When Customers Talk, Listen to Them
Do you know that you can grow your business and impact your bottom line simply by listening to your customers?
It’s true. Listening is a very basic idea, but it is something that will make your business tick. It comes with discovering what your customers are experiencing, what they are asking for and hearing what they say about your business.
Today’s customers are more vocal than ever before, expressing their insights on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, review sites, and more. Still, you have to know which customers to listen to and which responses are worth pursuing.
This is where the challenge lies.
Most businesses neglect the opinions of their customers. Some entrepreneurs and business owners have no idea how to do it, or think that it is costly and time-consuming. Some business owners ignore listening simply because they fear what they would hear or they don’t have any idea how to address those feedbacks, problems, issues, or concerns.
Your customers are talking, so take time to listen and hear what they are saying about your business. Make use of tools and strategies regularly to keep them happy and satisfied.
But how do you really listen to your customers?
Here are some ways to listen to your customers in a more positive and useful manner.
1. Customer feedback
Customer feedback makes customers feel valued since you care about their opinions and feelings. You can simply ask customers what their experiences are, how they feel or what they think about your product or service.
You can easily gather feedback through:
- Asking customers to answer feedback forms
- Conversing with your customers either online or offline
- Adding a feedback page in your website
- Including email or cell phone numbers in your receipt
- Holding focus group discussions
- Monitoring social media comments
2. Google Alerts
Google Alerts lets you monitor what people are saying about your business. You need to set this up in order to receive emails whenever your business name is mentioned on the Internet. It lets you keep track of sites that mention your products or services. Through this you can easily deal with complaints and acknowledge those with positive responses.
3. Social listening
Social media platforms are the easiest way to know about your customer’s concerns and feedback. It is where most of them ask for help and, yes, make complaints. It gives you insights to the type of customers discussing you products or services. It even lets you respond quickly and handle problems that may arise.
So keep track of those @ mentions on Twitter hashtags, Facebook tags,and wall posts. You can also make use of Social Mention (http://www.socialmention.com) to get real-time search tool across social networks.
4. Review sites, forums and business directories
Find time to log on and check sites where your customers are visiting, such as Yelp, Google Places, Yahoo Local, Foursquare, etc. Read comments and respond to them. If there is a negative review, respond quickly and find ways to resolve the issue. Current customers and prospective ones will be glad that they are heard and that you’re making a way to find a solution. Frequently check those sites to hear your customers.
5. Talk to them yourself
Step up and do something that most business owners or those big guys don’t do: reach out to your customers and converse with them. You can do this personally or by calling them on their mobile phones.
It doesn’t always have to be about your product or services. You can talk about other topics such as their favorite things, places, and concerns about their family, plans for the future or anything under the sun. Of course, find ways to ask their opinion about your business. Your customers will appreciate you taking time to listen to their thoughts and suggestions.
Listening to your customers is essential to keep your business thriving. It’ll enable you to continue to do the things you do well, and find better ways to improve your business.
Looking for ways to listen to your customers? Let Pamela Finnesand, The Business Maximizer, assist you. Start by watching our business-altering video titled “The 3 Biggest Lead Generation Mistakes Small Businesses Make… And How To Overcome Them All.” We’ll reveal the strategies you can immediately deploy that will enable you to out-think, out-market and out-sell your competition. http://maximizeracademy.com/
Your clients and prospective customers are talking. Are you listening to them? Read to learn ways to listen to your customers and keep your business thriving.
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