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10 Ways to Secure Your Customer’s Satisfaction by Terri Seymour

As we all know customers are the core of any business in one way or the other. Without our customers, we would be nothing. So, it would be a wise decision to make sure all of our customers are properly taken care of and satisfied when they do business with us.

Listed below are ten ways we can begin to secure our customers happiness and satisfaction.

1. Always be attentive towards the customer. Be sure to listen to them when they tell you what they want or of any problems they are having with your products and/or services. Never dismiss their opinions or questions.

2. Reward regular customers and new potential customers. I like to treat my regular customers but be sure not to neglect potential and new customers. They deserve special treatment as well. Offer special discounts, free gifts, points towards more free gifts, coupons, money-saving bundles or packages, etc. The more options you provide, the more sales you will probably get.

3. Respect your customers! I cannot stress this one enough. Treat your customers, one and all, like they were your family. Give them all the respect and care they need from you and then some.

4. Earn their trust and respect! If you promise something, deliver! If you say you will give them a special deal, deliver. Always be true to your word and do not make false claims or promises. People are not stupid and they will see through deceptive marketing practices.

5. The customer is always right. Unfortunately this is not true. The customer is sometimes wrong and in that case, you should handle it properly. Be calm, polite, supportive and helpful. Explain the problem and let the customer know what you will do to rectify the situation. Your calm demeanor can sometimes calm the customer. Never lose control of your emotions.

6. Don’t make your customers feel like an annoyance. I have been to some places where the person taking care of me has acted like he/she didn’t want me there. This is not how you want your customers to feel! Talk to your customers, not at them. Smile and be friendly and courteous at all times. Just because your kids are acting up that day, it is no reason to take it out on your customers. Always separate your business from your problems in your own life.

7. Don’t make your customers jump through hoops! Make their experience with you and your business as easy and pleasant as possible. Don’t make them write their life history or click a million times to get through your ordering process. Let them know the prices and any shipping and/or taxes upfront. Make sure they know exactly what to expect.

8. Answer questions. Customers need to know what they are buying so be sure you are able to answer any and all questions they may have. If you do not have the answer readily available, assure them that you will find out the answer ASAP. Make sure they know how to contact you so they are more comfortable in your availability.

9. Build confidence. Your customers need to be confident in you and what you offer so be sure to come through. Be straightforward and do not offer anything you cannot give. Be honest at all times. Do not try to sugarcoat things by stretching or twisting the truth. Customers will appreciate honesty and their confidence in you and your business will soar.

10. A bad customer? Is there such a thing as a bad customer? Unfortunately there is. With some people, no matter what you to do try to make amends or make them happy, it just won’t be enough. All you can do with these customers is treat them with respect; be polite and let them know you will do anything you can to help.

Even so, there are times when you just have to let a customer go. After doing everything you can with no end in sight, politely inform the customer they should perhaps go elsewhere to find what they are looking for. I have had to do this a couple of times in the five years I have had my ebook store. The first time really upset me but when I came to grips with it and went over everything I did, I realized I could not have done anything more for this person. Do not let this interfere with your business or get you frustrated or depressed; it does happen.

Satisfied customers are our best advertisements so be sure to treat them all as you would want to be treated. Customers are intelligent individuals and need to be regarded as such. Doing this will bring your business to new levels!

Terri Seymour (also known as “The eBook Lady”) has over ten years online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site at http://www.seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 and $2 resell ebooks & software, affiliate programs, free ezine and free business ebook with Master Resell Rights. http://www.seymourproducts.com/free.shtml

Article Source: WAHM Articles

10 Ways to Maximize the Power of Your About Us Page by Terri Seymour

If you own an online business, you need to provide an About Us page. Unfortunately, many sites neglect to give this page the attention it needs and deserves. Many people do not realize the importance of an effective About Us page.

Your About Us page has the distinct purpose of letting people get to know your company, which will help build the foundation of trust and respect that is needed for a successful online business. For certain businesses, the About Us page can also be used for recruiting new employees, sales reps, etc.

So, take some time, look over your About Us page and see if it utilizes any or all of the ten features listed below.

1. Company History – Give a brief history of your company and how you got started. Explain how long you’ve been in business, the purpose of your business and your experience. This is also a good place to add your mission statement.

2. Focus on Benefits – Be sure to focus on the benefits your company will provide the customer. Your potential customers want to know what you can do for them, not how you do it.

3. Introduce Yourself and Crew – Be sure to give your name and the names of those who work with and/or for you. You would be surprised at how many About Us pages I have read that contain no names whatsoever! Give a very brief background on yourself and your workers so your visitors can get to know them.

4. Special Skills and Accomplishments – Highlighting any special skills you have or accomplishments can help to build your credibility and separate you from your competitors. If your company is a green company be sure to highlight that as well. Let people know what your company stands for and against.

5. Toot Your Horn – Provide testimonials, awards and names of notable clients. Don’t be afraid to let people know exactly how accomplished you and your company are. This will also help build credibility and trust.

6. Use Photos – Be sure to add some photos of yourself and your workers (if any) so people can feel get more human contact. Actually seeing the person or people behind the website will make it more believable.

7. Personality and Passion – Give your company some personality. Accentuate the passion and commitment your company possesses. Let your readers see the human side of your company.

8. Social Media – Be sure to add your social media site links. This will give your readers another avenue to keep in touch with your company.

9. Coffee Clutch – Write all of this information as if you were sitting over coffee and chatting with your visitors. Don’t make it sound like a dull cookie cutter page. Add life, vigor and sparkle to your writing.

10. Contact Info – ALWAYS thank your visitor for coming to your site and offer your contact information. Let them know you are available to answer any questions or concerns. Adding your physical address is shown to raise the level of confidence in your company as well.

Although the About Us page is often overlooked by the site owner, it can be a very powerful way to attract customers and increase your conversion rate. Do the research and take the time to write a compelling and powerful About Us page that will boost your credibility and gain the trust and respect your business needs to survive!

About the Author:
Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com  

Article Source: WAHM Articles

I know that a lot of my readers are still working outside the home while they make the transition to a work at home job…or they work outside their home for the day job and work in Direct Sales in the evening. Whatever the case may be, I was asked to share some information with all of you about NAPW, which you will find below.

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Professional women seeking to become power players in the workplace need to know about the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), the most cutting-edge, exclusive, rapidly growing and recognized network of female professionals, executives and entrepreneurs in the United States.

NAPW provides a safe, secure and expanding forum for its members to connect, interact, exchange ideas, educate and empower, as well as resources and services to help them develop and promote their businesses and careers. The organization began as an online networking tool that has evolved into the largest association of professional women with over 300,000 like-minded members from over 200 different industries and over 150 local chapters in 46 states.

Through its online and in-person approach, NAPW offers members the following:

· 360 degree networking platform available to members 24 hours per day, 7 days a week

· A wide-reaching digital platform to connect and build relationships in a secure setting

· In-person forums for women to network with professionals in their same geographic area

· Resources and services to help them develop and promote their businesses and careers

· Tools needed to succeed in business such as career services and education programs, internal message centers, online bulletin boards, scholarships, seminars and webinars

In a greater effort to bring the community together for a common purpose, NAPW will host the 2nd Annual National Networking Conference in New York City on May 18, 2012. Approximately 1,100 professional women from across the country at all career levels will have the rare and extremely unique opportunity to meet and develop relationships that can help advance their careers, as well as listen to inspiring speeches by high-profile guest speakers, such as NAPW National Spokesperson Star Jones.

You can find out additional information about NAPW by visiting their web site.

Today, I was surfing around online and looking for something else when I stumbled upon this Pinterest Infographic and that I would share it with all of my readers today. I know many businesses, both large and small, are now using Pinterest. Personally, I have very mixed feelings about Pinterest because I see many people (including businesses) using it the wrong way.

You will need to expand your window to view it correctly or go to the link at the bottom of the infographic and view it there.

Monetate Marketing Infographics

10 Major Online Marketing Mistakes by Terri Seymour

Online marketing, also called internet marketing is forever evolving and if you own an online business you need to keep abreast of all the options available to you and your business. Building a business is a learning process and we all will make mistakes. The main thing is to learn from our mistakes so as not to make them again. In my years of online marketing I have learned a lot and want to share with you, what I think, are 10 of the major online marketing mistakes.

1. Not Collecting Email Addresses – Have you ever heard the statement, the money is in the list? Your list can be your goldmine. If you are not collecting email addresses, you need to start now. Put a sign-up form on your site so people can sign up to your mailing list, newsletter, RSS, articles, etc. Offer them a free bonus for signing up. You will be able to collect a list of names with which to send your special offers, sales, etc. and greatly increase your income potential. Be sure to include an opt-out in all mailings. This will give your subscribers the chance to remove themselves from your mailing list if they so choose. Also, never add a person’s email address to your list without their permission.

2. Not Being Social – Social networking has exploded on the internet. Millions of people use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other popular sites. If you are not using these sites for your business, you are making a grave error. People will be finding other businesses and not even know you or your business exist.

If you are not yet social, start now by opening an account on the top three:

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

3. Not Being Available – I have so many people tell me that they have emailed websites and never receive a response. I know from experience this happens way too often. Make it a number one priority to answer email inquiries as quickly as possible. I try to answer within minutes, if possible. This does get a huge response of appreciation. Your visitors need to know that a person is available if they have questions about your products and/or services. This will help in building the relationship and trust needed for an online business.

4. Not Studying Your Web Stats – Your web stats can help you determine how many visitors you get, where they are going, how long they are staying, if they are returning and so on. By analyzing this information, you can develop your website into the most efficient website it can be. One of the best site stats you can use for free is Google Analytics.

5. Not Using Viral Marketing – Viral marketing uses the same concept as the snowball effect. You start with one tiny snowball and roll it down a hill and it turns into a great mass of snow. Viral marketing can do the same thing for your site. You can give away free ebooks, free reports, free articles and other helpful resources. You give one person a free ebook with your name and link info in it and this person passes it onto their visitors and those visitors pass it on to their visitors and so on. One big giant snowball of traffic!

6. Not Keeping Up with Changes – Over the years internet marketing has changed immensely. Some methods become outdated and new innovative marketing concepts come into play. Even though some of the older methods might still work, you still need to keep up with the new innovative changes in marketing such as social media and video marketing. Always be learning and always keep up with new marketing methods.

7. Ignoring Your Competitors – In business you always have to keep an eye on your competitors. You can learn a lot from your competitors and about your own business as well. Visit forums where you and your competitors might be discussed and learn from what is being said. There is software that will help you find such forums called Boardtracker. Visit your competitors’ sites often to see how they are evolving and how it is working for them. Find out their strengths and weaknesses. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Don’t ever ignore your competitors!

8. Not Being Professional – Your business is a business and needs to be treated as such. Your site needs to look professional. Be sure to proofread all your content and add a Privacy Policy page to your site. You should also have a policy page with your shipping, return, exchange, etc. policies so buyers know what to expect. Make your site look, feel and read like a professional site. You also need to respond professionally in emails, forums, social sites, etc. Be polite, courteous, fair and never let your emotions get the better of you.

9. Not Having a User-Friendly Site – I have seen many sites which have caused me to immediately leave.

Some examples would be:

Blaring music that comes on with no way to turn it off.

Flashy irritating graphics all over the place.

Ads plastered all over with no clear way to navigate the site.

No contact info.

Basically no professionalism of any kind.

Don’t let your site fall into these categories. If you have music on your site, give the option of music or not. Always make the pages clean, easy to read and navigate. Be sure to have your contact info on all pages. Don’t have a lot of flashy graphics that will drive your visitors away. Control the amount of ads you have on your site as well.

10. Don’t Give Up! – In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes people make when they start an online business is giving up too soon. Building a business takes time and you have to commit to it and stick with it. Unfortunately, I have seen many people give up prematurely and then wonder why they can’t make money. I thought of giving up myself many times but stuck with it because I wanted to help my family while being able to stay home and take care of them. I kept on and was persistent and it slowly started paying off. Once I started with ebooks, my business really took off and now I am very grateful I did not give up when I felt discouraged!

If you have found the business you are passionate about, stick with it and do not give up! Keep your passion alive and you can be a great success!

Terri Seymour has over twelve years of online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site for free articles, resources, information, resell ebooks and more. Sign up for the RSS Feed for a free business ebook with MRR. http://www.SeymourProducts.com
Article Source: WAHM Articles

A year or so ago I talked about desperation marketing tactics here on my Work at Home Business Options blog and how those type of tactics do not work when it comes to marketing your direct sales business.

Today I wanted to discuss the topic again as I have been seeing a lot of direct sellers making these types of mistakes when it comes to marketing their home businesses.

When I talk about desperation marketing tactics here is some examples of what I am talking about.

* Firing off emails to people you don’t know and spamming them with your direct sales business information. It is illegal to send people emails advertising your business if you don’t know them or if they didn’t request the information from you. When people get these unsolicited emails from you it turns them off and I guarantee you…they won’t do business with you.

* Calling people up via phone that you do not know and this includes random cold-calling people from phone books. These days many people are on Do Not Call lists and you can land yourself in hot water by just calling up people and pitching your business to them when you don’t know them!

* Firing off hundreds of business messages on social media sites and not engaging or chatting with those who follow you on those accounts will really hurt your business. It is okay to post some messages advertising your business but if all you do is spam business message (business advertisements) after business message at your followers on Facebook and/or Twitter, many of those people will quit following you and will quit doing business with you. At least 50% of your messages on social media should be engaging with those who follow you, posting tips, offering helpful advice and just chit-chatting will reap you more rewards than spamming your followers all day long.

* Repeatedly contacting people who have purchased from you before or hosted a party with you before, and harassing them to no end to make another purchase or to book another party will hurt your business in the long run. Yes, you should contact them every few months but not every day or every week. I once had to “tell off” a direct sales consultant who was calling me and/or emailing me once a week asking for another sale. That is over-kill and it does irritate your established party hosts and customers. Keep in contact with them YES…but don’t go overboard with it.

* When speaking with someone face to face about your business you need to walk a fine line with harassing them/pressuring them to book a party, order a product or to join your team. If they tell you no, well…no means no, and you should leave it at that. (at least for that time and in a few weeks/months you can talk to them again about it). With that said, I once witnessed a beauty consultant at a networking event harass another woman who was there about joining her direct sales company. This went on for over 40 minutes with this woman giving her a “firm” no but yet, this consultant continued to “pound” this poor woman with her business opportunity info. Folks, that is a turn off!

I want you all to think of a time that an “aggressive” sales person irked you off by not leaving you alone, harassing you, repeatedly contacting you for a sale and so forth. You didn’t like it (and most of us have experienced it at least once in our lifetimes) so please don’t do it to others.

Desperation sales tactics and desperation marketing tactics do not work. They irritate those who you are doing it to…so that means you will lose credibility and lose sales.

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