Today I am going to be sharing 7 very simple things, assumptions, missed opportunities that cost you money in the bank. 

1. Remember that I don’t know what you know

Too often businesses assume that the client has a thorough knowledge or your business or the service you offer and that is rarely true.  So you cannot make assumptions because it will have a negative impact on their experience with you, likely cost you the sale and a potential referral.

So don’t assume your clients know what you know. You live and breathe what you do, they do not so explain, lay out the process in full, give them a full picture so they feel comfortable with the entire process and experience with you.

2. Don’t use Industry jargon or terminology

Using industry terminology and jargon is not a good idea because often your target market does not understand it. I see this constantly with lawyers, accountants, and anything tech or IT related, in particular.

These types of terms will lose your audience because they are made to feel stupid (not a nice feeling to have) and less than but they also won’t relate to it therefore will scroll past it on a feed or website.

3. Stop using Generic / vague positioning statements on your home page

Your positioning and messaging need to be specific and clearly tell who & how you do business with. There are way too many websites with taglines and words that don’t mean anything.

Proactive, solution focused, customer centric, strategic, leading, independent…

They are generic. They can be picked up and put on any website and not lose their meaning. Your positioning statement needs to grab people immediately.

4. Not responding in a timely manner

Not responding to sales enquiries quickly means you leave money on the table.

We live in a fast-paced world. We have been trained by technology that we can get answers quickly, often within seconds. So, you also need to be responsive.

When someone is emailing, DM’g or calling you to ask a question about your product or service, they are looking to buy. And they are looking to buy now.

They don’t want to wait days or weeks to hear back from you. They want answers ASAP.

When people are in research mode they are much more likely to do business with a company that responds quickly, answers their questions, and helps them understand the steps and the process.

5. Put your out-of-office message ON.

You might think why is that important? Because it manages expectations from prospects and clients. If I send you an email as an existing or potential client, and get no response because you are away for 3 weeks holiday, how am I going to feel about that?

As a potential prospect, I am going to think you have poor service and would not want to buy from you. As an existing client, I am going to think you are rude and would question If I want to continue doing business with you. Either way it is not OK.

However, if get an Out-of-Office message telling me you are away for the day or a week then I don’t expect a response in the timeline and my experience with your brand is very different.

These perceptions and experiences impact your sales.

6. Not reading the sales enquiry and sending form / generic responses

If someone sends you an enquiry and you don’t answer the question, it not only causes frustration, it triggers a whole series of emails or back and forth which is just a waste of time.

This applies to ANY size business, not just the Amazon, Optus and LinkedIn, of the world. In fact, it is even more important for small business to do this one thing.

The way you interact with people IS marketing. Marketing is not just about posting on social media or having email funnels. It is about interacting with people and most things you do in your business are touch points that impact how someone feels about you and your business.

7. Use the client’s channel of choice

How does your client want to communicate with you?

There is nothing more frustrating than when you email someone and they ask you to call them OR you DM them to get an email and they insist on communicating via DM. Regardless of how you want to communicate, ask what is easiest or best for your clients.

Asking me to use a specific channel to get help or jump through hoops for you is not the way to get a sale. If you are making me uncomfortable or it feels too hard to buy from you there are plenty of choices for me to go somewhere else. Don’t create barriers that don’t need to be there.

Conclusion:

These are not glamourous, bright and shiny, fancy or expensive tactics. They are practical and simple and are costing you money. Too many businesses want the glitzing and glam marketing tactics and neglect these simple things. And the simple things are what really matter.

Also consider that these are NOT just the one lost sale but potential referrals that you miss out on to. Those people that your lost client knows who you also lose out on. Think about the lifetime value of a client and then multiple that by the several others they could refer and that is a LOT of lost $$$$ in your bank.