|
All just about eBayGrowing eBay Sales with Top-Notch Consumer
Service
by:
Phil Dunn
Painters were at our home this weekend, doing the trim outside and a few rooms inside. My adult female provided most of the direction, but I asked the head guy (and owner of the company) to pay attention to a few details for me.
The whole experience reminded me of how critically important it is to pay attention to consumer
requests once
dealing with eBay sales. On the Web (and with email) it's easy to lose contact with customers and forget to address their concerns.
Make sure you don't fall into this trap. You may not see the results directly, but your customers wish become upset and you'll eventually lose business - like my painter has. Not only did he lose business, he lost a valuable referral source.
He started to lose me once
he unsuccessful
to record my suggestions and concerns. I didn't get into interior design much, choosing between mauve and tope, but I did have several input as far as the whole project goes.
I wanted them to do sure they clean
up the "misses" on the outside, wherever
several black trim paint accidentally hit the white home paint. I necessary them to unstick several of the windows and put all the screens back, as well.
When the project started wrapping up, it was obvious that the lead was ignoring several of my requests -- that is to say the screens and window unsticking. I adored the work, but I wasn't so hot on their finishing skills.
From a consumer
service perspective, the temporal order
couldn't have been worse. Simply once
the painters wanted to consider it a job well done, I was having second thoughts just about their competence.
That sinking feeling should not have move at the end of the project. The lead should have been going out with a celebration rather than with several gripes. He should have lead me around, showed me how great everything looks, showed me the extra activity he'd thrown in, and gone down my list of requests one by one, demonstrating that he met my necessarily and respects my wishes.
If he performed these "finalizing" consumer
service/marketing steps, he'd have my 100% recommendation. I'd rave just about him to friends, pass out his business cards and even as write up a testimonial for him. I'd offer to help him out with his advertising materials, in fact. We'll for certain have more painting jobs in the future, and I'd like to stay on nice terms with him.
On eBay, the same steps need to be followed in order to build business and collect loyal customers that rave just about you. You need to send customers follow-up emails that confirm what they bought, what kind of deal you're giving them (on shipping, bonuses, etc.), and how you appreciate their business and would-be welcome any questions they may have. You need to offer them targeted cross-sell and up-sell items as they bid and shop. And, you need to quickly address their concerns as they move up. All this attention and service ensures that your customers refer you to others, leave positive feedback, and return to do more business with you.
Don't be like my painter. Pay attention to detail and your business wish grow at a healthy pace.
Simply just about the author:
Phil Dunn, author of The 7 Essential Steps to Eminent eBay Marketing (McGraw-Hill, Gregorian calendar month
2005), is a marketing writer and strategic consultant. He helps folk persuade, influence decision making, and close business with the written and spoken word. His business, Colligation Services Co. (http://www.qualitywriter.com), produces direct mail, brochures, scripts, newsletters, white papers and related collateral for Fortune 500 companies like Pitney Bowes, Hewlett Packard, IKON and Microsoft.
Circulated by Article Emporium
| |
