Posts Tagged ‘small business advice’
How to deal with difficult customers
Most people have had the misfortune of having to deal with a difficult customer. It is not a pleasant experience at the time and can be very stressful. Dealing with difficult customers is almost a rite of passage in the work world. Everyone can remember their first difficult customer. You probably panicked and wondered at the time how to deal with such a difficult individual.
It is also likely that you wondered if that type of bad experience with a customer was going to be a frequent occurrence. However, relief probably set in when the next customer, and the one after that, came along and were very nice and appreciative of the help you provided them with. With the above in mind, we can have a brief look at the best ways to deal with difficult customers when they do rear their heads.
The first rule of customer service that everyone learns in their first job is that the customer is always right. What is the principle behind that and what can you learn about how to deal with difficult customers from this statement? Obviously the customer is not always right. Sometimes their request is unreasonable or simply impossible. Sometimes they do not understand the processes involved or other aspects of your business. However, the principle is that you never present things in a way that makes a customer feel like they are wrong. This is essential when dealing with all customers, but especially difficult ones; present them with other options when their request is unavailable or is simply undoable. Another simple thing that goes a long way in dealing with difficult customers is just trying to respond to them in a positive and cheerful way. Indeed, many employees often have difficulty with certain customers and overreact or deliver news in a negative way. Sometimes you will not be able to resolve difficult customers’ demands, but many will appreciate that you are trying your best to help them and are adopting the right attitude towards them.
Lastly, when dealing with some difficult customers, one fact will hold true sometimes. That is that some of them are just beyond help. Indeed, some customers are just determined that things will not work out for them. Therefore, no matter how pro-active you are, or how accommodating and positive you try to be, some people just refuse to be helped. All you can do is try your best and if that is not good enough then sometimes it might be best just to let them go.
Great Customer Service – Set Your Business Apart From The Competition
Many small businesses face some stiff competition in their chosen marketplaces. Due to the global economic downturn there are fewer customers to go around. Therefore, more than ever, it is important to offer your customers a great service. There are a number of simple things that you can do to ensure this happens. I will consider a few of them in more detail below.
Firstly, one simple but great customer service strategy is to give them a call out of the blue. In other words do not always wait for your customers to come to you, instead pro-actively go to them and ask them if there is anything you can do for them. It is surprising how few businesses do this, especially as it can sometimes lead to more sales being made.
Secondly, get your customers or clients to complete a ‘client satisfaction survey’. This is generally a questionnaire designed to ask customers what they think about your products and services. It can cover anything you want to know from them but the main areas usually cover the customers’ views as regards the quality and delivery times relating to your products and services. This satisfaction survey should also include a box where the customers can tell you how you could improve your service. Before you conduct these surveys make sure that you are prepared to take constructive criticism and also be prepared to make changes to you products and services which customers feel are necessary.
Thirdly, try to provide your customers with up to date information as regards your products, services and any industry developments, You can do this by way of a press release, online or offline, and by providing regular newsletters by post or e mail to them. These newsletters could include some regular tips as regards using your products or services, so as to make their life easier.
Lastly, appearances are very important. It may seem an obvious point but when your customers visit you, make sure you offer them a drink. The amount of times I have attended meetings and not be offered one is incredible. It is a very little gesture but goes a long way to making your customer feel welcome. Furthermore, for the same reasons, if they come to see you around lunchtime offer them a sandwich or some lunch. The meeting room you see them in should be tidy and a few nice pictures and flowers might also help create a welcoming atmosphere.
Small Business Advice – 4 Ways To Differentiate Your Business
There are a number of ways that you can get your business to ‘stand out from the crowd’. Indeed, the market you operate in may be very competitive and you need to attract the right sort of customer to buy from you, rather than your competitors. In this brief article I will look at a few ways in which you can differentiate your business from other firms in your industry.
Specialisation
It may be possible to offer a particular speciality in connection with the product or service you sell. For instance, a general accountant may decide to focus more of their time on Inheritance Tax and advertise that speciality. If you offer a range of products then you may consider just specialising in providing one type of product. Deciding to specialise in a particular product or service should be supported by the fact that it will be a more profitable move for the business.
Promptness of Service
It could be that you promise to deliver your product or service more quickly than your competitors. For example, you could guarantee next day delivery for an item that a customer has ordered from you. If you wish to differentiate your business on this basis then it is important that you offer a client a solid guarantee. By solid guarantee, I mean that if you do not deliver on time they will get something back due to the inconvenience that has been caused to them.
Local Business/ National Business/ International Business
As a business, you may wish to differentiate yourself on a geographical basis. For example, it could be that you provide a product to local businesses but this market is saturated. Therefore, you might consider it being worthwhile to offer the same product on a national basis; this would involve an element of re-branding your business to give it a national identity. The same principle can be applied to a business which wants to specialise in a local or international market.
Premium Product or Service
When your competitors are all cutting their costs and lowering the quality of their products or services, one option would be for you to stand firm on your prices or even raise them. If you choose this course of action, you will need to convince your customers that they will pay you more but get a better quality product or service. There are many products we come across everyday, some very famous brands, which use this premium product strategy.
As we have seen, there are a number of ways to differentiate your business from your competitors. Whichever strategies you decide to use, you will need to make sure that you undertake some thorough market research before you take action.
How to Manage Your Creditors – Accounts Payable
Accountants in Manchester – Accounts Payable
Learning how to manage your creditors in a business setting can at first seem straightforward. You get a bill, you pay it by the due date, and you’re done. Easy. However, when we start looking at vendors, it’s not always so cut and dry. Business credit terms are not the same as personal. While some creditors work the same for business and personal, others do not. For example, utilities and credit cards are primarily the same in that you are billed monthly with a set due date, late fees, and interest where applicable. Vendors, however, follow different billing practices.
Part of learning how to manage your creditors is understanding the concept of accounts payable. In a business setting, especially a large business with a separate accounting department, payments are seldom made to a vendor by a single person. Accounting professionals recommend the separation of duties to prevent fraud or stealing. This means that one employee might enter a payment into the business accounting system and make out the check, but another employee has to review the payment and sign the actual check. This added layer of protection slows down the payment process. As such, payment terms such as net 30 are often used by a vendor for all accounts to simplify invoicing.
Payment terms such as ‘within 30 days’, ‘ net 30’ or ‘ 2/10 net 30’ will be common as you learn how to manage your creditors in a business setting, especially if dealing with some international suppliers. The first two terms simply mean that payment is expected within 30 days. In the case of 2/10 net 30 (and other similar payment terms) the 2/10 portion refers to an offer of a payment discount if paid early. The term 2/10 net 30, can thus be understood as the payee can take a 2% discount off the total of the invoice if paid within 10 days. Otherwise, the full amount is due within 30 days.
Even though, as a small business, you may track, enter, and pay all expenses through yourself or another single employee, you should be familiar with the common payment terms. In particular, discounts for early payments can offer a small business considerable savings over time. However, not only will knowledge and understanding of payment terms help you to understand how to manage your creditors, but it will also help you to understand what customers expect in terms of your billing practices. When applied to accounts receivable, payment terms can have a tremendous affect on cash flow and the ability to keep creditors paid on time.
Customer Problems – How To Deal With Them
Accountants in Manchester – Improving Customer Service
Every customer encounters problems. It’s how you handle their problems, and how you help them, that separate you from other sales people. Regardless of how bad it is, or how upset your customer is, never ever avoid the issues.
Proactively attack problems, and never ever leave your customer feeling alone.
When a customer encounters a problem, all they really need is for you to be there for them, and provide a solution. They are looking for real effort and are searching for someone who can make a difference. They need someone with confidence, and someone who’ll work to find a solution. The absolute worst thing any sales person can do is assume that the final sale is the end of the process. Nothing is more insulting to a customer than when they are made to feel as though they are completely alone after their order. When you don’t go through the painful process of solving the problem with your customer, you have immediately lumped yourself with all the indifferent and less accomplished sales people.
Follow up problems or issues with a corrective action plan outlining how you’ll try and avoid future problems.
This is an essential step. Most sales people, and companies for that matter, will do their best to solve the immediate problem, but then not provide specifics on how they’ll avoid them in the future. While they may have managed to alleviate the customer’s immediate concerns, the customer may still be apprehensive about future orders. It’s up to you to close the loop, and demonstrate that you’ll always go that extra step to resolve issues. However, a corrective action plan is only meant to eliminate the probability of the problem occurring again. There is simply no way to guarantee your customer won’t encounter another problem. Problems happen every day in business for all kinds of reasons. You are simply trying to mitigate future problems. When you take the time to work on a corrective action plan, and send it to your customer, it helps to alleviate their concerns. They will definitely appreciate the effort.
Every sales person has the ability to help customers, but very few go that extra step to alleviate a customer’s concerns. Use these two approaches to distinguish yourself as the best the profession has to offer. Eventually, you’ll notice the results. In time, customers will tell you just how much they appreciate your approach and thoroughness. It will easily set you apart from the rest.