With the influx of information available on the internet, businesses and consumers are spending more time researching the products and services of different companies before they buy. The buyer wants to know they are getting the best prices, the best products and the best services they can and with the internet, they have a choice of many different companies. Because of this abundance of information, the buyer is in truly in control of the buying process.
So when the buyer is in control, how do you make sure they choose you?
The best two sales and marketing techniques I have found to make sure a buyer chooses your company for their end product and service needs are…
- Reliably publish valuable and informational content about the product and/or service you are trying to sell and
- Utilize your customer reviews and testimonials.
Why do content and reviews matter? To make it simple: People want to do business with people and companies that they like and trust.
With the internet taking out the person-to-person aspect of a sale, you must find other ways to build that trust and likability factor.
Reliably publishing valuable and fun content helps build credibility and thought-leadership for your company among your potential and current customers. However, when a potential buyer is not going to read your content — either out of laziness or because they are unaware of it — the least they are going to do is read your reviews. Not every business highlights their reviews and testimonials though, which is not ideal for a buyer looking to potentially do business with your company.
- Word-of-mouth is still a huge thing, even with the internet. Consumers are more likely to believe another buyer of your products and services about your business than they are to trust the marketing person who publishes your content. This makes reviews and testimonials extremely powerful when it comes to building trust with a potential buyer.
- Bad reviews aren’t so bad! Businesses are constantly afraid of a bad review and rightfully so, but they won’t ruin your business. No company, product, or service is perfect. Although all perfect reviews on your website may seem… well… perfect… nobody is going to believe it. So what do you do when you get a bad review? Address it and fix the problem! When a potential consumer sees that you were responsive to a problem and took the steps you needed to make another consumer happy, they are going to trust that your loyalty and interest remains with a buyer, even after the sale has happened. This ups your company’s likability factor as well.
Here are three ways you can effectively utilize your good (and bad!) reviews to boost your business:
- Respond to reviews… both good a bad – A “thanks” or even an “I’m sorry that happened but here’s how we are going to fix it” can go a long way. Responses to reviews shows that you care about your customers as well as adds a personal touch to your brand.
- Feature positive reviews – Grabbing quotes from positive reviews and posting them to your website, social media, or in email blasts helps to reinforce social proof when people go to visit your website.
- Value each piece of customer feedback – Both positive and negative reviews can offer your company great insight to your products and services. From positive reviews, find the things your company is doing well and keep doing them! These are the things your business should be promoting and talking about when trying to sell your products/services to potential buyers. From negative reviews, find the things that your company is not doing so well and fix them! The best part of feedback from all reviews is that customers will provide you with insight you may have not had or completely overlooked.
There are many things that can be done to further make sure a buyer chooses your products or services but these two sales and marketing initiatives are a start. Give the buyer reasons to trust you, like you and ultimately choose YOU.
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Brittney Borowicz is an integrated marketing professional with a strong communications background specializing in journalism, public relations and social media. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Brittney has spent the past few years working with entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Chicagoland area to enhance their marketing and social media efforts.
Prior to her current role as the Marketing Manager for an embedded networking company, Brittney realized her affinity for all things media and marketing while working in radio and television and as a professional presenter. Later, she began working at a couple of small marketing agencies in Chicago as a Public Relations and Sales Director and Account Manager, which required her to be well-versed in coordinating specialized public and media relations strategies, creative marketing initiatives and cohesive sales process implementations.
As a strong believer in intimate consumer/brand involvement, Brittney helps her clients create content that engages and educates brand audiences while establishing each individual or company as a thought leader in their industry.
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Brittney Borowicz is an integrated marketing professional with a strong communications background specializing in journalism, public relations and social media. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Brittney has spent the past few years working with entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Chicagoland area to enhance their marketing and social media efforts.
Prior to her current role as the Marketing Manager for an embedded networking company, Brittney realized her affinity for all things media and marketing while working in radio and television and as a professional presenter. Later, she began working at a couple of small marketing agencies in Chicago as a Public Relations and Sales Director and Account Manager, which required her to be well-versed in coordinating specialized public and media relations strategies, creative marketing initiatives and cohesive sales process implementations.
As a strong believer in intimate consumer/brand involvement, Brittney helps her clients create content that engages and educates brand audiences while establishing each individual or company as a thought leader in their industry.
