Your Business Can Survive
Everywhere you turn it's "Bad economy this” and “Bad economy that.” "This company has laid off this many people and that company has laid off that many people." The news is filled with bad economy stories that will put you into a permanent state of depression.
Sales are down and people are not buying as much as they once were. Should your online store throw in the towel and give up?
NO!!
You can stand out above the crowd. You can offer value to your customers.
You can survive.
The first thing you need is a positive attitude. Have you ever noticed how depressing the news is? When you are doing your best to stay positive, sad stories are the last thing you need.
The second thing you need to realize is that it is a brand new day when it comes to retail. As Anne D’Innocenzio stated in her recent article, “For years, retailers could afford to be slopping about running their businesses because customers kept buying. No more.”
Every customer that comes to your website is extremely valuable. Every customer that comes to your website needs to complete one form of call to action or another. You cannot afford to lose one single visitor that enters your website.
The main goal is for them to purchase from you. People are hurting and looking for good deals. People are also looking for valuable information to help them make a decision. When you provide a good deal with valuable information, you gain their trust and their business.
Make sure you focus on customer service above all else. Give them a reason to come back and purchase from you. Shoppers have many options when it comes to purchasing online and one way to stand out is by focusing on customer loyalty and customer service. Go above and beyond, hand-write a special thank you note with their order, and thank them for their purchase. Realize that they have many choices, but they choose you. Thank them for choosing you. The old saying goes, “It's always cheaper to sell to an existing customer than to acquire a new one.”
After you give them amazing customer service you can email them a special coupon to send to all of their friends and family members. Let them advertise your business and bring you more sales!
The Direct Marketing Association reports that $1 invested in email returns $48.29. Internet Retailer states that 37.4% of retailers say email generates between 2.5% and 15% of sales.
And, if you increase the percentage of repeat customers by just 5 percent, you can boost profits between 25 percent and 95 percent.
So if the customer does not purchase from you when they visit your website, make sure you are grabbing their name and email address. Make it easy for them to give you this information. Give them a reason to give you their personal information by offering them a special coupon code upon sign-up or have a monthly drawing.
Whether you get the sale or the email, the customer will complete the call to action and you will increase your bottom line.
Written by Shawna Fennell, President of 1 Choice4 Your Store
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