Today’s consumers are demanding. They have the power to make or break your business over the smallest of details. You will likely only have one chance to get it right or else risk having your business fail.

Small business owners are constantly asking if they are making mistakes in their marketing or coming across as naive in the business world. Maybe it’s that or maybe it’s their products that aren’t popular. Maybe the lack of popularity can be blamed on the business owners themselves.

With the influence of social media, shoppers are able to access huge amounts of information on what is available to them, and you, as a small business owner, should be keeping track of the trends and using this to your advantage. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are running, you should still be able to access whatever “chatter” is available regarding your business. Your customers and possible customers can discuss between themselves what you, as a business owner, provide and how your behaviour aids in their decision to buy from you or go elsewhere.

There are several components to a likeable business and most revolve around your attitude.

Do you come across as sincere or is there a side to your personality that, though not obvious to you, is still a turn off to your customers? Nothing makes someone run away faster than a sleazy salesperson pitch. It makes buyers doubt your honesty and your product.

Do you actually listen to your customers? If your product or service isn’t exactly what they’re looking for, are you able to tweak it in order to make it more attractive to them? If not, do you have the confidence to suggest a competitor who you know can fill their request? This type of adaptability and helpfulness is very attractive to those who are looking for a business which they can purchase from long term.

Finally, do you keep it simple? If a product description or its specifications are too in depth or too difficult to understand and there is no one available to help the customer, they are likely to go elsewhere.

Today’s shoppers are looking for functional products and services, which are easy to understand and brought to them by a business owner who comes across as being just like them. They have appreciation for the business owner who can keep up with the increasing demands of the modern consumer because this shows that they are interested in their customers.

© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015

  As a business owner, the ability to anticipate the present and future needs and desires of your customers, is one that will ensure your business will grow over time.

Each business owner has their own strategy to help create loyalty in their customers and this strategy is built upon knowing in advance what their customers want from them. They do this by getting to know them in depth, which helps them to anticipate future needs and deliver what is expected of them.

Building strong relationships is a skill that you can utilize in all walks of your life but one which is especially important in your business dealings. Figuring out what motivates your customers to buy and the type of business they like to deal with, can be a little more difficult. Each customer is different and though they may be looking for the same type of product or service, it’s the details that will count when it comes to an actual purchase.

Customers like to be well informed and will compare the feature of your offers to others which are available. Make sure that you showcase what is special about your products and pay attention to what your competitors offer and at what price. Stress quality and act as your own specifications specialist, listing everything that makes your product stand out above the others. Potential customers tends to be those that will need the most help and the more you get to know them, the higher the chance is that they will also turn into long term customers.

The easier it is for your customer to buy, the more customers you will attract. Case in point is a website where they have to jump through hoops to purchase. Your customer will quickly give up and go elsewhere. Another important point: make contacting you a simple process. Phone numbers, email addresses, social media contact; anything that you can give them, will help customers to trust you more. Lack of contact information is always questionable.

Remember that you are a buyer too. What do you look for when purchasing? Put yourself in their place. Take a good look at what you are offering and ask yourself if you would buy from your company. If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, what is missing? Look at the companies you prefer to buy from. What do they offer that keep you going back to them? Do you use your own products or services? If you do, looking at them from a customer’s viewpoint, what would you like to see improved or changed?

A business owner who is accommodating and understanding, who listens to their customers, is one who, to other business owners, appears to read the minds of their customers. A business owner who actually comes right out and tells their customers how important they are, is one who actually does read their minds.

© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015

  Not many will argue with the statement that our economy is primarily knowledge based. Nor will they argue with the fact that technology is a huge help when it comes to marketing, networking and sales.

It adds to our ability to communicate and collaborate with fellow employees worldwide and has enhanced our introduction to foreign countries and other ways of life that up until this time, we were unfamiliar with.

However, amid all of these added benefits are a great number of losses, skills that, even in today’s way of life, are extremely important both for social and business reasons. These are our soft skills: our people skills or emotional intelligence. While experience, expertise and knowledge are always needed in any position, a lack of soft skills can be the deciding factor in whether or not you succeed.
How often do you notice the following in employees while shopping or speaking on the phone? They are constantly “overwhelmed”, lack manners, they are impatient and awkward while carrying on a conversation. Many have the inability to communicate face to face and avoid eye contact. They prefer to communicate through text or social media.

One of the most valuable skills we can have is the ability to relate to others in a positive manner. The more we confine our communications to text or the internet, the more we lose the ability to “read” other people, to have an actual one on one conversation with them and because of this, we also lose the ability to help our customers to the extent that we should be helping them.

The lack of patience and confidence, the obvious frustration and lack of self esteem that is occurring more often; the unreliable employees who can’t be depended on and their unmotivated behaviour, can quite often be traced back to the overuse of technology and the underuse of their actual human skills, those where they communicate with others face to face or through speech and exchange ideas. This used to be called a conversation.

Integrity used to be based upon reliability of one’s word, their professionalism, positive attitude and work ethic. While these haven’t disappeared, they are much more difficult to see when we let our social skills lag. The ability to adapt, the willingness to teach and mentor; these are all basic human skills that have been in existence for thousands of years. Allowing technology to do our communicating for us is a step backward, not forward.

Success in all businesses, whether small or large, will depend on your ability to listen and empathize, to be enthusiastic and confident. Try to be aware of what is happening outside of your own small business by sharing ideas and your thoughts through actual conversation. Don’t let your soft skills wither and disappear. The quality of your life will improve through using them.

© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015

image courtesy of educationalservice