There’s a good chance that right now someone is browsing your site and considering making a purchase.
And although I’m happy you’re here reading our blog :-), I’d like to offer some ideas that you can apply to your own site and start converting those browsers into buyers.
Great customer service is vital to online retailers and in an interview with Tom Nelson, I shared a few thoughts over on the GrooveCommerce Blog on why it’s important to connect with customers.
Commerce is all about relationships. Forging those relationships is a balancing act between helping and selling. A few years back, I read an article that said, “The difference between ‘helping’ and ‘selling’ is just two letters, but the gap is in reality, much larger.” In the article, author Jay Baer offers great examples of companies who help first and sell second, including:
- Nationwide Insurance, whose app helps you take and upload photos from accident sites
- The BestBuy Geek Squad Youtube Channel that teaches you how to solve your own computer problems
Help first, sell second. As business owners, that’s not always instinctual, because we want to make money and stay in business. But CD Baby founder Derek Sivers summed it up nicely in a recent blog post, saying, “Of course it’s also just smart business. Losing 10 cents on (something) can mean winning the loyalty of a customer who will spend $1000 with you over the next 10 years, and tell 20 friends that you’re awesome.”
In customer service terms, consider the ‘lost cost’ of spending a little extra time helping a customer an investment for increased sales in the long run.
Further Reading on Live Chat for Sales Why Live Chat is a Powerful Sales Tool
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