Becoming A Trusted Adviser To Your Clients

Are you, as an online entrepreneur, someone your clients can trust? Are you receiving repeat business because you offer the lowest price, or because you have established a relationship that includes honest and open interactions and value for the money you charge?

To survive against the competition, you have to provide more than just less expensive products or services.

Why You Need To Develop Trust

Many of the world’s most profitable retailers are big-box operations that focus solely on providing goods at the lowest price. Think of the largest big box store near where you live. In the US this would be Wal-Mart. Their advertising and marketing campaigns are based on being the cheapest retailer for a multitude of items.

But when you think of Wal-Mart, do you think of it as a business you can trust? If you are promoting B2B (Business to Business) sales, would you want to be perceived as the Wal-Mart of your industry? Or would you rather have a reputation for being the company that can provide a quality product and excellent, personalised customer service?

Let’s face it. Your small business is not going to be able to (at least initially) compete with Wal-Mart or another big-box retailer. Your niche in the arena of internet marketing has to focus on the service you can provide. And good service is based on forming a trusting relationship between you and your clients.

How To Be A Trusted Adviser

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment. When you think of the best place to buy a particular product, what is your main concern? Chances are it is a trustworthy source that can provide reliable and dependable goods and / or services. Most people are willing to pay a bit more if they receive great customer support from a trusted vendor.

Get to know your customers on a personal level. Understand their needs. If you sell office supplies and have a client who is struggling to stay in business and can’t pay the bills, would you feel comfortable suggesting that he upgrade his pens to the very expensive Mount Blancs in your inventory? Instead, offer him a discount on the pens he currently uses.

Perhaps you’ve recently read a news article that relates to your customer’s industry. Share the information with him and show him how to use it to his advantage.

The idea is to show that you genuinely care about his concerns and are willing to take a smaller profit if it means his company will survive the depressed economy.

Here’s a few additional tips to become a trusted adviser:

• Make sure that your policies don’t cause your clients undue stress. Don’t make the process of returning items difficult or frustrating.

• Guarantee satisfaction for every product or service you sell.

• Follow up on every sale with interaction.

• Take criticism gracefully, and listen closely to problems or concerns, then take appropriate to rectify your shortcomings.

Little things like this can mean a lot to your customers. Becoming a trusted adviser will result in gains far greater than you could imagine if you were merely a ruthless business owner with an eye only on your own bottom line.