Can you remember going to the hardware store and all the employees as well as most of the customers knew your name and you their's? It seems as if those days are gone forever. That doesn't however, mean that we give up on the idea of personalized service.
Generally, when you talk about making your operation more "personal," you mean obtaining demographic information on your customers to allow improved customer service. This, however, is really a short sighted way to think of the concept, "personalized service." You need to remember that the relationship between customer and seller is a two way street. Not only do you need to understand that your customers are individuals, they need to understand that they are dealing with a real person and not just a nameless entity.
Yes, easier said than done, as are most things you read about marketing on the Internet. However, if you make the effort you can put fourth a real and genuine personality that will make your customers feel as if they actually know you.
First and foremost, get a photograph of yourself and make it available on your site and for use by others to help promote your site. Don't wait until you need a photo, do it now, and upload it to your main page or your "About Us" page.
Oh, OK, if your really that "BUTT UGLY" use your cousins photo, we don't want to frighten any children.
What? You don't have an "About Us" page. Well that then should be step # 2. Design an "About Us" page for your site and let your customers, visitors, and the search engine spiders know who you really are. This page can be called anything you want, Contact page, info page, etc etc. Just so that it contains the information that will produce the results your looking for!
This page should contain your photo, a short (or long) biography, as well as complete contact information. Nothing builds walls between you and a potential customer/client like inadequate contact information.
I feel that these types of contact methods are essential to the operation of a valid business, on and/or off the Internet. E-Mail Address: Actual Physical Street Address: Phone Number: Fax Number:
If you don't reply to any of these contact methods in a timely manner you're wasting your time on the net, you'll never build the type of relationship that will result in a successful business.
This is also the place for testimonial's or a prominent link to your "Testimonial's Page."
Are you passionate about something related to your product or the industry you're in? Good! Put your feelings in writing and show your visitor you do have feelings. A cold, sterile site can get very boring very fast. Use your imagination and don't bore your visitors off your site.
That does not mean you blast them with music or 50 flashing, spinning, and bouncing graphics.
The ones that will succeed in the long run are those that aren't just out for a quick sale, they are the ones who are attempting to build a business and develop lasting relationships with ALL of their site visitors. That is both their customers/clients and those that aren't customers/clients YET!
As I have said in hundreds of training sessions you MUST sell yourself before you ever begin selling your other products.
"Your Success Is Our Success"
jbp
[ jim Peters is Manager of NSI "SOLUTIONS". NSI specializes in custom website design, promotion, maintenance, domain registration , site hosting , site and graphic design, as well as e-commerce packages for small to medium sized companies. In other words "SOLUTIONS". Copyright © 2003 by NetServe International, Inc.]
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