In order to be successful in any business, you need to be able to know who your clients are and be able to cater to those clients. This goes for any business that wants to sell products online. Even if you have eschewed the traditional brick and mortar layout, you will need to make sure your clients and customers are happy – word of mouth is the best form of advertising, after all.
So what does being a good online reseller mean?
First off, you need to be sure your product answers a need, or you need to sell a product that creates a new need. You can sell consumables for repeat business, or sell collectibles for consumers who will search for that special something. Whatever you are selling online, it should have a niche. Become an expert in your product. What happens if something goes wrong? Can it hurt someone? What if a child puts your product into its mouth? What does it do and what does it not do? Make sure you look at all the angles of your product. Having this extensive knowledge about your product will allow you to better answer customers’ questions.
Speaking of which…that brings us to item number two of being a good online reseller. Answer all inquiries within twenty-four hours. In today’s society of instantaneous occurrences, customers want an answer to their questions yesterday, but many companies won’t return an answer ever. Waiting for a specific answer is bad enough, but if a customer has to wait a few days before they even hear a peep out of you, you might as well consider them lost. And if you don’t get back to them at all, they may bash you online. Many businesses have decided to nip this problem in the bud by providing a FAQ section or a “Chat Online” application that allows customers to speak with customer service agents in real-time.
Another way you can keep your reputation from being tarnished is to rectify all mistakes as quickly as possible. When you make a misstep with a client and he or she complains, bend over backwards to make it right. The human brain is hardwired to remember negative experiences over positive ones so we can avoid those negative experiences next time…do you want your business to be a negative experience? I didn’t think so!
