There are millions of options to capture advice...here are 5 best practices when giving advice.
Editor's note: This is Step 2 of eight steps– "Don’t try to sell over the web without offering expert advice" of How to Best Manage the Sales Process with a Google Informed Client.
Every day billions of people search on Google to ask it questions and normally there are millions of options to get advice.
But the question is: Is everything on the internet true?
According to JD Powers, up to 92% of customers are going to the internet before trying to buy from you.
Hence, having expert advice written in advance is critical for success.
But how do I get started, and what do I have to do to get started?
To be able to inform and attract customers to what you sell, one thing you need to do is begin to write articles much like this one.
Discuss what you sell, how to make the best choice and suggestions on things to consider.
The other is if the customer contacts you with questions, you must engage with them in written dialogue to really understand how you can help.
The second strategic item that is a critical best practice is offering advice and learning what your customer really wants.
Offering advice - HOW TO WRITE A BLOG
Five must things know to provide great information over the web:
1. Answer their questions … put yourself in your customer’s shoes
What would they ask of the web if they were thinking about the product or service you have to offer?
People search on the web by asking their smartphone a question, which in turn provides a variety of choices that normally come from written articles reviews. Your blog should be full of responses to their questions, and the reviews about your business should be a compilation of positive comments about your business.
For information about how to potentially increase your positive reviews, go to www.sbcinc.info/oozeit, but to write those advice articles—keep reading.
Next- 2 through 5
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2. Act as a consultant … the goal is not to advertise.
In this article, I want to help you understand how to write a blog about your business and not sell you how to improve your sales process online.
Our product is consulting and training on how to better manage your sales process online, but this blog is about how to do a better job with what you sell. (Do I sound tricky in that statement?) Some might think so. But the goal of what you have to offer, whether it is a product or service, is to offer advice on how to go about making a choice.
I am going to assume for a moment that you are an expert in what you sell, and could begin to write a series of articles everyday about how to buy what you sell by answering a variety of questions you hear from customers every day. Let me give you an example.
If you were a jeweler, you could begin to write a series of education articles on topics like:
How to choose the right diamond?
Which of the 4C’s in Diamonds is the most important?
What is the difference between 14kt and 18kt gold?
What are the pitfalls of buying designer vs. custom jewelry?
And so on….
What might be your series of articles for what you sell? You are the expert, and if you have been helping customers for a long time, you probably know the answers. So start answering in written format.
3. Tell the truth … do not make stuff up
There is so much information on the web, that a savvy customer who is researching what you sell will quickly learn whether your information is real. Unfortunately the internet is full of scams and false stories, and we have all read them.
Do not try to fool your customer into buying what you have to offer, or the internet will turn on your as they begin to write their complaints about your business on social media and other blogs related to your business.
To give you an example, here is one thing we talk about. In our training business we have been helping clients manage their internet sales process since 2002, and we will guarantee a minimum increase in business of 15%, if they follow all of our recommendations.
We choose this number, because 15% is the worst we have ever produced for a client. Sincerity and reality are important to consider when providing advice.
Creating false expectations can work against you. So when delivering advice about your products and services, be careful not to unrealistic expectations.
Next- 4 and 5 and Helping not selling – HOW TO LISTEN OVER THE WEB
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4. Keep your blogs shorter
Unlike this news article, people will not normally read a lot of information.
Try to deliver information in bite-size pieces. Make a list of solutions, or break down one idea into pieces and provide the answers in a series of articles or blogs.
5. Be patient and share your articles across all of your social media
Generating real results from your blogging efforts takes at least 7 months of writing at least 3 per week.
I have heard these same numbers from several sources. So stay the course in offering up advice and trust the process.
In addition, when you write these blog, do not just post them on your website. You need to share them within all of your social media sites as well as news agencies when appropriate. They will not always get read or be published, but in time your readership will go up.
Helping not selling – HOW TO LISTEN OVER THE WEB
Remember that your website and all of your social media (including review sites) are now communications devices.
Therefore these are now two-way commutation solutions. For your business, make sure you are instantly being notified when a customer is trying to contact you or is commenting on your business. In addition, it is important to monitor whether their response is negative or positive and be transparent in the process.
I all too often hear the words, “I hate Yelp” from business owners. Yet, they have not set up their business site, so they are not alerted when negative comments are made on Yelp. As a result, they do not do well when communicating with upset customers.
Your role on the web is to be a better counselor or consultant to help clients with their decisions. If you become the expert in your industry, people will want to do business with you.
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