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Gen Wright asked:
How To Best Obtain Product Attribute Information
This is the third and final installment in a continuing series concerning product attributes and their importance to e-commerce. Previously, we discussed what product attributes are, the use of product attributes in the real, offline world, the importance of product attributes in the online world, and how site search tools should NOT obtain product attributes.
In this article, we?d like to focus on the best means of obtaining product attribute information for a site search tool such as CyberSiteSearch. As discussed in the previous post, the way to not get that information is via Web crawlers (spiders), since they are poorly suited to organize detailed product content into a searchable structure across all of the products on a web site.
In our opinion (and in the opinion of Google), the best source of this information is the merchant, and the best way of obtaining that information is via a data feed. (A data feed is nothing more than a text file that contains information in a specific format.)
And since we think merchants know how to describe their products best, our technology allows the specification of a rich set of attributes to associate with each of them. And since not all products can be described using some standard set of attributes, we allow merchants to describe their products in terms of custom attributes that are appropriate for their products (like voltage, flavor, radius, intended audience, hull width, etc.)
This extensible data base architecture permits merchants to describe their products using both standard as well as custom, product specific attributes. It is an extremely powerful feature of CyberSiteSearch.
The Real Payoff
So why should an online merchant care about all of this? Because it affect sales!
We made a real effort to explain the importance of product attributes in the real(offline) world and how essential they are to commerce. The real point here is that if customers are accustomed to using attributes in the offline world, they would naturally expect to use them in the online world.
To facilitate this, a site search tool like CyberSiteSearch must implement a user interface that allows site visitors to rapidly locate desired products using their attributes.
CyberSiteSearch implements product locators that permit exactly that. Merchants can easily add product locators to their web site in the form of dropdown lists that permit specification of any set of desired attributes, and then send that information to the CyberSiteSearch software which returns all of the matching products.
By easing the navigation through products with attribute based search, merchants can significantly increase their conversion rates and revenue.
How To Best Obtain Product Attribute Information
This is the third and final installment in a continuing series concerning product attributes and their importance to e-commerce. Previously, we discussed what product attributes are, the use of product attributes in the real, offline world, the importance of product attributes in the online world, and how site search tools should NOT obtain product attributes.
In this article, we?d like to focus on the best means of obtaining product attribute information for a site search tool such as CyberSiteSearch. As discussed in the previous post, the way to not get that information is via Web crawlers (spiders), since they are poorly suited to organize detailed product content into a searchable structure across all of the products on a web site.
In our opinion (and in the opinion of Google), the best source of this information is the merchant, and the best way of obtaining that information is via a data feed. (A data feed is nothing more than a text file that contains information in a specific format.)
And since we think merchants know how to describe their products best, our technology allows the specification of a rich set of attributes to associate with each of them. And since not all products can be described using some standard set of attributes, we allow merchants to describe their products in terms of custom attributes that are appropriate for their products (like voltage, flavor, radius, intended audience, hull width, etc.)
This extensible data base architecture permits merchants to describe their products using both standard as well as custom, product specific attributes. It is an extremely powerful feature of CyberSiteSearch.
The Real Payoff
So why should an online merchant care about all of this? Because it affect sales!
We made a real effort to explain the importance of product attributes in the real(offline) world and how essential they are to commerce. The real point here is that if customers are accustomed to using attributes in the offline world, they would naturally expect to use them in the online world.
To facilitate this, a site search tool like CyberSiteSearch must implement a user interface that allows site visitors to rapidly locate desired products using their attributes.
CyberSiteSearch implements product locators that permit exactly that. Merchants can easily add product locators to their web site in the form of dropdown lists that permit specification of any set of desired attributes, and then send that information to the CyberSiteSearch software which returns all of the matching products.
By easing the navigation through products with attribute based search, merchants can significantly increase their conversion rates and revenue.
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- Tags: Merchants, Organize, Radius
Custom PostcardsGuyLA asked:
Custom postcards for direct mail? If you have been in business for a while, direct mail might be something you have already utilized with your customized mailersflyers. Whether you are a small business owner or a Fortune 5 hundred lister, this marketing strategy could have been part of your promotion campaign one way or another. And using custom postcards to give your direct mail campaigns is a novel “twist” that may set you apart from your competitors.
What exactly is direct mail? Direct mail is a promotional program that is highly regarded because of one thing – it reaches out to as many of your potential clients as possible in a brief period of time.
It takes the advertisers’ message directly to the consumer. And the message is directly received by the customer.
You should also know, direct mail doesn’t have to be mailed to thousands of prospects to be cost-effective.
Be aware, however. Direct mail is not without its share of challenges. It is also known by another moniker: junk mail. Therefore, the smart advertiser proceeds cautiously
Ultimately, when you perform a direct mailing campaign, you send your collaterals such as your flyer printing at once to your potential clients, often by mail.
Here are some of the things you must understand about direct mailing :
Direct mail can be commonly used to generate a direct reply from your recipients. Its primary role is to persuade your target audience to act and make a choice based on your message. It is either they give you a call or visit your shop. But these days, your call-to-action is sometimes a request for your target clients to visit your website to understand more of your goods and services.
The takeaway in your direct mail is to attract your recipients to your offer and have them respond certainly to your message. Therefore, your collateral such as your custom flyers or custom postcards, should have a reply section, complete contact information and even a reply address so your clients can connect with you right away.
Components
There are several components of direct mailing that one must consider.
Either you create the list or it could be a shared list that came from another source.
The promoting materials – The most frequently used collateral for direct mail are custom postcards and flyers. When you direct mail them, your collaterals are typically posted as well as the envelope or packaging that holds them.
The facility – When applicable , the facility is where you put the address or labels your flyer printing collateral, inserts them in envelopes or other packaging, and eventually sends them out for posting.
The mailpostal cost – This is the price when you mail your collaterals. It relies on the size, shape and weight of your direct mail items.
Call to Action
Depending on your message, your reply rate to your “call to action” will be either overwhelmingly positive or trivial. Your direct mail materials is only as good as your offer. Your database then should be regularly updated as well as the offer you are making to your prospects. Even with a great product, your marketing collateral can only be effective if the data and offer you made is topical and will slot in your recipient’s wishes and wants.
It does not also guarantee you instant success. But when you have a good direct contact campaign for your business, you are assured of sending your message to as many clients as possible when you do it right.
Mix these guidelines with a noteworthy and captivating image on the front of the custom postcards you decide to display along with your message, and you have an unbeatable aggregate of business potency and impact.
Custom postcards for direct mail? If you have been in business for a while, direct mail might be something you have already utilized with your customized mailersflyers. Whether you are a small business owner or a Fortune 5 hundred lister, this marketing strategy could have been part of your promotion campaign one way or another. And using custom postcards to give your direct mail campaigns is a novel “twist” that may set you apart from your competitors.
What exactly is direct mail? Direct mail is a promotional program that is highly regarded because of one thing – it reaches out to as many of your potential clients as possible in a brief period of time.
It takes the advertisers’ message directly to the consumer. And the message is directly received by the customer.
You should also know, direct mail doesn’t have to be mailed to thousands of prospects to be cost-effective.
Be aware, however. Direct mail is not without its share of challenges. It is also known by another moniker: junk mail. Therefore, the smart advertiser proceeds cautiously
Ultimately, when you perform a direct mailing campaign, you send your collaterals such as your flyer printing at once to your potential clients, often by mail.
Here are some of the things you must understand about direct mailing :
Direct mail can be commonly used to generate a direct reply from your recipients. Its primary role is to persuade your target audience to act and make a choice based on your message. It is either they give you a call or visit your shop. But these days, your call-to-action is sometimes a request for your target clients to visit your website to understand more of your goods and services.
The takeaway in your direct mail is to attract your recipients to your offer and have them respond certainly to your message. Therefore, your collateral such as your custom flyers or custom postcards, should have a reply section, complete contact information and even a reply address so your clients can connect with you right away.
Components
There are several components of direct mailing that one must consider.
Either you create the list or it could be a shared list that came from another source.
The promoting materials – The most frequently used collateral for direct mail are custom postcards and flyers. When you direct mail them, your collaterals are typically posted as well as the envelope or packaging that holds them.
The facility – When applicable , the facility is where you put the address or labels your flyer printing collateral, inserts them in envelopes or other packaging, and eventually sends them out for posting.
The mailpostal cost – This is the price when you mail your collaterals. It relies on the size, shape and weight of your direct mail items.
Call to Action
Depending on your message, your reply rate to your “call to action” will be either overwhelmingly positive or trivial. Your direct mail materials is only as good as your offer. Your database then should be regularly updated as well as the offer you are making to your prospects. Even with a great product, your marketing collateral can only be effective if the data and offer you made is topical and will slot in your recipient’s wishes and wants.
It does not also guarantee you instant success. But when you have a good direct contact campaign for your business, you are assured of sending your message to as many clients as possible when you do it right.
Mix these guidelines with a noteworthy and captivating image on the front of the custom postcards you decide to display along with your message, and you have an unbeatable aggregate of business potency and impact.
Tom Herry asked:
So you, now, have your loyalty marketing programs set up as part of your customer loyalty solutions program. You’ve studied all the aspects of your customer loyalty concepts. Now what? You are aware that a well-executed loyalty marketing program can increase sales, build trust between you and your customers and differentiate you from your competition. But you can’t help thinking; “Is there something I’m missing out on?”
There’s a big chance that you are right. There maybe a few details that you might have overlooked. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when implementing your customer loyalty solution.
- Set you goals and make sure that everyone understands them. Make everyone in your organization own up to his/her tasks and make them feel responsible for the results of your loyalty marketing programs.
- Try to find other businessmen whose businesses complement yours (like roofers complement electricians and carpenters) and form a group or an alliance that will be beneficial to the clients and your alliance.
- Make sure that your customer loyalty solutions are simple and easy to understand. A plan that is difficult to understand does no one any good.
- Try to get all the information you need from the customers who enroll in your loyalty marketing program. Make sure you get their birthdays, anniversaries, etc. so that you may be able to mail or greet them during special occasions. But be prudent with the information you gather. Don’t just give away customer information to anybody.
- Make sure that your awards and offerings of your customer loyalty concepts will have some benefit to the customer; yet, you should also make sure that the awards you give your customers don’t hurt the company in terms of cost, image and amount of work put in.
Understanding your customers is the beginning of their trust and loyalty towards you, your business and your products and service. Your customer loyalty solutions are meant to help create stronger relationships between you and your customers. When you start your customer loyalty marketing program, be sure to stay focused on it and stand by it.
So you, now, have your loyalty marketing programs set up as part of your customer loyalty solutions program. You’ve studied all the aspects of your customer loyalty concepts. Now what? You are aware that a well-executed loyalty marketing program can increase sales, build trust between you and your customers and differentiate you from your competition. But you can’t help thinking; “Is there something I’m missing out on?”
There’s a big chance that you are right. There maybe a few details that you might have overlooked. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when implementing your customer loyalty solution.
- Set you goals and make sure that everyone understands them. Make everyone in your organization own up to his/her tasks and make them feel responsible for the results of your loyalty marketing programs.
- Try to find other businessmen whose businesses complement yours (like roofers complement electricians and carpenters) and form a group or an alliance that will be beneficial to the clients and your alliance.
- Make sure that your customer loyalty solutions are simple and easy to understand. A plan that is difficult to understand does no one any good.
- Try to get all the information you need from the customers who enroll in your loyalty marketing program. Make sure you get their birthdays, anniversaries, etc. so that you may be able to mail or greet them during special occasions. But be prudent with the information you gather. Don’t just give away customer information to anybody.
- Make sure that your awards and offerings of your customer loyalty concepts will have some benefit to the customer; yet, you should also make sure that the awards you give your customers don’t hurt the company in terms of cost, image and amount of work put in.
Understanding your customers is the beginning of their trust and loyalty towards you, your business and your products and service. Your customer loyalty solutions are meant to help create stronger relationships between you and your customers. When you start your customer loyalty marketing program, be sure to stay focused on it and stand by it.
shruti asked:
The field of corporate finance deals with the decisions of finance taken by corporations along with the analysis and the tools required for taking such decisions. The principle aim of corporate finance is enhancing the corporate value and at the same time reducing the financial risks of the company. In addition to this, corporate finance also deals in getting the maximum returns on the invested capital of the company. The major concepts of corporate finance are applied to the problems of finance encountered by all type of firms. Corporate finance group deals with medium and large corporate clients and offers complete solutions to meet our clients’ financial requirements. The management of corporate finance attempts to maximize the firm’s value by making investments in the projects that have a positive yield. The finance options for such projects have to be done in a proper manner.
Achieving the goals of corporate finance requires that any corporate investment be financed appropriately. Management must therefore identify the optimal mix of financing-the capital structures that result in maximum value. Management must also attempt to match the financing mix to the asset being financed as closely as possible, in terms of both timing and cash flows. Many factors should be considered like investment objectives, policy frameworks, institutional structure, sources of financing and expenditure framework etc. There are various considerations where shareholders pay tax on dividends, companies may elect to retain earnings, or to perform a stock buyback, in both cases increasing the value of shares outstanding etc. Thus, the goal of corporate finance is the maximization of firm value. In the context of long term, capital investment decisions, firm value is enhanced through appropriately selecting and funding NPV positive investments. These investments, in turn, have implications in terms of cash flow and cost of capital.
Investment banking is one of the most global industries and is hence continuously challenged to respond to new developments and innovation in the global financial markets. It deals with raising capital, trading in securities and managing corporate mergers and acquisitions. Investment banks earn profit from companies and governments by raising money through issuing and selling various securities. There are many investment banks operating in the field of investment banking and finance. Investment banks, or I-banks, issue securities, manage portfolios of financial assets, trade securities, help investors purchase securities, provide financial advice, and support services. Finance areas are responsible for an investment bank’s capital management and risk monitoring. By tracking and analyzing the capital flows of the firm, the Finance division is the principal adviser to senior management on essential areas such as controlling the firm’s global risk exposure and the profitability and structure of the firm’s various businesses.
When raising capital for a firm, an investment bank is acting as an intermediary between investors and the issuer. Capital raised can come from private investors or from pools of capital obtained within the public markets. They also engage in numerous proprietary activities in the financial markets. Investment banks also provide merger and acquisition services, both on the buy and sell side of a deal. The buy side involves identifying and facilitating the acquisition of a target company, while the sell side involves taking a client company to market at auction and identifying and facilitating the sale to a high bidder or acquirer with a strong strategic fit.
New products with higher margins are constantly invented and manufactured by bankers in hopes of winning over clients and developing trading know-how in new markets in the field of investment banking. Product coverage groups focus on financial products, such as mergers and acquisitions, leveraged finance, equity, and high-grade debt. Thus, investment banking and finance can be one of the best options for your investment management and capital structuring.
The field of corporate finance deals with the decisions of finance taken by corporations along with the analysis and the tools required for taking such decisions. The principle aim of corporate finance is enhancing the corporate value and at the same time reducing the financial risks of the company. In addition to this, corporate finance also deals in getting the maximum returns on the invested capital of the company. The major concepts of corporate finance are applied to the problems of finance encountered by all type of firms. Corporate finance group deals with medium and large corporate clients and offers complete solutions to meet our clients’ financial requirements. The management of corporate finance attempts to maximize the firm’s value by making investments in the projects that have a positive yield. The finance options for such projects have to be done in a proper manner.
Achieving the goals of corporate finance requires that any corporate investment be financed appropriately. Management must therefore identify the optimal mix of financing-the capital structures that result in maximum value. Management must also attempt to match the financing mix to the asset being financed as closely as possible, in terms of both timing and cash flows. Many factors should be considered like investment objectives, policy frameworks, institutional structure, sources of financing and expenditure framework etc. There are various considerations where shareholders pay tax on dividends, companies may elect to retain earnings, or to perform a stock buyback, in both cases increasing the value of shares outstanding etc. Thus, the goal of corporate finance is the maximization of firm value. In the context of long term, capital investment decisions, firm value is enhanced through appropriately selecting and funding NPV positive investments. These investments, in turn, have implications in terms of cash flow and cost of capital.
Investment banking is one of the most global industries and is hence continuously challenged to respond to new developments and innovation in the global financial markets. It deals with raising capital, trading in securities and managing corporate mergers and acquisitions. Investment banks earn profit from companies and governments by raising money through issuing and selling various securities. There are many investment banks operating in the field of investment banking and finance. Investment banks, or I-banks, issue securities, manage portfolios of financial assets, trade securities, help investors purchase securities, provide financial advice, and support services. Finance areas are responsible for an investment bank’s capital management and risk monitoring. By tracking and analyzing the capital flows of the firm, the Finance division is the principal adviser to senior management on essential areas such as controlling the firm’s global risk exposure and the profitability and structure of the firm’s various businesses.
When raising capital for a firm, an investment bank is acting as an intermediary between investors and the issuer. Capital raised can come from private investors or from pools of capital obtained within the public markets. They also engage in numerous proprietary activities in the financial markets. Investment banks also provide merger and acquisition services, both on the buy and sell side of a deal. The buy side involves identifying and facilitating the acquisition of a target company, while the sell side involves taking a client company to market at auction and identifying and facilitating the sale to a high bidder or acquirer with a strong strategic fit.
New products with higher margins are constantly invented and manufactured by bankers in hopes of winning over clients and developing trading know-how in new markets in the field of investment banking. Product coverage groups focus on financial products, such as mergers and acquisitions, leveraged finance, equity, and high-grade debt. Thus, investment banking and finance can be one of the best options for your investment management and capital structuring.
Sam Miller asked:
In the current global business scene, it is important to be highly competitive. Companies’ ability to beat and rise up from competition is considered important because revenues depend on it. Of course, it is apparent that competitive firms are more able to generate good income and profits because consumers and customers are reliant and trusting on them.
Competitiveness and good relationship with customers can be ensured by setting and putting in place good customer service practices. Good customer service levels would help your business achieve the competitiveness it needs. That is because putting into consideration the major perceptions of customers would make your company strive harder to develop good products and improve already existing products and services. To do so, you must adhere to good and working customer service metrics.
If your business has a customer service operations, you must ensure a recommended customer service metrics is in place. Usually, working customer service metrics include the following as main factors.
– Volume of customer inquiries handled per hour. This is a measure of productivity. Of course, the higher the number of customers attended to in an hour, the better. But there is one common and logical setback. If you would force your customer service representatives to take numerous and continuous calls, for sure, the quality of call service would suffer.
– Volume of customer complaints. This is not actually a direct customer service metrics but more of a performance indicator of the business and production operations. The more complaints your company receive, the more it is evident that your company has failed to be efficient in rendering and producing quality goods and services.
– Volume of resolved customer complaints. If you would run a daily tally about the volume of resolved complaints from customers, you would be able to distinguish the effectiveness of the customer service unit. In return, customer satisfaction would be boosted. Customer service metrics should always include this measure.
– Return customers volume. If customers keep on returning or buying your products, that means they are satisfied with the quality of services and products. In the customer service level, if clients keep on coming back despite their complaints, that means they realize that your business is still satisfactory.
Such customer service metrics can be considered more inclined on the quantitative side. Of course, by looking and tallying volumes of satisfied and dissatisfied customers, there are numbers involved. Quantitative metrics like the one described above are easier to handle and interpret.
However, you can also adopt and integrate within your quantitative metrics a good and working qualitative customer service metrics. A qualitative customer service metrics would take note and reflect stated opinions and overall perceptions held by customers. Most of the time, it is much more interesting to look at qualitative customer service metrics because they point more to quality issues. Interpretation would be easier and more convenient. If you would be able to look at qualitative measures and at the same time at quantitative customer service metrics, the better. Customer service metrics are a great way to evaluate the performance of helpdesk or call-center unit of any company.
In the current global business scene, it is important to be highly competitive. Companies’ ability to beat and rise up from competition is considered important because revenues depend on it. Of course, it is apparent that competitive firms are more able to generate good income and profits because consumers and customers are reliant and trusting on them.
Competitiveness and good relationship with customers can be ensured by setting and putting in place good customer service practices. Good customer service levels would help your business achieve the competitiveness it needs. That is because putting into consideration the major perceptions of customers would make your company strive harder to develop good products and improve already existing products and services. To do so, you must adhere to good and working customer service metrics.
If your business has a customer service operations, you must ensure a recommended customer service metrics is in place. Usually, working customer service metrics include the following as main factors.
– Volume of customer inquiries handled per hour. This is a measure of productivity. Of course, the higher the number of customers attended to in an hour, the better. But there is one common and logical setback. If you would force your customer service representatives to take numerous and continuous calls, for sure, the quality of call service would suffer.
– Volume of customer complaints. This is not actually a direct customer service metrics but more of a performance indicator of the business and production operations. The more complaints your company receive, the more it is evident that your company has failed to be efficient in rendering and producing quality goods and services.
– Volume of resolved customer complaints. If you would run a daily tally about the volume of resolved complaints from customers, you would be able to distinguish the effectiveness of the customer service unit. In return, customer satisfaction would be boosted. Customer service metrics should always include this measure.
– Return customers volume. If customers keep on returning or buying your products, that means they are satisfied with the quality of services and products. In the customer service level, if clients keep on coming back despite their complaints, that means they realize that your business is still satisfactory.
Such customer service metrics can be considered more inclined on the quantitative side. Of course, by looking and tallying volumes of satisfied and dissatisfied customers, there are numbers involved. Quantitative metrics like the one described above are easier to handle and interpret.
However, you can also adopt and integrate within your quantitative metrics a good and working qualitative customer service metrics. A qualitative customer service metrics would take note and reflect stated opinions and overall perceptions held by customers. Most of the time, it is much more interesting to look at qualitative customer service metrics because they point more to quality issues. Interpretation would be easier and more convenient. If you would be able to look at qualitative measures and at the same time at quantitative customer service metrics, the better. Customer service metrics are a great way to evaluate the performance of helpdesk or call-center unit of any company.
Shelly Hill asked:
Providing good customer service to your customers and hosts in direct sales needs to be a consultants top priority. In this day and age, there are millions of consultants all competing for the same customers, the same party hosts and the same potential recruit.
1. Answer all questions that a customer has for you. Answer them completely and in as much detail as possible. Speak normal language. Customers are not familiar with abbreviations or slang words used by an individual business.
2. Make sure you calculate all totals correctly. Customers get irritated if you make errors in adding up their orders, over charging them etc. Always double check your totals when a customer is paying cash. You don’t want to embarrass yourself by short-changing a customer. If its a home party, make sure you take a calculator or adding machine with you. The math you do in your head is not as accurate as using a calculator.
3. Always provide contact information. If you are doing business online or through mail order, it is important that a customer get your contact information and you should provide several avenues for a customer to make contact with you. I provide my phone number, fax, 2 email addresses and home address.
4. Always thank your customer for their order. Make them feel like they are important to you! If its an online order, send them a free email thank you card or a thank you email. Again, include your contact information on that. If its an offline book order, follow up with a postal postcard or thank you note via postal mail. Include a business card. This is very important if its a FIRST TIME customer with you. You want their repeat business and future referrals. I try to thank all my customers all the time whether they are a new customer or a repeat customer.
5. Allow 2 weeks for a customer to receive their order then follow up again with that customer. You can email them, call them or jot a note to them via postal mail. Let them know that you are still there for them. Make sure their order arrived on time and was complete and accurate. Ask them if they are satisfied with the transaction and if not, do your best to make it correct promptly. Don’t let customers hanging when something goes wrong.
6. I usually wait 3 months and make contact with that customer again. Let them know of any upcoming sales specials, hostess specials etc. You can do this by emailing them or sending them a postcard, note card or catalog. You want to keep your customer exposed to your business but not overwhelmed or pestered by you, so I suggest contacting them every 3 months unless they have signed up to receive a more often email newsletter etc. from you. These days al ot of customers don’t want overwhelmed by constant emails so keep them limited.
7. If a customer calls your home or place of business and leaves a message for you, make sure you follow up within 48 hours. Customers don’t want to wait days or weeks for you to respond back. Again, be as prompt as possible when dealing with customers. If you are out of town, make sure your loyal customers who order very frequently know you will be unavailable. You don’t have to say You will be on vacation, just say your home office will be closed on such and such day or week.
8. Attitude….this is also important! Do not use vulgar language at any time. Do not eat, smoke or chew gum while speaking to a customer in person or while on the phone with them.! Make sure you speak in a pleasant tone of voice.! If you are on the phone with a customer, please do not have a bunch of “phone interruptions” by other members of your household while you are speaking to the customers, they consider this rude. If you have children, try to call your customers while they are napping or when your spouse is at home to entertain them while you make your call backs.
If you are in a bad mood, hold off in returning calls. Customers can sense your bad mood, just like your children can. Do NOT use a cordless phone for this as you will be tempted to do “other” things while you are speaking to a customer., Your customer deserves your undivided attention when you are speaking to them.
9. If you are delivering your customers order, make sure you are presentable. You don’t have to be wearing a suit or dress, just make sure your clothing is clean and presentable, casual clean wear is fine. Don’t wear cut-off jean shorts, sloppy t-shirts etc. This sets a bad impression and is not professional. Your appearance speaks volumes on how you run your business!
In addition, Make sure you bag or box your customers order in a presentable way. Do not bag their orders in the free plastic or paper grocery bags you get at the store. Try to use bags from your company or go to a outlet business supply store or buy solid color cheap gift bags to bag their orders in but never bag them in a nasty store grocery bag. Make sure you provide a receipt and a future contact business card. If you can afford it, throw in a inexpensive surprise, Thank You for ordering Freebie gift. (the dollar store is great for this).
10. Another way to make your customers special is to offer extra services to them such as:
a. Local Delivery: if the item they purchased is a gift. It is okay to charge a minimal fee for local delivery to cover your expenses.
b. Gift Wrap Service: its okay to charge a small fee for this or better yet, offer it free. The dollar store again is cheap to buy plain gift bags, wrapping paper, bows, cards etc!
c. Postal Shipping: if the customer is shipping a gift out of town and you live near a postal office, offer to ship it to the recipient if the customer pays for the additional shipping.
11. If you do home party plans, Your Hostess of the party is also a customer so don’t neglect her. You need to make her feel special. Offer encouragement and support, make sure she has everything she needs to have a successful party for you. Afterwards, make sure you follow up with her. If you don’t impress her the first time she has a party with you, I guarantee you she won’t have any more from you and you wont get any referrals from her. You could loose a lot of business by not treating your party Host like a Queen!
When running any type of home based business, its a building process, one customer at a time and one party hostess at a time. Once you build a great foundation, you can then build the rest of the “house aka business” upon that. If you start out with a “weak” foundation you will have a “weak” business!
Providing good customer service to your customers and hosts in direct sales needs to be a consultants top priority. In this day and age, there are millions of consultants all competing for the same customers, the same party hosts and the same potential recruit.
1. Answer all questions that a customer has for you. Answer them completely and in as much detail as possible. Speak normal language. Customers are not familiar with abbreviations or slang words used by an individual business.
2. Make sure you calculate all totals correctly. Customers get irritated if you make errors in adding up their orders, over charging them etc. Always double check your totals when a customer is paying cash. You don’t want to embarrass yourself by short-changing a customer. If its a home party, make sure you take a calculator or adding machine with you. The math you do in your head is not as accurate as using a calculator.
3. Always provide contact information. If you are doing business online or through mail order, it is important that a customer get your contact information and you should provide several avenues for a customer to make contact with you. I provide my phone number, fax, 2 email addresses and home address.
4. Always thank your customer for their order. Make them feel like they are important to you! If its an online order, send them a free email thank you card or a thank you email. Again, include your contact information on that. If its an offline book order, follow up with a postal postcard or thank you note via postal mail. Include a business card. This is very important if its a FIRST TIME customer with you. You want their repeat business and future referrals. I try to thank all my customers all the time whether they are a new customer or a repeat customer.
5. Allow 2 weeks for a customer to receive their order then follow up again with that customer. You can email them, call them or jot a note to them via postal mail. Let them know that you are still there for them. Make sure their order arrived on time and was complete and accurate. Ask them if they are satisfied with the transaction and if not, do your best to make it correct promptly. Don’t let customers hanging when something goes wrong.
6. I usually wait 3 months and make contact with that customer again. Let them know of any upcoming sales specials, hostess specials etc. You can do this by emailing them or sending them a postcard, note card or catalog. You want to keep your customer exposed to your business but not overwhelmed or pestered by you, so I suggest contacting them every 3 months unless they have signed up to receive a more often email newsletter etc. from you. These days al ot of customers don’t want overwhelmed by constant emails so keep them limited.
7. If a customer calls your home or place of business and leaves a message for you, make sure you follow up within 48 hours. Customers don’t want to wait days or weeks for you to respond back. Again, be as prompt as possible when dealing with customers. If you are out of town, make sure your loyal customers who order very frequently know you will be unavailable. You don’t have to say You will be on vacation, just say your home office will be closed on such and such day or week.
8. Attitude….this is also important! Do not use vulgar language at any time. Do not eat, smoke or chew gum while speaking to a customer in person or while on the phone with them.! Make sure you speak in a pleasant tone of voice.! If you are on the phone with a customer, please do not have a bunch of “phone interruptions” by other members of your household while you are speaking to the customers, they consider this rude. If you have children, try to call your customers while they are napping or when your spouse is at home to entertain them while you make your call backs.
If you are in a bad mood, hold off in returning calls. Customers can sense your bad mood, just like your children can. Do NOT use a cordless phone for this as you will be tempted to do “other” things while you are speaking to a customer., Your customer deserves your undivided attention when you are speaking to them.
9. If you are delivering your customers order, make sure you are presentable. You don’t have to be wearing a suit or dress, just make sure your clothing is clean and presentable, casual clean wear is fine. Don’t wear cut-off jean shorts, sloppy t-shirts etc. This sets a bad impression and is not professional. Your appearance speaks volumes on how you run your business!
In addition, Make sure you bag or box your customers order in a presentable way. Do not bag their orders in the free plastic or paper grocery bags you get at the store. Try to use bags from your company or go to a outlet business supply store or buy solid color cheap gift bags to bag their orders in but never bag them in a nasty store grocery bag. Make sure you provide a receipt and a future contact business card. If you can afford it, throw in a inexpensive surprise, Thank You for ordering Freebie gift. (the dollar store is great for this).
10. Another way to make your customers special is to offer extra services to them such as:
a. Local Delivery: if the item they purchased is a gift. It is okay to charge a minimal fee for local delivery to cover your expenses.
b. Gift Wrap Service: its okay to charge a small fee for this or better yet, offer it free. The dollar store again is cheap to buy plain gift bags, wrapping paper, bows, cards etc!
c. Postal Shipping: if the customer is shipping a gift out of town and you live near a postal office, offer to ship it to the recipient if the customer pays for the additional shipping.
11. If you do home party plans, Your Hostess of the party is also a customer so don’t neglect her. You need to make her feel special. Offer encouragement and support, make sure she has everything she needs to have a successful party for you. Afterwards, make sure you follow up with her. If you don’t impress her the first time she has a party with you, I guarantee you she won’t have any more from you and you wont get any referrals from her. You could loose a lot of business by not treating your party Host like a Queen!
When running any type of home based business, its a building process, one customer at a time and one party hostess at a time. Once you build a great foundation, you can then build the rest of the “house aka business” upon that. If you start out with a “weak” foundation you will have a “weak” business!
Benjamin Bressington asked:
Your customers are your biggest asset. In addition to ensuring that you remain in business, your customer base is essential to your overall marketing and advertising campaign.
A happy customer is a customer who is willing to refer business to you. In fact, word-of-mouth is one of the most effective and popular ways of getting new business. You can ensure your customers send you more business consistently if you follow a few simple steps:
Provide superior customer service
With good customer service lacking in so many businesses today, if you provide superior customer service, you are going to stand apart from and above the competition. Your customers are going to appreciate that you take the time to listen to them, that you solve problems quickly, and that you genuinely care about them as customers.
In addition to ensuring that your current customers continue to do business with you, they’re going to refer others to your business because they are satisfied with your customer service.
Offer a top notch product and/or service
If you offer a top notch product or service that offers value and benefit your customers, they’re naturally going to be willing to recommend your business to friends, family, and acquaintances.
Treat your customers well
Customers want to be treated well. They want to know that you appreciate their business, so always ensure that you treat your customers well by thanking them for their business, asking for their feedback, and addressing any problems or concerns they have in a timely manner.
Treating your customers well also means ensuring that your employees treat them well by offering to help them, and by always addressing them in a polite manner.
Ask your customers to refer business to you
Sometimes getting customers to send you more business is as easy as asking them to refer their friends, family, and coworkers to you. Satisfied customers will generally have no problem spreading the word about your product or service. All you have to do is ask.
Offer discounts or specials for those who refer business
While it’s not a necessity to reward your customers for referring business to you, it is a strong incentive for them to continue to send business your way. You might offer a discount on your product or service every time a customer refers someone to your business. You might also offer a free product to those who send business your way.
Or, you may want to come up with a more creative way to reward your customers for referring new customers to you. The key is to reward your customers in some way.
Thank customers for their referrals
When a customer refers a new customer to you, take the time to thank that customer. You can send a handwritten note or call the customer. Whatever method you choose, just make sure that you thank the customer for his referral. Showing your gratitude will also help ensure that that customer continues to send new customers to your business.
Your customers are your biggest asset. In addition to ensuring that you remain in business, your customer base is essential to your overall marketing and advertising campaign.
A happy customer is a customer who is willing to refer business to you. In fact, word-of-mouth is one of the most effective and popular ways of getting new business. You can ensure your customers send you more business consistently if you follow a few simple steps:
Provide superior customer service
With good customer service lacking in so many businesses today, if you provide superior customer service, you are going to stand apart from and above the competition. Your customers are going to appreciate that you take the time to listen to them, that you solve problems quickly, and that you genuinely care about them as customers.
In addition to ensuring that your current customers continue to do business with you, they’re going to refer others to your business because they are satisfied with your customer service.
Offer a top notch product and/or service
If you offer a top notch product or service that offers value and benefit your customers, they’re naturally going to be willing to recommend your business to friends, family, and acquaintances.
Treat your customers well
Customers want to be treated well. They want to know that you appreciate their business, so always ensure that you treat your customers well by thanking them for their business, asking for their feedback, and addressing any problems or concerns they have in a timely manner.
Treating your customers well also means ensuring that your employees treat them well by offering to help them, and by always addressing them in a polite manner.
Ask your customers to refer business to you
Sometimes getting customers to send you more business is as easy as asking them to refer their friends, family, and coworkers to you. Satisfied customers will generally have no problem spreading the word about your product or service. All you have to do is ask.
Offer discounts or specials for those who refer business
While it’s not a necessity to reward your customers for referring business to you, it is a strong incentive for them to continue to send business your way. You might offer a discount on your product or service every time a customer refers someone to your business. You might also offer a free product to those who send business your way.
Or, you may want to come up with a more creative way to reward your customers for referring new customers to you. The key is to reward your customers in some way.
Thank customers for their referrals
When a customer refers a new customer to you, take the time to thank that customer. You can send a handwritten note or call the customer. Whatever method you choose, just make sure that you thank the customer for his referral. Showing your gratitude will also help ensure that that customer continues to send new customers to your business.
Hype Marketing asked:
Affiliate Marketing in a Nutshell
What exactly is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is the single fastest growth industry on the Internet. It’s also true that affiliate marketing is one of the fastest and most creative ways to make money and have a career on the Internet.
Simply put, affiliate marketing is selling products on a commission basis. You own a business that advertises and sells products for other companies. You may have a product of your own to begin with or not. The things that a successful affiliate marketer must have are:
Your website is the jumping off point of all your marketing efforts. So the first step in any successful affiliate marketing business is building a good, credible and professional looking website. You must build a user-friendly website, which will attract your prospects and motivate them to click on the links to the products and services you are promoting and make a purchase. There are companies whose business is building websites that you can hire to build one for you.
You must find products to sell, you must be able to determine whether there is a demand for those products and if people will actually buy them. You may either have your own original product or products that are made by others. Which ever way you go, you must believe in the products.
It will be necessary for you to become an adept advertiser and be able to tell whether the advertising you are paying for is producing more income for you than the advertising is costing you.
It is necessary that you have good mathematical skills. You will need to be able to track your sales and determine profit, as well as, see to it that your suppliers are paid in full and on time.
You need the full and unwavering support of your family so that you can devote the time and energy necessary to launch your affiliate marketing business.
Affiliate Marketing in a Nutshell
What exactly is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is the single fastest growth industry on the Internet. It’s also true that affiliate marketing is one of the fastest and most creative ways to make money and have a career on the Internet.
Simply put, affiliate marketing is selling products on a commission basis. You own a business that advertises and sells products for other companies. You may have a product of your own to begin with or not. The things that a successful affiliate marketer must have are:
Your website is the jumping off point of all your marketing efforts. So the first step in any successful affiliate marketing business is building a good, credible and professional looking website. You must build a user-friendly website, which will attract your prospects and motivate them to click on the links to the products and services you are promoting and make a purchase. There are companies whose business is building websites that you can hire to build one for you.
You must find products to sell, you must be able to determine whether there is a demand for those products and if people will actually buy them. You may either have your own original product or products that are made by others. Which ever way you go, you must believe in the products.
It will be necessary for you to become an adept advertiser and be able to tell whether the advertising you are paying for is producing more income for you than the advertising is costing you.
It is necessary that you have good mathematical skills. You will need to be able to track your sales and determine profit, as well as, see to it that your suppliers are paid in full and on time.
You need the full and unwavering support of your family so that you can devote the time and energy necessary to launch your affiliate marketing business.
Douglas Smith asked:
The Benefits of Marketing Online
Marketing rules are the same no matter how big or small your business is: (1)brand your product, (2) determine who your target audience is, (3) get the sales, and (4) establish repeat customers. Online marketing is very effective in managing all four of these rules.
Online Marketing Defined: The definition of online marketing is: Placing your business or product on the internet for millions of users to access so that you can turn your website into a strong tool to maximize your sales and business potential. But online marketing is much more than putting your advertising online. Marketing online includes such areas as cummunicating with your customers, promoting your business or product online, and making sure that your website content is useful and up to date. The great thing about online marketing is that you don’t need to have a huge budget to put together a marketing campaign that is effective. There are tools that you can use to make your marketing techniques easy and profitable, such as website templates, shopping cart templates and online marketing templates.
What You Need for Online Marketing to be Successful: There are some important points to consider before you get into the strategies and intricacies of online marketing. Communication – An important part of online marketing is how you respond to your customer’s e-mail. You don’t want to lose potential customers after you’ve made the effort to have them visit your site and then contact you for more information. E-mail is a very effective and cost efficient way for you to generate more sales. The key to this effectiveness is “consistency”. You need to be consistent in your response to your customers. You’ll also want to make sure that the tone of your e-mail corresponds with the tone you’ve set in your website content. Human Resources – If you’re going to succeed online you need to have enough people working for you. Efficient websites incorporate a personal touch with a fast response time to customers. Your goal is to turn the visitors to your website into customers. The standard time for a return e-mail is from 48-72 hours. If you waint any longer you risk losing that customer. This means that if you don’t have the man power to return e-mail in two to three days you need to take another look at your marketing strategy. Products people want to buy – Before you start marketing online you need to be sure that you have a product or service that people want to buy. Customers need to find a value in what you’re selling. There are two motivating factors when it comes to selling online ” cost and convenience”. Ask yourself if customers will find it easier to buy online rather than finding a local store or another website. Is it cheaper for them to buy this from you online?
Online Goals: Once you’ve established that there is a need for your service or product you’ll be ready to determine your business goal and wether or not you can meet this goal online. If your main goal is to sell a product online you should decide how you want to make those sales. For example, do you want customers to buy from you online or do you want them to come to you to close the sale? You’ll need to decide what action is needed for the sale to be finalized. Small businesses need marketing efforts that are targeted and precise, without this you will be floating in the Online Ocean never to be rescued.
This is Part One of many chapters so to speak I will be covering about Online Marketing, each following article will cover another very important topic which will help you with your endeavor of conquering the internet .www.theonlinebiznetwork.com, www.marinisgifts.com, www.onlinenichenetwork.com
The Benefits of Marketing Online
Marketing rules are the same no matter how big or small your business is: (1)brand your product, (2) determine who your target audience is, (3) get the sales, and (4) establish repeat customers. Online marketing is very effective in managing all four of these rules.
Online Marketing Defined: The definition of online marketing is: Placing your business or product on the internet for millions of users to access so that you can turn your website into a strong tool to maximize your sales and business potential. But online marketing is much more than putting your advertising online. Marketing online includes such areas as cummunicating with your customers, promoting your business or product online, and making sure that your website content is useful and up to date. The great thing about online marketing is that you don’t need to have a huge budget to put together a marketing campaign that is effective. There are tools that you can use to make your marketing techniques easy and profitable, such as website templates, shopping cart templates and online marketing templates.
What You Need for Online Marketing to be Successful: There are some important points to consider before you get into the strategies and intricacies of online marketing. Communication – An important part of online marketing is how you respond to your customer’s e-mail. You don’t want to lose potential customers after you’ve made the effort to have them visit your site and then contact you for more information. E-mail is a very effective and cost efficient way for you to generate more sales. The key to this effectiveness is “consistency”. You need to be consistent in your response to your customers. You’ll also want to make sure that the tone of your e-mail corresponds with the tone you’ve set in your website content. Human Resources – If you’re going to succeed online you need to have enough people working for you. Efficient websites incorporate a personal touch with a fast response time to customers. Your goal is to turn the visitors to your website into customers. The standard time for a return e-mail is from 48-72 hours. If you waint any longer you risk losing that customer. This means that if you don’t have the man power to return e-mail in two to three days you need to take another look at your marketing strategy. Products people want to buy – Before you start marketing online you need to be sure that you have a product or service that people want to buy. Customers need to find a value in what you’re selling. There are two motivating factors when it comes to selling online ” cost and convenience”. Ask yourself if customers will find it easier to buy online rather than finding a local store or another website. Is it cheaper for them to buy this from you online?
Online Goals: Once you’ve established that there is a need for your service or product you’ll be ready to determine your business goal and wether or not you can meet this goal online. If your main goal is to sell a product online you should decide how you want to make those sales. For example, do you want customers to buy from you online or do you want them to come to you to close the sale? You’ll need to decide what action is needed for the sale to be finalized. Small businesses need marketing efforts that are targeted and precise, without this you will be floating in the Online Ocean never to be rescued.
This is Part One of many chapters so to speak I will be covering about Online Marketing, each following article will cover another very important topic which will help you with your endeavor of conquering the internet .www.theonlinebiznetwork.com, www.marinisgifts.com, www.onlinenichenetwork.com
Arthur Maxwell asked:
Wireless networking technology today allows a number of previously exclusive nine to five jobs to be outsourced and handled from home. In the comfort of your home, you can now take on data entry, website designing, marketing, book keeping, accountancy and customer service jobs. The internet now allows the outsourcing of customer service from home. A number of companies are outsourcing customer service work to private individuals who have good communication skills. Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are applied via developed proprietary technology and wireless technology. There are telecom carriers and dedicated Application Service Providers or ASPs that transfer voice switching and data delivery technology from one user to the other. Today, customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are offered via internet and intranet technology sources as well as key technology partners. The Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are custom designed to adhere to the end user’s technology infrastructure. This system is data facilitating for great customer service. The structure developed for Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions involve the use of information flow technique between the company, the client and the end-user.
Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions enables you to evaluate and implement new technology options to increase the profits of the company by selling its services and answering customer queries from home. Customer service work makes it possible to further enhance the management and efficiency of the company and reach out to its clientele across the globe. Your part as a remote agent community representative or an online customer service agent enables you to efficiently use your communication skills for a living. The company’s in-house training staff and the home based customer service agent establishes a set of compatible learning tools that ensures that the client is efficiently served on behalf of the company. Once your role as the company’s representative is established, there are no limits to the amount of money you can earn with each call processed and answered.
The customer’s curriculum is used for the customization of the program and the techniques used are proven effective in distant learning environments. The company continues to back you up with training, till the Customer service ‘work at home’ solution is competent enough to match with the client service and knowledge of the processes involved. The Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are designed to provide customized order and call tracking to generate data and call tracking management reports. The home business in customer service is lucrative and heavily supported by the company till the time where you become absolutely sure about the nature of the work involved. A little online research on the company and effective communication skills are sufficient to get started and make a living out of customer servicing from home. This job involves dedication just like a regular 9 to 5 and there is no fiscal goal too big to achieve. The outsourcing of customer service jobs by a number of companies is becoming increasingly popular and the choice of many an ambitious home based entrepreneur.
Wireless networking technology today allows a number of previously exclusive nine to five jobs to be outsourced and handled from home. In the comfort of your home, you can now take on data entry, website designing, marketing, book keeping, accountancy and customer service jobs. The internet now allows the outsourcing of customer service from home. A number of companies are outsourcing customer service work to private individuals who have good communication skills. Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are applied via developed proprietary technology and wireless technology. There are telecom carriers and dedicated Application Service Providers or ASPs that transfer voice switching and data delivery technology from one user to the other. Today, customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are offered via internet and intranet technology sources as well as key technology partners. The Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are custom designed to adhere to the end user’s technology infrastructure. This system is data facilitating for great customer service. The structure developed for Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions involve the use of information flow technique between the company, the client and the end-user.
Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions enables you to evaluate and implement new technology options to increase the profits of the company by selling its services and answering customer queries from home. Customer service work makes it possible to further enhance the management and efficiency of the company and reach out to its clientele across the globe. Your part as a remote agent community representative or an online customer service agent enables you to efficiently use your communication skills for a living. The company’s in-house training staff and the home based customer service agent establishes a set of compatible learning tools that ensures that the client is efficiently served on behalf of the company. Once your role as the company’s representative is established, there are no limits to the amount of money you can earn with each call processed and answered.
The customer’s curriculum is used for the customization of the program and the techniques used are proven effective in distant learning environments. The company continues to back you up with training, till the Customer service ‘work at home’ solution is competent enough to match with the client service and knowledge of the processes involved. The Customer service ‘work at home’ solutions are designed to provide customized order and call tracking to generate data and call tracking management reports. The home business in customer service is lucrative and heavily supported by the company till the time where you become absolutely sure about the nature of the work involved. A little online research on the company and effective communication skills are sufficient to get started and make a living out of customer servicing from home. This job involves dedication just like a regular 9 to 5 and there is no fiscal goal too big to achieve. The outsourcing of customer service jobs by a number of companies is becoming increasingly popular and the choice of many an ambitious home based entrepreneur.
