|
Training for Book Authors
|
|
|
Other Resources for Book Authors & Publishers
|
|
|
Please Support Our Advertisers
|
|
|
|
|
|
Develop Superior Online Customer Service
Copyright (c) 2006-2023 PearlsOnly
Written by: Norma Jones
Today, many startup companies utilize only one method of selling directly to their customers - and it is no longer a "Brick and Mortar" storefront. Instead it is via the Internet. In this fast paced global environment competition for every customer's dollar has become fierce. This requires companies to evolve and meet changing client needs while maintaining high quality products and customer service.
To achieve success, companies are looking to new technologies and techniques in key fundamentals. One of these fundamental areas is a solid foundation in the art of sales and customer care.
Tip #1 People First And Foremost
Individual customers as well as customer care providers can be easily overlooked in the big scheme of an online company. Lack of appreciation for the value of superior customer service may lead to a ceiling on your companies potential or possibly, even demise. The vast majority of customers visit internet stores without interacting with any member of the sales or customer care teams. This can be a successful model for a few very select products and services. However, for the majority, people must be first and foremost.
Customer Service not Customer Salvation
Many companies have lowered customer service standards by outsourcing this very important function to the lowest bidder or passed-off this essential task to under-trained employees. Frequently, customers expect the person answering the phone to not have the ability, training or authority to truly assist. This can result in lower consumer confidence and reduced sales. In addition, your customer service team may be reduced to a customer salvation team where a large amount of their time is spent correcting errors and re-aligning mismatched expectations. While after sales support is indeed an important component, activities with potential customers and assistance with current sales is also extremely important.
To ensure your customer care people spend their time adding value and sales, train them to become experts. Make sure your team has the training and knowledge needed to be a partner in the sale, rather than just being an order taker. Customer satisfaction as well as your employees' satisfaction will increase - both important keys to success.
There's No School Like The Old School
Do you know your customer? Do you recognize any names from yesterday's order list? Why did your customer come to you? What does your customer need?
Your customers should not be treated like a number and dollar figure. Each customer has made an individual decision to entrust you with their money and time. Take the time to determine your customer's needs and wants. Take a page from the old school and turn one sale into a relationship.
Your Leadership And Character
Another important component is you, the business owner. Your character will be the map which guides the ship that is your company. You are captain, your officers and crew will follow your lead.
If you have time for character assassination or mud slinging against competition, then you are doing your customers, your employees and your company a grave disservice. For example, you may want to spend a bit more time concentrating on improving your business and more importantly providing your customers with better service. A merchant's metaphorical "ship" that focuses on delivery of goods will out perform others that fight unnecessary and costly battles. Your customers are smart and will choose to spend their hard earned dollars wisely.
Tip #2 Know Your Product
Next, let's take a look at what you are selling.
What Are You Selling?
Do you use your product? For example, would you buy a car from someone who doesn't drive? Yes, they may know all the technical specifics such as horsepower, torque, gas mileage and turn radius. But have does this person know if the car will truly meet your needs - on paper, maybe, but in real-life where your hard earned money is being spent, maybe not.
Can they tell you how the car feels when driving in conditions you experience most? How will the car perform now and in the future? What can you expect in one, two, five and more years?
Very simply, you, and your buying and customer service teams must know your product - not just trained as to what is on paper but actually use the products too.
Real And Honest Marketing Messages
Be honest about your product. Giving a product a misleading name can damage your reputation, your sales and can be potentially illegal. Online customers are smart and have access to unprecedented amounts of good information. Smart, savvy customers will support you and allow your product to stand on its own merits.
Tip #3 Location, Location, Location
Next, as more businesses no longer choose traditional "Brick and Mortar" storefronts, companies need to also consider the best places for offices and resources
Your Customers
Part of making people your first priority is to understand your customers. Look to place your offices where your customers are located to help understand their specific needs and wants. For example, the tastes and needs of customers in New York can differ from those in California. Seek to hire and place resources to best understand individual markets as well as customers.
Your Product
Next, seek to understand the culture of your product. For some this means visiting that region of the world regularly. For others, this means placing actual and permanent resources on site. Visiting the region often, even with language capabilities, can earn you some knowledge, but this may be that of a frequent tourist rather than that of a local. Instead, seek to place offices and resources on a permanent basis on site. This will allow you to meet the needs of your customer better than a retailer selling a warehouse of stored goods. It will also allow you to anticipate and meet the changes in the marketplace as they arise. Understanding your products' origins as well as the people and culture will ultimately help you and your entire company better serve your customers.
The development of superior customer service requires commitment and planning. Companies must respect the value provided by a effective and efficient customer care team. Understanding your customer, their needs and your product are paramount. Be aware of the leadership within your company and have the necessary resources location in the appropriate location. Careful execution of these plans will result in the opportunity to differentiate your Internet store from the rest.
|
Norma Jones is a GIA certified Pearls expert and the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at www.PearlsOnly.com. PearlsOnly is an internet based eCommerce business that provides high quality pearl jewelry direct to consumers. Our goal is complete customer satisfaction with the best selection of the finest pearls anywhere. We leverage our multinational presences to offer our clients high quality pearls, with above-and-beyond customer service at incredible prices. Visit us online at http://www.PearlsOnly.com or call us at 1(888)834-4148.
|
VOTE ON THIS ARTICLE
Needs Work >>
0 -
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5
<< Excellent Article
Tell our authors what you think about their article.
|
Top-Level Category: Business Online Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Norma Jones
How To Choose Your Perfect Tahitian Cultured Pearl Necklace
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-08-11 |
Word Count: 1277 |
Page Views: 4511
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.64
Tahitian pearls tend to be much larger than traditional white
pearls. Their distinctive color and metallic sheen also sets them
apart. We'll start with a brief history then on to pearl
specifics and value factors. Lastly, we'll look at where to shop
for Tahitian cultured pearls.
Pearl Necklace Clasps
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-08-04 |
Word Count: 1546 |
Page Views: 28868
| Votes: 58 |
Rating: 2.69
The clasp on a strand of pearls is both the frosting and sugar
sprinkles on a cake. In addition to keeping the necklace
fastened, the clasp should also complement you and your pearls.
As your necklace and bracelet are regularly restrung, you can
also update the clasps to meet your changing needs.
Pearl Care
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-07-31 |
Word Count: 781 |
Page Views: 3945
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.06
Pearls are often a girl's first significant pieces of jewelry.
Or they can be given as a gift for an important life milestone
such as coming of age, graduations and marriage. Often,
Grandma's good pearls are passed on from one generation to the
next. As a result, I wanted to share a few pearl care tips with
you to keep your pearls beautiful now as well as in the years and
decades to come.
Pearl - 411
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-07-11 |
Word Count: 1223 |
Page Views: 4243
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.06
You walk into a jewelry store and head over to the pearl
showcase. More often than not, there is only one display case
and at first glance, most of the pearls look the same. After a
few minutes with the sales person, you see that there the pieces
vary greatly in price. Why does one cost almost twice as much as
the other? How do you find the best pearls for exactly what you
need? Here are a few tips to help choose pearls:
Real and Imitation Pearls
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-06-22 |
Word Count: 773 |
Page Views: 14630
| Votes: 37 |
Rating: 2.76
We are often asked how to tell if pearls are real or imitation.
To start, we'll need to look at pearl growth and different types
of imitation pearls. Then, we'll look at different pearl tests.
Choosing your Freshwater Pearls
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-06-21 |
Word Count: 859 |
Page Views: 5195
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.36
Today, Freshwater cultured pearls are the closest to natural
pearls in growth. Their lower cost and increasingly higher and
higher quality makes them a very popular choice as the first or
twenty-first set of pearls. Following are information tidbits
about Freshwater cultured pearls as well as what to look for when
making a purchase decision.
A Man's Guide To Choosing The Perfect Pearl Gift! Three Easy Tips
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-05-16 |
Word Count: 1191 |
Page Views: 3946
| Votes: 17 |
Rating: 2.29
One of the most frequent inquiries I receive is from men looking
for the perfect pearl gift for the women in their lives. Whether
it is a gift for a daughter, a wife, a girlfriend, a fiancée, a
bride, Mom or Grandma - here are three easy tips to help you
find her the perfect pearls.
How To Choose Your Perfect South Sea Cultured Pearl Necklace
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-05-04 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 2732
| Votes: 2 |
Rating: 0.50
A strand of beautiful South Sea cultured pearls is indeed an
investment. South Sea cultured pearls are the largest and
rarest pearls in fine jewelry market today. We'll start with
a brief history then on to pearl specifics and value factors.
Lastly, we'll look at where to shop for South Sea pearls.
Wedding Pearl Wearing Guide
Written by: Norma Jones |
Distributed: 2006-04-18 |
Word Count: 0 |
Page Views: 2173
| Votes: 2 |
Rating: 0.50
Choosing pearls for a wedding party is a loving task. Jewelry
that extra bit of frosting for each member of the wedding party
– an elegant finishing touch.
All of Author's Articles on this site: Norma Jones Articles
Most Recent "Business Online" Articles
Four Tips For Creating An Effective Authors' Resource Box
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-27 |
Word Count: 1669 |
Page Views: 8138
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.50
In article marketing, there are many factors that will
affect your articles' ability to promote your website in
the most effective manner. In this article, we will briefly
discuss a couple those factors, before we dive into how to
create an effective Authors' Resource Box, also known as
the About The Author Information.
Website Traffic Generation: Winning the Love of the Traffic Fairy
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-24 |
Word Count: 1149 |
Page Views: 9018
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 1.86
Some people still believe that all they have to do is build
a website and customers will magically appear on their
site... Once they have built their websites, they wait
anxiously for the "Traffic Fairy" to come and sprinkle its
magic dust on their website too, so that they can make lots
of money like other success website owners.
What Kind Of Backlinks Are Best At Helping Your Website In Google?
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-21 |
Word Count: 439 |
Page Views: 10077
| Votes: 23 |
Rating: 2.74
I was in the Warrior Forum, and someone asked what kinds of
Backlinks are worth pursuing. This is my answer to that
query.
Understanding the Mechanics of Effective Article Marketing and Article Syndication
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-08-01 |
Word Count: 1399 |
Page Views: 6656
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.80
Visit several marketing blogs or marketing forums, and you
will find dozens of people proclaiming the death of article
marketing as an effective marketing tool. Before we start
agreeing with them, consider this...
Top 10 Reasons Why Online Marketers Fail With Article Marketing
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-31 |
Word Count: 1025 |
Page Views: 7925
| Votes: 13 |
Rating: 2.08
If you've been marketing products online for any length of
time, you've likely heard people talk about the power and
promise of article marketing for the promotion of your
online business. Unfortunately, many online marketers have
tried to utilize article marketing to benefit their online
business and failed. In this article, I document the top ten
reasons why people fail to find success with article
marketing... And how to fix your article marketing
campaigns...
Article Marketing Tip: Stop Trying To Sell From Within Your Articles
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-30 |
Word Count: 1229 |
Page Views: 6104
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.40
The basic premise of article marketing is to present people
information that will be important to them, then at the end
of the article, present information "about the author" and
offer to the reader a means to see how the author can help
the reader further. When done well, article marketing
continues to be one of the most effective methods of
promotion that one could employ online.
The Six Degrees of Internet Marketing
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-30 |
Word Count: 991 |
Page Views: 8529
| Votes: 14 |
Rating: 2.43
The theory behind the Six Degrees of Separation is that all
people on earth can be connected together in as little as
six steps. Now, I know what you might be thinking at this
juncture... That sounds fun and interesting, but what does
that have to do with Internet Marketing? That is a great
question that I am going to answer for you in this
article...
How To Win More Eyeballs for Your Offers and Websites
Written by: Bruce Lansing |
Distributed: 2013-07-29 |
Word Count: 1373 |
Page Views: 6017
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.45
Most people using search engines on the Internet are looking
for answers to questions and solutions to problems. If you
can give people what the answers they want, you will be able
to position your business as one worth hiring today or
tomorrow.
How To Increase Your Rates and Earnings As a Freelance Writer
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-29 |
Word Count: 1191 |
Page Views: 6039
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.55
Freelance writers fill a very important role in today's
business marketplace. They create the on-demand, customized
content that business owners everywhere need to push their
businesses forward. In this article, the author explains
what freelance writers should do to ensure that employers
will pay them well for their services.
Promoting Your Business With Content:: Defining Your Writing Strategy
Written by: Bruce Lansing |
Distributed: 2013-07-25 |
Word Count: 677 |
Page Views: 5743
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.00
Many people suggest that you should write articles on the
basis of the benefits that people will get from reading your
articles. I'd like to suggest that there is a better
reason, and that is to write your articles on the basis of
what problem people will be able to solve, as a result of
reading your articles.
Most Viewed "Business Online" Articles
Attracting Readers to your Book
Written by: Alastair Hall |
Distributed: 2006-05-18 |
Word Count: 708 |
Page Views: 46609
| Votes: 17 |
Rating: 2.06
One of the common and obvious ways to market a self-published
book is having your own website. The harder part is how to
attract your target audience and then convert the sale.
How To Make Visitors Bookmark Your Site
Written by: Cheryl Miller |
Distributed: 2006-10-10 |
Word Count: 536 |
Page Views: 38905
| Votes: 21 |
Rating: 2.19
When visitors bookmark your site it is a sign that you have built
a great website and are pleasing them. Visitors think highly
enough of your site to want to return and possibly tell others
about it. You are not only increasing traffic from your existing
clientele you are encouraging new traffic by means of viral
marketing.
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 30403
| Votes: 33 |
Rating: 3.33
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
How I Got 70,000 Useless Visitors To My Site In One Day! (One Internet Marketer's Analysis of Social Bookmark Traffic)
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2007-11-06 |
Word Count: 1545 |
Page Views: 28414
| Votes: 10 |
Rating: 1.70
Is social bookmark traffic useless? Is it even worth cultivating
for your site? Can it be used from an online marketing
perspective? Read to discover one Internet Marketer's analysis
of social bookmark/media traffic...
Successful Article Marketers Help Readers Solve Problems
Written by: Bill Platt |
Distributed: 2013-07-24 |
Word Count: 816 |
Page Views: 26141
| Votes: 34 |
Rating: 2.79
Every week, I have the opportunity to speak with people about the
benefits and challenges of using article marketing to promote an
online business. Article marketing is about getting your sales
message in front of potential customers and to get links to your
website. Many interpret this to mean that an article should
directly promote a website within the article, but that approach
is wrong and will reduce one's success using this methodology.
Tips For Building Your First Website
Written by: Benny Tsabba |
Distributed: 2007-05-30 |
Word Count: 1511 |
Page Views: 19469
| Votes: 18 |
Rating: 2.11
New people are coming online everyday. And many of those people
desire to turn their spare time into spare cash. So begins their
journey.
The Importance Of Effective Follow-up
Written by: Kate Smalley |
Distributed: 2007-01-15 |
Word Count: 493 |
Page Views: 14412
| Votes: 22 |
Rating: 2.55
Marketing experts say that following up with clients is crucial
to successful selling because most prospects do not buy the first
time, according to Aweber, a leading autoresponder company.
People must encounter a marketing message multiple times before
making a purchasing decision.
Today's Google Bots and What They Do
Written by: Kim Roach |
Distributed: 2006-08-02 |
Word Count: 1061 |
Page Views: 14105
| Votes: 16 |
Rating: 2.63
Google currently indexes over 8 billion web pages. However,
before these pages were placed in the index, they were each
crawled by a special spider known as the GoogleBot. Unfortunately, many web masters do not know about the internal workings of this virtual robot. This article will attempt to
reveal some of the most important Google spiders, their function,
and how they affect you as a web master. We'll start with the
well-known GoogleBot.
Ten Tips For User Friendly Online Registration Forms
Written by: Jim Romanik |
Distributed: 2009-02-24 |
Word Count: 775 |
Page Views: 12735
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 0.93
Have you ever registered or attempted to register for an event
and spent half an hour trying to figure out what you needed to
do? Or have you used an online registration form that lost your
data or was so complicated that it seemed like more work than
faxing the form?
Successful Forum JVs and How To Get Them
Written by: Diana Barnum |
Distributed: 2006-06-15 |
Word Count: 648 |
Page Views: 12478
| Votes: 19 |
Rating: 2.11
The forming of common alliances, also referred to as a joint
venture (JV), happens nearly every day in the business world.
One of the most popular means of linking people up online of so
that they can work together on their projects is via forums,
where people of all levels of business and expertise post in
common threads.
Highest Ranked "Business Online" Articles
Is Your Business 'Out Of Site'? Employ The Ultimate Marketing Tool
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-01-09 |
Word Count: 445 |
Page Views: 5514
| Votes: 21 |
Rating: 3.76
With the rapid expansion of the digital economy, the web site is
conceivably the most powerful marketing and sales tool you can employ.
Find out what a web site can do for you.
How To Use Your Race To Get Rich
Written by: Herbert Harris |
Distributed: 2009-07-07 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 5914
| Votes: 48 |
Rating: 3.71
Amid recent news reports that there continues to be an ongoing
and substantial gap between the net worth of Whites and other
racial groups, it is easy to be distracted and overwhelmed by the
raw data. However, I am immediately reminded of a quote offered
by an economic expert from the past... "There are lies, damned
lies, and statistics!"
Why I'm A 'B-Level Marketer!'
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2007-07-16 |
Word Count: 917 |
Page Views: 6770
| Votes: 26 |
Rating: 3.58
At a recent Internet marketing seminar, I was sitting around the
hotel lobby with approximately 20 other seminar attendees and
speakers. The seminar's host was in attendance, and the
conversation covered a range of internet marketing topics with
extreme frankness. Our proximity to the hotel bar certainly
contributed to our 'conviviality.'
15 fixes for a failing website
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-02-07 |
Word Count: 593 |
Page Views: 3486
| Votes: 25 |
Rating: 3.48
Employ these 15 tactics to improve your search engine rankings,
engage visitors and convert more sales.
The Most Important Ingredient for Info Product Success (is You)
Written by: Judy Murdoch |
Distributed: 2008-04-15 |
Word Count: 981 |
Page Views: 5962
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 3.47
Last week I was attending a conference and mentioned to someone I
help small business owners create information products. The other
person was very friendly until I said "information products."
Then the temperature in the room dropped about 10-degrees
How to Keep Your Article Content Fresh and Interesting
Written by: Craig Ritsema |
Distributed: 2006-08-29 |
Word Count: 699 |
Page Views: 5499
| Votes: 25 |
Rating: 3.44
Webmasters everywhere are constantly on the lookout for fresh and
interesting content for their website. Along with these content
qualities is the requirement that it be unique. Everyone wants
their website to stand out above the others in the search engine
results. So what is the trick for you to keep a steady supply of
this quality content coming your way?
How To Build A Profitable Twitter Profile
Written by: Harold Hemmings |
Distributed: 2009-08-06 |
Word Count: 1357 |
Page Views: 2657
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 3.38
Online marketers everywhere are finally starting to tap into
the Twitter Marketplace. Marketers are getting involved in
Twitter at awesome rates, but all seem to have one
unanswered question: How do we actually monetize this
marketplace? It is my goal that by the time you have read
this article, you will have a clear idea of exactly how to
monetize your activities in Twitter.
Increasing Productivity In Your Online Business
Written by: Willie Crawford |
Distributed: 2006-06-14 |
Word Count: 1407 |
Page Views: 7360
| Votes: 40 |
Rating: 3.35
Running an online "empire" of approximately 1600 websites and
blogs, selling a variety of products, services and ideas, I
have to be much more productive than the average person in a
"regular job."
Turn A One-Night-Stand With Google Into A Long-Term Relationship
Written by: Diane Metz |
Distributed: 2007-07-10 |
Word Count: 882 |
Page Views: 2646
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 3.33
Want to win the favor of Google? Then you've got to build a
long-term relationship with her. Many new SEO strategies are
simply recycled old-tricks. And Google is a smart gal who can see
right through them. Position your website for the future by
understanding what Google really likes â€" and what she
really loathes.
Treat Online 'Guests' With Respect
Written by: Rick Sloboda |
Distributed: 2007-07-27 |
Word Count: 472 |
Page Views: 30403
| Votes: 33 |
Rating: 3.33
Does your website show your customers lack of respect? Review the
following checklist to find out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Article Reprint Rights
|
This work is
licensed under a
Creative Commons
License
You are not required to show the creative commons license notice when you reprint this work.
|
|
Article Statistics
|
Word Count: 1064
Total Views: 3805
Article Rating: 1.76 of 5
Votes Cast: 17
More Articles By Author:
Articles On This Website
Last Distribution Date:
2006-06-01 12:54:00
Internal ID: #2907
|
|
|
Home