Customers Can See You
If you’ve been in business for a while, you may be used to handling sales a certain way. You engage with a lead, inform him or her about your product or service, provide feature and benefits education, and then try to close the deal. Pretty standard routine for those doing business since the dark ages. Here’s the thing: times have changed. We are in the era of consumers proverbially swiping left or right on you before you even know they exist. And if you don’t know what that means, then you are definitely behind the times.
Passive viewing, Facebook stalking. LinkedIn lurking. Following. Whatever you call it, your customers are checking you out from the shadows and deciding whether or not you are worth their time without you even knowing it.
This change presents a major revolution in how we need to interact with and attract customers. The pushy salesman must transform into the consultant and educator. People don’t want to be “sold” on something. They want to get enough information on their own to make a decision about whether or not they want to do business.
To position yourself as a leader in this brave new world, you’ll need a new set of priorities about what to share and a new approach on how to share it.
1. Put information on your website that is important to potential clients, easy to read, and cleanly formatted.
No longer are you the keeper of the keys to Information Gate. Lay it out there for your consumer to quickly discover who you are, what you do, your credentials, and your cost. Start playing games by side stepping or withholding any of this vital information, and you simply become irrelevant and with a quick click, you’re gone.
2. Monitor where your website traffic is coming from and when.
Use analytics to determine what changes, if any, you need to make based on when potential customers jump off of your site. Is there a problem with a certain page, a link, or the design? Maybe you lack a call to action or your site is too overwhelming. There are so many reasons people decide to close a browser window. Study patterns or have someone who understands them, like The Alias Group, do it for you, and create a cause and effect that provides value on both sides of the screen.
3. Engage with your potential customers by showing your true personality.
The horrible cacophony of a false bravado broadcasted for the purposes of luring in customers has long-reaching consequences that you quickly lose control over. Put your company’s personality out there, not the one you think others want to see or the one that all the other companies are presenting. By showcasing your humor, expertise, character, and values, you allow ideal customers to connect with you in a unique way and create a deeper sense of loyalty. Be aware, the power of personality works just as strongly in reverse, so this is one place where you do not want to “fake it until you make it”.
Start-ups and millennial run companies often have the advantage in this area of business. They don’t have any bad habits to break or ego to be bruised with change. But if you can evolve, you can grow and thrive in this new age of business. It only takes self-awareness, technological savvy, and a healthy leap of faith to jump into this brave new world. If you’re thinking that you’re coming up short in resources or know-how, contact The Alias Group to see how we can help. Go ahead and check us out a little before calling. We don’t mind.
