Article: "Are You In Business To Help Customers?" 647 words including the resource box. Formatted at 60 characters per line. This article will pass safely through most email filters.
You may publish this article without charge in your ezine, web site, ebook or print publication so long as the copyright notice and the resource paragraph (at the end of the article) are included. You have my authorization to re-format this article to your publishing requirements. However, please do not change any wording before reviewing it with me. Bob Leduc Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------- Article Begins Below This Line ---------- Are You In Business To Help Customers? Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc http://BobLeduc.com 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-paid 800 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 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 launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV ------------------ End of Article ------------------ For a list of articles available for reprint send a blank email to new_articles AT sendfree.com THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE USING ARTICLES POSTED ON THE GROUP: 1. Print the article in its entirety. Don't make any changes in the article . 2. Print the resource box with all articles in their entirety. 3. Send the Author a copy of the reprinted article or the URL where the articles was posted. Anything short of following these three rules is a violation of the Authors Copyright. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
