The Best Internet Marketing Strategies Are Usless Without This

Even if you master each and every one of the best Internet marketing
strategies out there -- sales copywriting, search engine optimization,
email marketing, and the rest -- they're not worth a dime if you
forget about customer service.

It's a strategy that every truly successful business knows about and
pays careful attention to... because the one thing ALL successful
businesses have in common is customers. Satisfied customers

Today, I want to show you how to make every one of your customers a
satisfied customer -- so happy that they'll return again and again, AND
send new customers your way.

I'll look at several proven ways you can do this, including:

• Reducing the risk for your customers to get more
  sales

• Going that extra mile to get more repeat
  business and more referrals from delighted customers

• Providing great after-sales support to keep
  customers coming back

• Personalizing your offers to make your customers
  remember you

• Listening to your customers to keep them loyal
  to your business

So let's take a look at some great examples of customer service from
across the spectrum -- online, offline, retail, service, hospitality...
anywhere the customer is Number One!

Why good customer service is ESSENTIAL for online
success

There's an old saying in business: A happy customer will tell
one or two people, an unhappy one will tell 10!

So it pays to keep your customers happy -- and never more so than
when doing business online.

In the Internet age, a seriously ticked-off customer might not only
tell 10 people, they might also write a lengthy rant on their blog, post
comments on other people's blogs, write a negative review of your site
on a shopping web site, or criticize you on forums and message boards.
Or all of the above!

In extreme cases, some unhappy customers even start web sites or
blogs devoted to airing their grievances about a particular company.
Microsoft, UPS, and Wal-Mart are all among the -- mostly corporate --
targets of customers with a grudge.

While small businesses are unlikely to be targeted in such a way, the
viral nature of the Internet means that a negative comment about your
company can spread faster than a fire in a matchbox.

And worse, once something has been written about you online, it's
very difficult to get it removed. This means that any prospective
customer who decides to "Google" your business name could come
across it.

So, while good customer service might cost some time and money, bad
customer service costs you prospective customers and their lifetime
value. Think how much losing even just 10 sales would cost you, and
compare it to the extra sales you'll gain from making your customers
happy.

And case study after case study shows that building good customer
service into a business also increases efficiency, as well as sales.

The stronger your guarantee, the more sales you'll generate -- guaranteed!

The guarantee offered by mail-order retailer Lands' End, simply says,
"Guaranteed. Period." Shoppers can return their items anytime
and for any reason.

It's a customer service strategy that serves them well. In fact, they
market their company on the back of it, calling it, "The most watertight guarantee in the business."

And just in case you think Lands' End is a big corporation whose
strategies don't apply to you, I should mention this has been one of the
foundations of their business since they were a three-man operation
doing mail order out of their store basement.

Most importantly, Lands' End stands by that guarantee...
to the extent that one of their catalogs featured the story of a man who
returned an antique car he'd purchased... several years after he bought
it!

First of all, the company sells clothes, not cars -- he'd bought the
car through a special promotion. And second, he'd been driving around in
it for a while. But, by honoring the guarantee in such a way, they
turned the story of a returned car into a marketing vehicle for their
excellent customer service.

And it worked. Here you are reading about it!

You can be sure that the goodwill and word-of-mouth publicity
generated by accepting such an "unusual" return more than
offset the cost of refunding the car buyer.

That's the lesson here: A strong, well-written guarantee -- one you
stand by unconditionally -- is not only good customer service, but it is
proven to actually increase sales by...

• Removing any risk on the part of the buyer and
  giving them the confidence to buy from you.

• Boosting your credibility as a trustworthy
  seller who believes in your product, and who's willing to back up
  your belief in it.

Now, some people worry about being ripped off by unscrupulous buyers
who purchase an item, get everything they want from it, and then return
it to take advantage of the guarantee. It happens, but not often -- as
long as you offer an excellent product!

At IMC, we've been offering a one-year refund on our Insider
Secrets course for years -- and only very rarely does anyone take
us up on the guarantee.

Our tests show that you'll receive fewer returns with a one year
guarantee than with a six-month guarantee, and a six-month guarantee
will bring in fewer returns than a 30-day guarantee.

Bottom line... the stronger your guarantee, the more sales you'll
generate -- and the fewer returns you'll actually get.

Keep your customers coming back by providing MORE
services than they expect

Why not go that extra mile and provide EXTRA services that
add value to your offer? These are often known as "loss
leaders" because, while they may cost you a little extra up front,
the payoff comes in the form of more referrals and more repeat business.

Or you can even use your excellent customer service as part of your
offer and charge a little more, knowing that your customers will be
willing to pay the extra for all the services you provide. (This is
something well worth testing.)

Take the example of a dry cleaner I read about recently who offers
the best customer service possible to keep people coming back to him...
and it turns out that his customers are more than willing to pay a
little more for the many extra services he offers.

Instead of just taking dirty clothes from customers and returning
them spick-and-span, this dry cleaner decided to offer his customers
much more, including:

• Free pick-up and delivery

• Folding or hanging cleaned clothes according to preference

• Wrapping shirts in plastic with a piece of cardboard to help
  maintain their shape

• Providing a sturdy laundry bag (with his logo on it, of course!)
  

This guy understands that his customers are busy, and anything he can
do to make their lives easier will be appreciated -- and be worth paying
more for.

So he not only cleans clothes, he provides convenience and turns a
tedious chore into a pleasant and painless experience.

And does providing great, value-added customer service like this work
in terms of retaining customers and attracting new ones? You bet... I
found this story through a happy customer's blog!

The other interesting thing about this story is that the dry cleaner
advertises some of his extra services, but not others, meaning that his
new customers are often very pleasantly surprised by the extra services
they receive.

And ALL customers love to be surprised with a little extra bonus they
didn't expect!

An example from the online business world is a recent IMC Secrets
To Their Success story -- David Kern of ApplePoly.com. He sells a
nutritional supplement derived from apple peel, and gives away a free
mini-sample of his product with every order.

Is it worth it?

Definitely, according to David, who says, "Our cost is a few
dollars. One new client is worth hundreds or thousands in lifetime
value. I like the math!"

Provide killer after-sales support to get more repeat
business

Another way to over-deliver is to provide excellent AFTER-SALES
support.

One mistake many business owners make is that they think their job is
done after that first sale. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A quick after-sales email or phone call to check that everything is
OK with a purchase can be really appreciated by customers. It can also
relieve any feelings of "buyer's remorse" they might have, reinforcing
the positive feelings about your business they had when they
originally bought from you.

And, by checking in with your customers, you can find out a lot about
how they use your product -- and what they like and dislike about it --
so you can refine your product and marketing. You can also head off any
problems BEFORE they become complaints.

Or why not just say, "Thank you" to your customers? Don't
try to sell to them. Just send them a letter or email thanking them for
their business and telling them that you value them as customers.

The fact is, you spend so much time and money promoting your products
to get that first sale that it's worth spending just a little extra to
make sure your new customers come back, and tell their friends.

Make it personal: Keep track of your customers' likes
and dislikes and they'll be back

What's the one word that is guaranteed to turn your head when you
hear it?

Your name.

Think how nice it is when a bank teller greets you by name or a hotel
receptionist remembers you from a previous visit.

The fact is, personalizing your communications with customers is
another proven marketing AND customer service strategy.

But personalization doesn't just mean addressing your customers by
name. It also means providing -- or at least appearing to provide --
personalized service.

Like the garage that makes a note of when your next car service is
due -- and sends you a letter or calls you with a reminder.

Or the corner store owner who remembers that you like a particular
flavor of canned soup and orders more in for you.

Or the coffee shop barista who remembers your favorite drink!

Personalization is one of the oldest customer service strategies in
the book... because it works!

Later on, I'll tell you exactly how you can use this strategy to
build a more personal relationship with your online customers.

Listen to customer concerns and ACT ON THEM... or
else!

If there are two things that define BAD customer service, it's these:

1. Not listening to your customers


2. Not acting on any complaints or concerns

Ignoring customers when they complain or raise a concern, and then
not doing anything to remedy the situation is a surefire way to
destroy your reputation.

Most of your customers are reasonable. They know that things go
wrong, that people make mistakes, and that sometimes things happen that
are simply unavoidable.

But, they still like you to acknowledge that you've made a mistake,
and to know that you'll do your best to keep it from happening.

That's why good restaurants will give you a free bottle of wine if
your meal is late in arriving, or provide a free desert if they get your
order wrong, or replace a poorly prepared dish -- no questions asked.

Because if they DON'T do those things... well, would you go back? Of
course not. And you'd probably tell your friends and co-workers not to
go their either. Whammo. Lost business.

So, if and when a customer complains, here's what you need to do to
avoid potentially losing not only their future business, but that of
anyone else they tell about the situation:

• Don't hide -- make it easy for someone to contact you with a
  concern

• Remember, the customer IS always right

• Be quick to acknowledge and apologize for any mistakes

• Tell customers what you have done to remedy the situation and to
  make sure it won't happen again

• Don't offer empty apologies -- use your judgment to decide
  whether you should offer a refund or other compensation

The blog software provider Six Apart famously offered their Typepad
blog customers up to 45 days worth of free blog hosting as compensation
for a period of serious disruption to their service.

They did lose customers, but they also retained many who appreciated
the gesture.

Sometimes, just acknowledging your mistake and apologizing IS enough.
On the flip side, the cost of NOT listening to your customers can be
severe.

Making your customers happy makes your job easier --
and more profitable!

Now that you've seen how important customer service is to your
business, here are some simple strategies to get you started:

Step #1: Automate your sales process to keep customers in
the loop.

Use autoresponders to thank your customers for their order, welcome
them to your opt-in email list, and send them order confirmations and
other transactional emails like, "Your item has shipped"
notices.

Customers have come to expect these courtesies, but not everyone
online bothers.

And you can even add a surprise element to these customer service
emails by including a coupon for money off their next purchase, or
some extra information they'll find relevant to the product they've
bought.

Autoresponders also let you send follow-up after a customer has
bought from you to ask if everything is all right and if there's
anything further you can do.

Even though you can create these autoresponders in no time, they
make customers feel that you're paying attention to them.

Step #2: Create a comprehensive FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions)

An FAQ answers most of the questions people might have about your
products or services. You should put it on a page on your web
site, and create an FAQ autoresponder (an
automatic email sent to any customer who emails a particular email
address, such as info@[mysite].com).

To make your FAQ most effective, don't just make up the questions
and answers -- keep track of the questions that customers or site
visitors actually ask, and answer them.

With those common questions taken care of, you'll be freed
up to spend time giving personal attention to the 10% or so
that require it.

The people who find what they need in the FAQ are satisfied
immediately, and those who need something extra get it without having
to wait a long time for you to get around to them.

The more quickly you handle their concerns the more impressed
they'll be.

And you'll also stand out in the crowd -- a recent Pelorus Group
study found that a shocking 42% of retail web sites
take five days or longer to respond to customers!

It's often the times when you respond to a customer's concerns promptly
and personally that generate a huge amount of goodwill for your
business... and more referrals.

Step #3: Make it easy for people to contact you

There will always be times when a customer needs to talk to or
email someone directly, so don't hide your contact details
away in a dark corner of your web site, and always provide contact
information on every message or newsletter you send out.

It's also a good idea to put your phone number at the end of your
FAQ so people can contact you with any questions not covered in your
FAQ.

You can even create a Customer Service page on your site that
includes your FAQ, the names and email addresses/phone numbers of
people who can help, and other relevant information.

Step #4: Personalize and segment your email messages

I can't say this often enough: Use your customers' names in your
email subject lines and in your messages.

Only 4% of marketers personalize their messages, according to
Jupiter Research, and yet personalized messages have almost
TWICE the click-through rate of non-personalized messages.

As an online business owner, you can personalize your
communications with customers in many ways, including:

• Personalizing emails with names and other pieces of information
  you collect

• Sending customers personalized birthday offers

• Sending customers details of new products you know they'll be
  interested in. (In its Consumer Email Study, DoubleClick reported
  that 43% of the respondents would respond to "purchasing
  recommendations based on past purchase behavior.")

Step #5: Ask your customers how you can serve them better

People love doing short surveys, and it's been shown that customer
satisfaction is higher among people who have been asked what they
want, even if their answers haven't been acted upon. Just asking what
your customers want and how you can make your service better makes
them feel listened to.

Actually acting on their suggestions and improving your
service is gravy!

Final thoughts

Good customer service doesn't cost much. You don't have to spend a
fortune giving away free products or large discounts.

Even a small gesture like thanking customers for their business can
help maintain a positive vibe around your business.

Because, no matter the cost of going the extra mile for your
customers, it's worth it to avoid them spreading negativity about your
service... or just never coming back to buy from you again.

Good customer service forms an impenetrable force field around your
company, protecting you from the crippling damage poor customer service
can cause.

And automating your everyday customer service tasks frees you up to
respond to real concerns or complaints -- making your overall customer
service even faster and better.

Remember, if you treat customer service as one of the best Internet
marketing strategies available to you, and really work at it, your
customers will pay you back by returning again and again... and by
telling their friends about you.

Related Resources - Secrets To Their Success