Business Builders

Going The Extra Mile to Business
Success

By: Kevin Sinclair
You cannot fail when you give more than 100 percent. In
whatever endeavour you are doing, always give more than
one hundred percent. You will find that whenever you do
this, your rewards will always be far greater than the extra
effort you expended. Some people refer to this success
concept as going the extra mile. What it means is that you
need to give people more than they expect.

If you are working in your business and want to see it grow,
the surest way to achieve it is by giving more. Customers are
impressed when they discover a business that is innovative
and gives them more than what they expected. Look for
better and more efficient ways to do things. For example,
make it easy to order from your site. Reduce the number of
clicks to get to relevant information about your product or the
order form.

Don't be afraid of giving information for free. This is a crucial step in the online world to building credibility and trust. A
free report or a sample (or extract) from your information product will enable your potential customer to determine
whether what you are offering is what they are looking for.

Always include some free (but valuable) bonuses with every product ordered. This also promotes the perception of
getting more than what was paid for. In some cases, I have purchased products on the net because the free bonuses
interested me more than the main product.

Ensure that your product delivery is quick and efficient. If you sell an information product, ensure that the customer
can download it as soon as they have paid for it. Provide alternative download formats and locations so that all needs
are catered for. Follow up a couple of days later to ensure they received their products without problems. If they had
problems, resolve them straight away and provide an additional bonus to compensate for their inconvenience.

If your product needs to be shipped, provide your customer with alternative shipping methods. You customer can then
choose how quickly their order is to be delivered and they can pay for the faster alternatives. Again, follow up to
ensure they received their order on time and without problems.

Go the extra mile with customer complaints. This is an excellent opportunity to turn a disgruntled buyer into a life long
supporter of your business. Acknowledge problems and resolve them quickly. Thank the customer for making you
aware of them. You can be sure that if one customer has had a problem, then others have also had the same problem
too.

For those working directly with customers, always give them more than they expect and you will generate more sales.
Sometimes just giving a big, warm smile and courteous attention to the customers' requirements are all that is
required. In the online world, prompt attention to email and courteous responses will boost your reputation and your
sales. Spend the time to determine the customers' need and then you will be in a position to satisfy it. I stress to you
be sure to concentrate on satisfying the customers need.

Have you ever been into a store and everyone is glum and does not want to serve you? Do you feel inclined to buy
from them? No. But go into a store where they seem glad to see you and willing to help you and you feel far more like
buying their products. The same applies to the online world. A well-designed web site with easy access to information
will yield greater results. Make your web site user friendly!

Don't sit around waiting for people to buy. Ensure that your marketing communications ask for the order! Encourage
responses through offering a strong guarantee. When someone makes a claim under your guarantee, honour it. This
is part of the trust building process.

Make the effort to develop additional skills in your spare time. Studying about leadership or how to motivate people will
always be of help in building your business. There is always something new to be learnt when it comes to dealing with
people and influencing them to buy.

However, never lose sight of your most important task right now - keeping your existing customers satisfied.