No matter what a business is selling, and everyone sells something, a key component in success is trust. This is especially true when selling in the online market, where physical contact and a sense of "I know where you work" is missing. When tapping out your credit card details or transferring your hard-earned cash for something you can't yet touch or use, that's trust in action.
So how can I tell my potential customers "Trust me and, rest assured, you will receive the gorgeous chair you designed and paid for"? I know I will deliver on the company's promises, but how do you know I will?
Trust, like respect, cannot be forced and much as I'd like to whack up on my Home page "Trust this site and product", I can't. It would send out the wrong message. (actually, has anyone ever tried this and it work out favourably?!)
And so, my time has been focused on PR; getting great magazines, newspapers, online publications, bloggers and social media to endorse My Bespoke Chair, through articles, reviews, posts, tweets, pins, likes and word-of-mouth. Reportedly, it takes up to 8 times for a potential customer to see your product or brand in various places before they decide to buy.
Customer testimonials are probably the most important "Trust Me" advocates, though for a sparkly new business, this is often easier said than done. On average, most start-ups struggle to gain customers in the first few months and the first 6 are always hair-raising. Read a fascinating insight here
So it's a vicious circle. You need customers to gain customers. New businesses need early adopters to buy the product and fly the flag. Brave pioneers of the consumer world - we salute you!
Customer acquisition is an art in itself and warrants a post for another day. But in the meantime, our first batch of orders (fabulous chairs designed by our talented customers!) went out recently. It was nail-biting times; until I received an email last night from one of our customers/loyal Facebook followers and I leapt for joy...
"I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for my chair which arrived last week. It's beautiful and perfectly made. I really love it and it's comfy too!...The colour matches perfectly with my bed linen."
Natalie, WA.
Happy customers...it's a trust thing.
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