Some say that the only way to succeed in business is to offer a better service at a lower price. Unfortunately, numerous prospective businesses failed because of this philosophy. Even having the best team, or the best product in the game doesn’t mean much if people dislike doing business with you. On one hand, this may seem as an oxymoron. After all, who wouldn’t buy a better product at a cheaper price? However, this would mean underestimating the power of negative business reputation. In order to avoid testing this on your own skin, you can try out some of these five ways to become more likeable.
Becoming Eco-friendly
First thing you may want to do, in order to improve your business’ reputation, is go full green. In 2016, being planet friendly is finally getting the recognition it deserves, which is why customers and SMBs alike want to be associated with green causes. Luckily, you have several ways of reaching this goal. For example, you could host an eco-friendly event in your community, donate to a green cause or reform your business so that it becomes planet-friendly. Either of these methods works.
Personal Outreach
As a startup, or a small company, when you decide to approach a business partner, chances are that they won’t have any prior knowledge of your firm. This is why the first impression that you make may be vital in sealing the deal. A lot of enterprises do this by email, but it is hard to imagine a more impersonal manner of doing it. Most of the time, your message will just go straight into the spam box and stay there for all eternity. It is a far better solution to resort to a bit more personal outreach when contacting partners. One of the ways to do so is to conduct an appointment setting through a personalized phone call.
Customer is Always Right
A lot of business owners make a mistake of putting too much ego in their business. This means that whenever a client points out a mistake in your business model, you tend to see it as a personal criticism. However, when it comes to business, you have no luxury of acting like a spoiled diva. Keep your responses calm and make sure to accommodate your clients even when they are 100 percent wrong. This way, you may even convert some of your harshest critics. After all, the customer is always right.
Look for Some Feedback
Your business always needs to improve. Still, in order to know in which areas you should improve, you need to look for some feedback. There are several ways to do so and the choice is yours. First, you can make a focus group or a survey. Second, you could rely on your customer service to give you this information. If all else fails, you can always turn to social networks in order to get the feedback you need. We are naturally talking about the comment section or even private messages.
Keeping Your Promises
Finally, nothing can earn you a negative reputation quicker than broken promises. You alone know the capacities of your business, so when a partner or client make a demand, it is up to you to accept or refuse. Sure, refusal may be met with a slight amount of disappointment, but it is always better than promising something you know you won’t be able to keep.
Conclusion
Likeability of your business is something you need to work on with care and diligence. Consider your options and then work on all those areas you believe will bring you the best response with a particular target audience. Even though making your business more likeable may seem abstract at times it, beyond doubt, brings a great long-term ROI.