That being said, there are other ways you can establish trust and rapport, and convince people your products or services are worth trying.  Ad copy is very important when trying to achieve this.  If your ad copy sucks, then not only are you NOT converting browsers into buyers, you are actually LOSING money, because whoever you paid to write that crappy ad copy probably cost a mint.  That’s money wasted.

So, all of your ad copy must be excellent and compelling, and build rapport, whether it is online sales letters, email marketing materials, direct mail, radio or T.V. commercials, or simple postcards.  The copy has to connect with your prospect on an emotional level, and more than likely you will have to put that copy in front of them several times over before they willingly give you their money. (Remember that contact info!)

Another great way to convert browsers into buyers is to over-deliver in value.  On your website, this might mean giving away tons of relevant information for free, offering helpful and in-depth product reviews, and laying out product comparisons so that people can easily shop on your website and feel like they are getting a great deal.

Offline you might offer two-for-one promotions on products, or buy two, get the third free.  Or buy this service and get 50% off of that service.  People can’t resist bargains, and even if they didn’t INTEND to spend money in your shop, the allure of getting twice the product at half the price is just too hard to refuse. Score! Browser… meet Buyer.

To your success!

Ron Davies

This is assuming you already have your webpage set up and ready to capture visitor information with a great freebie.  Remember the idea is to get that URL in front of as many people as possible.  Obviously the more targeted the eyes, the more targeted your list will be as well, so always keep that in mind too.

Some great ways to promote your list online:

Make it viral.  There are tons of free ‘tell-a-friend’ scripts available, as well as free ‘tweet-this-page’ scripts and other things along those lines.

You can also make sure you include the link in all email signatures, and feature your sign-up form on every page of your website, not just one.  Another thing to keep in mind is that while detailed contact info is great, sometimes it’s better to make them work for it as little as possible initially, and then you can always collect more details from them later in follow-up contact.

Other things you want to keep in mind is to make your offer easily visible, and even though you are giving away freebies in exchange for their info, make your offer as attractive and compelling as possible as well.

You can also use scarcity tactics, such as limited time offers, expiring discounts and things of that nature in order to encourage sign-ups and convince them to hand over their information to you.  People love to feel like they’re getting a killer deal, and hate feeling like they may miss out on something, so… scarcity works!

You can also promote your sign-up page via your signature file on forums, via online classified ads, and even Craigslist if you are creative with your ad to get around their TOS.  Social media is also an excellent way to spread the word on great offers, and drive traffic to your free offer.  Just be careful of spamming on sites like Facebook and Twitter as people will not thank you for it, and could end up hurting your business in the long run.

These are just to name a few promotional methods, there are others as well.  The idea is to get creative, and make sure whatever your offer is it provides real value in exchange for their personal information.  And remember that every subsequent time you ‘touch’ your prospects because of that contact list, that you continue to provide amazing value, as THAT is what your prospects will listen and respond to.

To your success!

Ron Davies

If you don’t yet have a webpage for your business, I highly recommend you get one as quickly as possible, and outfit it with an contact information capture form.  Until then one of the quickest and easiest ways to capture customer information is to go the old fashioned route, and have a pad and pen set up at your check out counter.  Let them know they can sign up for promotions and updates by writing down their contact info for you or leaving you their business card.

Alternatively you can set out a jar, and let customers know if they drop their business card inside it they will be eligible for a weekly or monthly drawing to win some sort of prize or sweepstakes.  Or if the bulk of your customers aren’t likely to be other business owners with business cards, you can simply place a small pad and pencil, have them fill out their information on the paper, fold it up, and drop it into the jar.

The more contact info you can get from them obviously the better, but even if you only get an email address or a phone number that is still a possible point of contact that you can build upon.  Another great way to get their contact info, if you have that webpage set up like I suggested, is to add a note to the bottom of all sales receipts.  Let them know that if they go to your website and enter their information, they will then be on your ‘Preferred’ list and receive special deals and discounts.

Now you need a webpage with an email capture form for that to work, but it really isn’t very difficult to get that set up, and for a bargain price as well.  And once you have that webpage, all you need to do is get that URL in front of as many people as possible.

Some great ways to do this via the offline world, is through mediums such as brochures, newspaper ads, car magnets, flyers, etc.  Just make sure you are offering something of value, send them to that URL to input their information, and viola… you are now building a list of contacts.

To your success!

Ron Davies

You need to build relationships with your customers, not just focus on one-offs.  But in order to have that relationship, you have to be providing them with something that is valuable for them, and in the long run profitable for you.

The way you do this is fairly straightforward.

First of all you need to know the value of each of your customers or clients. Think of it a bit like ER triage.  You need to determine the value of each customer to your company in order to prioritize your marketing and communications with them.

This allows you to roll out the red carpet for the customers that provide the most profitable long-term value, and cut loose the customers that provide you with little to no profitability in the long-term, OR are such a drain on your time and energy that their monetary value is no longer worthwhile.

Generally your customers will fall into one of three categories. High value, medium value, or low value.

Your high value customers will most likely be your repeat clients, and will generate the most revenue for you.  These will be the customers you want to keep in contact with on a regular basis, and provide them extra value in ways they may not expect in order to KEEP them as lifetime customers.

Medium value customers will often be those with high potential to move up into the high value category.  They are currently a very profitable customer, and with proper care and maintenance could very well turn into the lifetime customer you want.

Low value customers will of course offer very little in the way of profitability to your company.  These are the clients you want to automate your communications with as much as possible, and lower your costs of doing business with them until either they become a profitable customer, or take their business elsewhere.

The next thing you need to do is properly identify them.  If you are capturing contact information manually by people who walk through your door, or are capturing their information automatically by a lead capture system on your website, you need to do regular maintenance to make sure your info is current and up to date, and that all names are spelled correctly.  This is especially important because many customers will feel that if you can’t even take the time to get their name right, what value could you possibly provide THEM?

The other thing you need to do is ‘know your customer’.  Understand their wants and needs, and as I’ve said before… give it to them!  And this applies to communication as well, because the better you know your customer the better your communications with them will be.  It takes knowledge to communicate via the proper channels, and to communicate the proper message, and if you don’t take the time to learn it, your customers won’t be interested in hearing a word you have to say, no matter HOW you want to say it.

And finally, give your customers a way to provide you with feedback.  It’s not just about YOU communicating with your customer, it’s about your customer being able to communicate with YOU.  It’s a two way street, and the best businesses implement effective strategies for both parties to communicate with each other.  Good customer service and feedback go hand in hand, and if your customers can’t easily give you that, you can be certain your customer service will suffer.  And guess what? That means your business will suffer as well.  Just sayin’.

To your success!

Ron Davies

So what does it take to really ‘know’ your customers?

First you should understand what motivates them. It doesn’t matter whether your business is online, offline, or both the principals are the same… find out what your market really wants, and then show them how to get it.  THAT is what makes people hot and creates fanatical fans, and that is exactly the kind of customer you want for your business.

You also need to understand that your customers are people, and their wants and needs are ALWAYS changing.  It is up to you to keep up with the changes, and indeed be AHEAD of the changes in order to keep them happy and keep them coming back for more.

That takes research and diligence, and also the willingness to really connect with your customer in an effort to understand them better.  Whether that is through personal face time, using social media platforms, or getting involved in your local community in an effort to connect, just do it.  Do whatever it takes to really KNOW your customer.

Continuous consumer research should be at the core of every development or marketing strategy you decide to implement.  Knowing your customer inside and out provides the launching platform for new ideas, new products, and new strategies.  Learn their likes and dislikes, wants and needs, complaints and problems.

Learn them backwards and forwards and continue learning everyday so that you can stay on top of changing trends and be a leader in your industry.  If that wasn’t your goal when you started your business, it’s likely you shouldn’t be in business in the first place.

To your success!

Ron Davies

Personally, I just consider it market research and see it as doing everything you can to gain an advantage.  That doesn’t mean I promote stealing other peoples content or product ideas, in fact I don’t.  It just means that I feel knowing everything you can about your competition will only make YOU a stronger business in the long run.

It’s long been an accepted business practice, and in fact many businesses subscribe to that old adage ‘Let your competition spend the time and the money.’  This leads to a faster ROI for you and saves you from months of trial and error.

But how do you DO this exactly?

You first need to open yourself up to learning from them in every way you can.  That means you have to join them.  Read their newsletters, become a part of their community, scrutinize their website, peruse their blog, etc.

Then you need to evaluate their strategy.  How are they communicating with their customers, what type of advertising they’re using that is working for them, who their target market is, etc.  And don’t just limit yourself to your local competition either.  To be great you need to expand your horizons beyond that of your own back yard.

You also need to look at their online presence and analyze the data.  How are they ranking in the search engines, what terms they are ranking for, and how they are going about doing it so successfully!

Then you simply analyze all the information you gather, and work out action plans for your own business.  Be careful of information overload though and remember to break the data into manageable chunks so that you don’t end up stuck in inaction.

You can also keep an eye on things like their ad spend, job posting and who they may be hiring, their social profiles, etc.  There is literally a ton of information to be found in this day and age on any company, if you do the digging required.  And all of that info can help you and your business outshine your competition by a mile when applied correctly.

To your success!

Ron Davies

That is why it’s vitally important for you to know who your competition is, and what their strength and weaknesses are.  You are in competition for a reason, and one reason only. You’re after the same customers, and if you don’t know your competition like you know your own business, you can’t possibly win the battle and seduce those customers into buying from YOU instead of THEM.  You will simply be losing them, and along with them all the potential revenue they might have brought your way.

So what are some things you should be asking yourself as a business to keep a leg up on those in competition with you?

Simple.  Think Who, Where, What, and How.

WHO is your competition?  What are the other businesses nearby that are supplying the same type of products or services as you?

WHERE are they located? Are they strictly a local threat, or are they online as well? International? Regional? You tell me.

WHAT do they look like?  How much of your market do they dominate? What do your past competitors look like, and what might your future ones look like?

WHAT is their position? Strengths? Weaknesses? What are they selling? What is their reputation and image?

HOW will you respond?  What strategies will put into play to get a leg up?

Asking questions like these can help you identify your competition, and identify key areas where you need to up your game to become bigger and better.  After all, if you aren’t setting out to be the absolute best in your market, why did you go into business in the first place?

Customer satisfaction depends on your business being the best it can be and offering the absolute best value possible.  You can only do this by beating out your competition in every way you can think of, and then some.  It doesn’t mean you have to be ruthless or unethical.  It simply means you need to be the best.  Know your competition, and then out play them.  That’s it.

To your success!

Ron Davies