Song Star Productions

Business Card Benefits

admin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:11:34 +0000

I probably don’t need to tell you that business cards are an incredibly powerful way of getting your name in people’s minds.

There are several benefits to having your own business card the first being that it gives you a way to leave your impression on potential customers.

Are business cards for everyone? The simple answer: Yes. The more complicated answer: No.

Any business, at any level of complexity, benefits from business cards. But high-volume businesses typically rely on business cards at higher levels of the business–finding new suppliers, prospective employees, and other business contacts–than on the basic promotional level.

For a small business (with a much flatter organizational model, usually), business cards take on a much more vital role. This holds doubly true for skilled trades or any business that works on a client model, rather than a customer model. Customer-based businesses (from supermarkets to software concerns) benefit the most from having a large body of customers to place orders or come into the store, and business cards, for all their advantages, don’t do this as effectively as other forms of advertising. But for skilled trades and other client businesses–for example, graphic designers, efficiency consultants, and even in-home housecleaning services–rely less on a large body of customers than on a few local, trusted clients who’ll patronize the business, form relationships with the business, and provide references to friends and business contacts to allow the business to grow. Basically, if your business provides a service that a larger business needs, or that can be performed effectively for only a few local clients, business cards are essential for business success.

The other business model that benefits the most from business cards is Internet-based business.

Remember, when people leave your website, the majority of the time they forget you, your site and anything to do with you forever.

Having a business card keeps you, your business and your products & services in the mind of your prospects and if they ever have an associate ask about a service like yours, chances are they will recommend you.

Make sure you have cards handy at all times so you can share them with people who would like to have them.

Sales Rep’s Guide to Conquering the Voice Mailbox

admin — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:52:03 +0000

One of the reasons why nobody wants to listen to the messages in the voice mailbox anymore is because most of those messages are most likely left by sales representatives. And while it is surely quite annoying to a good number of people to have to be pitched something they don’t really need, the true crux of this problem is this: voicemail messages left by sales representatives suck. To be clear, they don’t suck because they’re trying to sell you something (though there are cases like that); they suck because they DON’T EVEN TRY.

If you’re a sales rep, don’t take offense – it’s likely that you weren’t given the right script or the right training to do your pitch over voicemail. It’s especially not your fault if you’re not given any leeway to deviate from a script you were given.

But if you’re lucky enough to not have to stick to a script or a style, you can follow these guidelines:

Try not to say “um” or stammer

Sometimes, your nerves get the better of you and you find yourself stammering and saying “um” while trying to collect your thoughts. Not only is this unprofessional, this also takes up precious recording time that you can be using to sell your company’s product or service. Make sure that you practice what you have to say in order to be confident enough to deliver it properly.

Do your research

In most cases, having a canned message will only hurt your efforts to sell a product on a person-to-person basis. While cold calling is still a popular method among the sales force, it’s always wise to try and find out what you can about the person to whom you are selling the product. A quick check of their social media profile pages (not extensively – you don’t want to be a stalker) should give you a general idea of the tone and approach that will appeal to them.

Never rush through your contact details

THIS is the most important thing in your voicemail message – it doesn’t matter how well you’re able to sell the product or service. If the customers can’t call you for inquiries because they’re having trouble catching the contact details you rattled off, then your endorsement would have been for naught.

Online Business – Adding That Personal Touch to Customer Service

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:46:39 +0000

With so many online businesses vying for customers in today’s fragile economy, an important, yet overlooked area of improvement is in their customer service. So many businesses, whether they are large corporations or small online business, neglect to add a personal touch to their customer service. A little extra effort and personal interaction can increase the rate at which a customer will return to that business to make another purchase, or better yet, recommend it to a friend. This can be especially helpful for the little guy trying to make an impression in the online business world.

We are all consumers. Most of us have now used the internet to purchase some kind of good or service. Can you remember the last time you received a personal thank you for your purchase? Or was it just an auto response, blanket email, generic letter or recorded phone call? I can remember one time that I got a personal response, ONE, and I am an avid online shopper. I became a repeat customer there, for that sole reason.

This got me thinking and I have now implemented in my own business ways to personally thank my customers. It just takes the willingness to have personal contact and maybe a little extra effort. I am not saying you should use these methods as a means to bully your customers into more purchases. A personal email, letter or phone call is just a nice gesture to say thank you for their purchase of your product or service, wish them well, and give them your contact information, so that if they have questions or comments they can easily voice them. Make sure you have your email, phone number and website for easy reference. State your return policy and be willing to help and answer the questions when they come.

To make the personal touches authentic, you have to put a little effort into them. I know in this world of instant gratification people want to take the easiest route possible to get the end result. In business this is usually getting lots of customers and getting them now, but will those customers stay loyal? If you take the extra time and effort they just might chose you over your competitor. In the long run, this will produce a better result with repeat buyers and their personal referrals.

Just think of it like a small town hardware store. There are no big companies here, just Joe’s Hardware down the street, and he knows everyone in town. You can go there knowing he is willing to take the time to explain to you how to use that new drill you are going to buy and you know that if you have problems you can go back and he will still be there to explain it again. This is the personal service you strive for.

Personal touches in customer service make your customers feel comfortable and are a way to establish a working, trusting relationship with them. It makes them feel important and valued. It is a way to get back what has been lost in business today.