Some clients like to deal with independent operators or home businesses. And to those people you can reveal your true business model. However some people want to deal with bigger companies. Why? The reasons differ from trust and anxiety that you’re going to run away with their money to simply wanting to deal with a larger company who can accommodate their requirements and provide order fulfillment.
So I have written 5 tips that I have actually used to make a client of mine look bigger than they actually were. These tips are in no particular order.
1: Use a virtual receptionist service
Run a quick Google search for: ”virtual receptionist” “virtual sales agent” etc.
There are dozens of companies in the USA that offer this service. You are assigned a special telephone number with the option of having your very own 1800 number, and the staff employed, are trained in how to answer and handle your calls effectively. This is a perfect way to make your business look bigger than it actually is.
Once the call has ended you are paged or sent an SMS or email with the message to return your client’s call.
Tip: don’t use this for every single call as it can become very annoying if a customer has to keep leaving a message and getting a return call every time they need something. For your good clients give them a cell or your actual office number. Any of our clients using these services simply use the answering services for out of hours support and if they have to pop out of the office for a few hours.
2: Send out very good quality marketing emails
Despite every single person in business being connected to the internet, very few of them send out a nicely designed, professional and trustworthy email to their mailing lists members.
Quality design builds trust so make sure you design clean and professional marketing emails. You can use a mailing list manager like GetResponse which comes with an in built email designer, auto responder, and loads of other nifty stuff. Some other good services include Mailchimp and Aweber,
3: Engage in a heavy social media presence
Use Twitter, Use Facebook, use them regularly and try to post real, relevant content to your business. You might not be able to post about your business all the time because if you are a small business or a one man operation you will be limited to how much you can show of your office or staff etc.
So instead try to add things to your feed that are relevant to the industry, try to seriously think: “what will my clients find useful”. I know it’s harder than it sounds but it’s well worth investing time in finding good content to put on your social profiles.
4: Give people printed marketing items
When your brand, website or even your company name is printed onto a physical item, your credibility instantly triples with your clients and potential clients. I know myself if I pick up a pen or a stress toy or similar item with a company’s details on it, then I don’t hesitate to trust that company with my requirements.
Obviously you have to be competitive on price and offer good service to get the sale or contract but trust is a massive factor in today’s economic landscape.
Check us out for your conference needs and promotional items at – www.lanyardsusa.com
