Business Women 2007 – Payoffs for making products easy to buy, own, refer

  • By Alice Cunningham Guest Columnist
  • Monday, March 24, 2008 8:45pm

Business owners with products and services to sell can benefit from a philosophy that is as powerful in its impact as it is in its simplicity: Make your products and services easy to buy, easy to own and easy to refer.

When you do, your customers will become strong advocates for the products and services you offer. You will spend far less money on advertising and be able to reinvest those funds into other essential elements to propel your business forward. And the people who show up to engage your services and products will be the right people that make it possible for you to enjoy what you do and make the difference only you and your products and services can make.

Here are some specific questions to help you determine if your products and services are easy to buy, easy to own and easy to refer.

Easy to buy

– Is your pricing easy to understand?

– Are your offers free of jargon?

– Does your team dazzle with extraordinary attention to customer service?

– Do you ask for feedback at every step in the selling process and at every customer touch point after the sale?

– Do you respond to feedback in a timely, attentive, personal manner?

Business owners need to continually assess why people buy and why they don’t. They need to find out what makes them happy or not. And, they need to determine what services customers appreciate and expect. Ask your customers — either personally or via surveys — why they purchase from you, where else they shop, and what radio and TV stations they prefer. This will help you target your marketing efforts to the right audiences to spread your message far and wide and attract more of the right customers to benefit from what you have to offer.

Easy to own

– Do you write a company newsletter to every customer, packed with the latest in product maintenance and new product information?

– Do you make it easy for your customers to get in touch via an 800 number or the response page on your Web site for prompt response?

– Do you offer and honor your extraordinary service guarantees?

– How quickly can customers expect a response from their e-mails and telephone calls for help?

– Do you celebrate your customers on the anniversary of their purchase with a postcard and a friendly phone call?

– Do you update your Web site with new information as well as share that information via keep-in-touch e-mails?

– Do your team members understand the impact these calls can make on the rate at which customers refer their friends, co-workers, family and business associates to your business?

Easy to refer

Happy customers can offer credible marketing and confident endorsements that advertising budgets can’t buy. To ensure satisfaction, ask questions and learn from what customers share with you. If customers are delighted with the service and products, ask their permission to share their comments on your Web site, in your promotional materials and in your advertising. Your customers will appreciate being seen, heard and celebrated in this way, and your business will benefit from the authentic credibility of their glowing remarks.

When you have worked hard to earn a customer’s satisfaction, you’ve earned the privilege to ask for referrals.

– Do you ask for referrals?

– If not, why not?

– Do you have a referral plan in place?

– If not, when are you going to create one so you, your team and your company can benefit?

When you make clear to customers that their satisfaction and loyalty are your top priorities, this contributes to a positive buying experience. Customers develop the confidence that they can get support when they need it. And, most importantly, they will continue to do business with you and recommend that others do, too.

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