When we’re dealing with customers face-to-face, there is more pressure to deliver great service. But when we are selling online, there is a certain distance from the customer that makes it less personal, so it’s far easier for the level of service to drop dramatically. You can’t let that happen if you want to charge more. In fact, you have to look for ways to make every experience better, not just when you’re face-to-face. How can you make your online experience the best it can be so t
o that you can charge accordingly? Here are just a few simple ideas that, to me, will definitely create a better experience:
Make it personal: Add a handwritten note of some kind to go with every purchase. It takes time but it makes a huge impact. Look for ways to make the sale more personal. Get creative. Reach out and ask some of your existing customers what they would like. And while you’re at it, ask them what they don’t like about your online service.
Have fun with your confirmation message: Customise the confirmation email. Add a link to a thank you video page. Offer something unexpected that will surprise the customer.
Add a product sample: The company I buy my honey from in Tasmania always includes a sample of another product of theirs which, while I don’t always buy, I do always try, and I really appreciate that they do this.
Invest in quality packaging: Protect the items that are being shipped, and make opening the package a good experience for the customer.
Have some fun: Be playful with your packaging, if it’s appropriate. Make your packaging distinct – we all know the Amazon smile on packages, right? I’ve seen businesses that have produced fun stickers, suggestions for reusing the box, quotes from other customers, inspirational quotes, recipes, maps, stories printed on wrapping paper about the people behind the product, and many other wonderful things.
Be considered with your packaging: I bought a book online recently, and when it arrived, there was so much packaging for one book that I felt guilty. It was so over- the-top and wasteful in a time when we are all trying to be far more considered abut the environment.
Showcase more than just the products and services you sell: Show other aspects of production and delivery. I love that UPS in America has a Facebook page set up which showcases the pets their drivers meet along the way (just search Facebook for ‘UPS dogs’). It sends a warm message, and 1.8 million people follow the page. That’s much more than just delivering packages.
Remember, experience equals value. The better the experience for the customer, the more they will value the purchase and the more you can charge. It’s a simple equation, yet one that very few businesses get right – and therein lies the opportunity for you and for me.This is an edited extract from Someone has to be the most expensive, why not make it you? by small business author Andrew Griffiths.
