How To WIN CUSTOMER TRUST - Gain the COMPLETE and UNCONDITIONAL Trust of Your Existing and Potent...
Collaborative map created by Robin Good's POP newsletter subscribers over the course of 48 hours - April 2009 - to showcase key ingredients, strategies and tactics to win your customer trust
How To WIN CUSTOMER TRUST - Gain the COMPLETE and UNCONDITIONAL Trust of Your Existing and Potential Customers - Robin Good open collaborative map
by Robin Good
1. Give away something so valuable that speaks miles for your products
2. Listen closely to real, hidden goals
2.1. Don't force your solutions on him/her - listen in between his phrases to what he is really looking for to obtain and find a way to get him there
2.2. Restate what the person is telling you to be certain you understand their perspective.
2.3. Listen for emotional messages, not just logic
2.4. No stereotypes
3. Help by suggesting alternative solutions
3.1. Brainstorm together
3.2. Throw the i Ching
3.3. Believe in serendipity
4. Always Give opportunities to try your product / service
5. Reach out to suggest new ideas and solutions to your customers spontaneously
6. Show HOW you do what you do
6.1. Customers and prospective ones LOVE to see how you actually create / edit / produce the product you offer
6.2. It allows them to see how much passion, skill and expertise you put into it
7. Know your competition like your pockets
8. Allow Sharing of customer stories and Experiences
8.1. potential customer has a market view coming from others' experiences
8.2. mystery shop potential customers
9. Have a place where you publish regularly your sources, your insights (twitter, blog, facebook page, etc...) Freely share new Communication Tools vs hogging info to make yourself look better.
9.1. This will communicate your attitude towards knowledge sharing and collaboration to everybody else, and your potential customer will see it as a proof of your engagement in the area. Even more-so, of your willingness to HELP THEM SUCCEED! Be a Servant Leader, asking How Can I Help U vs. Me Succeed?
9.1.1. Tumblr
9.1.2. Facebook group/pages
9.1.3. Wordpress/blogger/etc...
9.1.4. Twitter/identi.ca
9.1.5. ClaimID
10. Never advise one thing and then do the opposite!
10.1. Honesty is always the best policy
10.2. What you say should be still in harmony with what you do and what you are !!! Paolo Bottazzi
11. Do all you can to provide guests to your site the peace of mind of conducting business or gathering information in a safe Internet environment.
11.1. Be graceful as well as efficient
11.2. Art is always a comfort
11.3. Appeal to all the senses
12. Do not delay invoices thinking you are kind to the client
13. Robin's experience about consulting is interesting in "timing". Before you start a personal relationship, then you give privately some good ideas. So, at the beginning, we must send free info worldwide, but a relationship is born by private "channels". Speaking, in other words. I have the same experience of Robin, even in Italy. Spataro
14. Lead by example. Apply your advice to your own blog, business and network. Be coherent with what you preach. e.g. Luigi inspires & leads others by sharing great online communication tools!
15. Cheer your customer up as you do with your dog
15.1. That is, cheer your potential customer up and make a party each time you meet, just like people do with their lovely dog when they get back home - it works!
15.2. Don't agree with the example, dogs greet you in any case, customers don't.
15.2.1. But should be a good way to make customer greetings you Paolo Bottazzi
16. Don't try to sell, focus on listening and helping out
16.1. Accept a NO as a NO
16.1.1. NO is still better then "let me think about" sometimes, you should incite the NO! No could be a good point to start and growht!Paolo Bottazzi
17. Give out as a gift something of great value
17.1. Examples: a guide, a tutorial, a digest, a special tool, something few know e.g. Great Multilingual Communication Tools like www.CALL4ALL.us and www.WordChamp.com for glossing 140 languages to build International Business Exchange, based on Tools to Enable Better Cross-Cultural Communication!
18. Ask lots of good questions before suggesting anything
19. Make Your Customer Feel Special
19.1. Take time out for an informal skype text chat with the occasional link for goodies
19.2. Break bread together
19.3. Share a bottle of wine
20. Let criticism flow in - welcome it - leverage it to make improvements
21. Share not only your flow of data (search results, Digg, bookmarks, links...) = information - but also your network of contacts and valuable/trusted sources = people.
21.1. Contact me.
21.2. Philippe Borremans, http://www.conversationblog.com
22. Give knowledge for free, but not always and not to everybody
23. Give exchange in abundance - always deliver more than expected. This can be done in many ways - support, valuable info, better results, insights. It's the 'go the extra mile' philosophy.
24. Know when to walk away. if you don't have what the customer needs but your competitor does, tell him
25. Know what should be free and what should not be free
25.1. Be willing to give away what you can't charge for, but don't give away what has value to you and should be paid for. Having said that, some fraction of your work can and maybe should be done pro-bono for those who can't pay. It's up to you. Be strategic for your own living, be generous for your soul and for your reputation.
25.1.1. The revenue sharing model seems one of best solutions to cut customer resistance and start a good relationship. Paolo/ deart