Today’s consumers are demanding. They have the power to make or break your business over the smallest of details. You will likely only have one chance to get it right or else risk having your business fail.
Small business owners are constantly asking if they are making mistakes in their marketing or coming across as naive in the business world. Maybe it’s that or maybe it’s their products that aren’t popular. Maybe the lack of popularity can be blamed on the business owners themselves.
With the influence of social media, shoppers are able to access huge amounts of information on what is available to them, and you, as a small business owner, should be keeping track of the trends and using this to your advantage. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are running, you should still be able to access whatever “chatter” is available regarding your business. Your customers and possible customers can discuss between themselves what you, as a business owner, provide and how your behaviour aids in their decision to buy from you or go elsewhere.
There are several components to a likeable business and most revolve around your attitude.
Do you come across as sincere or is there a side to your personality that, though not obvious to you, is still a turn off to your customers? Nothing makes someone run away faster than a sleazy salesperson pitch. It makes buyers doubt your honesty and your product.
Do you actually listen to your customers? If your product or service isn’t exactly what they’re looking for, are you able to tweak it in order to make it more attractive to them? If not, do you have the confidence to suggest a competitor who you know can fill their request? This type of adaptability and helpfulness is very attractive to those who are looking for a business which they can purchase from long term.
Finally, do you keep it simple? If a product description or its specifications are too in depth or too difficult to understand and there is no one available to help the customer, they are likely to go elsewhere.
Today’s shoppers are looking for functional products and services, which are easy to understand and brought to them by a business owner who comes across as being just like them. They have appreciation for the business owner who can keep up with the increasing demands of the modern consumer because this shows that they are interested in their customers.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015
