North Star At Home Based Business

I did not start my career as a top home based business professional. I started with a huge corporation. One of our major goals at that company was customer satisfaction. Everything we did, from communication, to training the sales teams, to training the customer service representatives was all in the name of customer satisfaction.

When I started my work from home company, I ran in to a little book by Jeffrey Gitomer entitled, “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless!” It was subtitled, “Customer Loyalty is Priceless!”

When your at home based business is providing a product or service to a customer, chances are she could get that same product or service somewhere else? Unless you have a distinctly unique product or service, there are other places your customer can go and get pretty much the same thing.

We know, especially in today’s economy, that when people have disposable income to spend on things they want, rather than on what they need, the differentiator is customer preference. Yes, price can have an impact – but by and large, people spend money based on personal preference. In fact, people will actually spend more to shop where they prefer.

As a home based small business entrepreneur, whether you are full time or just trying to earn extra money from home part time, what can you do to create the kind of buying experience that will help to make your customer prefer to buy from your home based small business rather than from someone else?

Here are some ideas you can use to build up your preference quotient:

1. Start with a smile.

Whether you’re answering the phone or greeting a customer in person, let that smile shine through. Remember that customer loyalty is job one, and you should do what it takes to make sure the buying experience – and any transactions after the sale – are how you would want to be treated.

2. Create policies that enhance business.

If you have a policy that makes returns difficult for example, re-think it. If a customer buys something from you and later decides they made a mistake, if you refuse to allow them to return the purchase, you’ve likely got an enemy for life.

We all know dissatisfied people will communicate to others a horrid experience as many as thirty times. If they’ve got a ton of fans on facebook, and followers on twitter – your story could go out to hundreds or even thousands of people in less than a minute.

I have at least three “brick and mortar” stores where I live I have sworn never to shop in again – just for how I was treated on a return. And I’ll tell anyone who asks the names of those horrible businesses!

Your policies should make it easy to do business with you.

3. Increase the life time value of your customers.

Think of ways to get repeat business. Perhaps a coupon, or special discount. Is there a way you can create a loyalty program that will bring customers back?

My hair dresser recently raised her rates from $40.00  to $45.00 — which I thought was too high for what I was getting. But she gave me a card and told me I would get the fifth haircut for 50% off.

By doing that, she was able to charge her walk-ins, one-time-only customers at the normal rate of $45, but then she also gave a discount to her loyal clients. Over the course of 5 hair-cuts I paid an average of $40.50. Now that was a price increase I felt comfortable with. And because I knew I would get the significant discount on the back-end, I kept coming back!

4. Regularly communicate with your customers.

If you gather information from your customer (and that is very easy to do), you should use it to thank them for coming into your store – whether they buy or not. If they buy, follow up with a thank you note. Then a few weeks later make sure they are still happy with their purchase.

If you are having a special event or promotion, send them a note and invite them in. On their birthday and anniversary, send them a card expressing gratitude for their business.

Now, my guess is you’re thinking I must be mad? When on earth are you ever going to find time to send all those notes? Well, they can all be easily automated and personalized to each customer by using our favorite customer management system, AWeber.

It takes almost no time to set up on auto-pilot, and your customers will keep your unique at home based business at the top of their mind and the amazing experience you’ve provided for them. Next time they are in the market for something you have, they’ll be back – because they prefer to do business with you thinking you’re the one and only place to do so!

This information could change your life TODAY!

Statistics say that most people miss at least one MAJOR opportunity every year. The fact is that if you took advantage of all the opportunities that you have missed, you’d be better off than you are now. 

Laying the right foundation to launch your top home based business is one of those opportunities! 

Our North Star At Home Based Business Success System will improve your life TODAY!  Click Here — RIGHT NOW  – to “ROCK” Your Work From Home Company!  We’ll show you how, step-by-step!