Build Trust to Increase Online Sales

Building trust with your small business online customers begins the moment you promote your Pay Per Click or Pay For Calls advertisement on the search engines or the moment you sign up to sponsor an ad on a directory like Superpages.com. When you make a promise to customers -- for instance, that you can deliver the lowest prices within an area or that your services are 100% guaranteed -- you need to follow up on that promise during every stage of the buying and service process.

Similarly, once your small business (potential) customer shows up at one of your web site's landing pages, you need to do everything within your power to convince the customer to stay, read about your product, and ultimately take action. Control every step along the path of the web user's experience, but don’t make your control look artificial and contrived. Pay close attention to the loading times, looks, and copywriting your customer will experience throughout his or her visit to your site.

Create copy with a lot of friendly, straightforward talk. Leave white space where possible. Don’t slow down your page loadings with lots of animations. Be truthful and straightforward about your products’ benefits and shortcomings. If you emphasize what your product cannot do in addition to what it can do, you'll generate more trust.

Moreover, stay away from extreme words like “100 percent proven” and “perfect.” Your customers will presume that your product is at least in some small degree flawed. If you are an honest small business salesperson, you'll concede that your product or service is not a panacea. Once you admit both the attributes and deficiencies of your product, you then gain the air of an authority to be trusted.

Developing a permanent rapport with customers means more than just servicing them at the web site. Create a 1-800 hotline and an email extension to answer questions and provide pricing and customization responses. You may also want to build in a live chat IM box into your small business web site, if you can afford it.

Finally, take care of customers once they sign on the dotted line or click through your shopping cart. A satisfied customer will be very likely to tell his or her friends, family members, and associates about a deeply satisfying experience on your small business site. It's worth it for your bottom line to go the extra mile for customers.

Superpages Free Business Profile

Raise the profile of your business with this powerful selling tool. Online customers look for more than a name and number when they need goods or services. Use this method of free Internet advertising to show customers your vital business information.

Do you have questions? Call 866-311-4158 now to ask a superpages.com consultant about Online Advertising.