if you make a profit by helping them. But
they won't buy from you if they believe you are only in
business to get their money.

Here are 4 ways you can assure customers that you are in
business to help them.

1. Personalize Your Sales Approach

Customers will not believe you really want to (or can) help
them when they see you trying to sell the same product or
service to everybody.

Learn everything you can about your customers and their
lifestyles. Then, sub-divide your targeted market into
several narrowly defined niche markets.

Customize your sales messages to the specific interests and
needs of prospects in each niche market. Customers should be
able to see your product or service as the perfect solution
to their specific situation.

2. Convert Everything Into Customer Benefits

One way to convince customers you want to help them is to
focus on the benefits they can get from you.

Customers don't really care about you, your company, your
products or your professional credentials. They only care
about the benefits they can get by using your products or
services.

Keep this in mind as you develop your web pages, sales
letters and other promotional materials. Present everything
in terms of the benefit it provides to customers. For
example:

...Don't just list the features of your product or service.
Explain how those features provide the benefits your
customers want.

...Don't just publicize your educational or professional
credentials. Describe how those credentials equip you to do
a better job for customers than your competitors.

3. Build A Relationship

You can also demonstrate your commitment to help customers
by building a relationship with them. Few prospects buy on
the first communication - even if they desperately want or
need what you are selling.

Stay in contact with these prospective customers. Follow up
periodically with some useful information ...and don't
charge them for it. Building a supportive relationship
proves you want to help them. It gains their trust - and
eventually a sale.

Internet Marketers: Make sure you have a way of getting the
email addresses of visitors to your web site. You need it to
follow up with them. For example, offer a complimentary
subscription to your email newsletter - or a complimentary
special report delivered by email.

4. Encourage Questions

Answering questions is another way to demonstrate your
interest in helping customers. It also captures sales you
would otherwise lose from prospects unable to get all the
information they wanted.

Encourage prospective customers to ask questions when you
are in a live selling situation.

Make it easy for customers to ask questions when they are at
your web site or in other selling situations without live
communication.

For example, provide a phone number customers can call to
speak with you or someone else who can answer their
questions. Consider using a toll-free number unless you only
do business in a local area.

Tip: Include a Q&A page on your web site with answers to
frequently asked questions. It will reduce the number of
questions you have to answer individually.

Customers know you are in business to make a profit. But
they also want to know you are in business to help them. The
4 methods revealed in this article will help you assure
customers that you are committed to helping them.

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses just like yours
find new customers and increase sales. He just released a
New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business
Fast With Simple Postcards and several other publications to
help small businesses grow and prosper. For more information:
Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: Postcards
Phone: 702-658-1707 after 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

About the Author