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6 Issues That Can Negatively Impact The Perception Of Your Business

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StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Negative Impact on Business|6 Issues That Can Negatively Impact The Perception Of Your BusinessThe perception of your business is going to be everything on the market. If you don’t create and manage the right perception then your company is always going to be in a far weaker position overall. You will struggle to maintain the right level of sales and you could ultimately find that your company collapses on the market. To keep the perception of your business positive, you need to be aware of the issues that can cause a negative impact. Here are some of the common concerns that you must keep in mind.

Connection Problems

First, you need to consider issues with connectivity in your business. It’s important to make sure that you do keep connection levels high. If customers struggle to reach you or they can’t address a problem with your service, then this is always going to make them think twice about committing to a second purchase. That’s critical because second purchases are what determines whether your company is the success you need it to be. There are many ways to keep connectivity levels high. For instance, one of the key advantages of IoT SIM cards is that they limit the chances of dropped calls which infuriat customers.

High Prices

You might also want to consider the issue of pricing in your business model. Pricing isn’t the only important aspect of a sale to a customer. It’s just one piece of a puzzle, but they don’t want to feel as though they are being overcharged. If this happens, then it is always going to lead to negative word of mouth. Existing customers may also avoid your business in favor of a far more cost friendly competitor.

Poor Customer Service

If your customers experience issues while trying to shop around or place an order they need to know that they can approach you. If your customer service team is poor and lacks valuable people skills then your customers and clients aren’t going to be getting the responses they want or need. You might like to think of offering training for your customer service team so they can help whenever needed.

You might also like to think about using a service such as a web chat on your website. This is something that customers can get instant answers from, making it more likely to end in a sale.

Limited Or No Value

You might also want to think about whether or not you are providing your business customers with the right level of value. This might sound the same as selling your products and services at the right price, but it’s actually quite different. Instead, this refers to value through options like information and engagement. Customers want to feel as though they are connected to your business. This will only happen if you do keep on providing value in a variety of different ways. Essentially, you need to make your customers feel as though they are gaining access to an exclusive club when they connect with your company.

Lack Of Personality

Next, you should think about the level of personality your business brand has. If your business has the right amount of personality, then it will stand out from the rest of the companies online and on the market. Ultimately, customers want to see the people and the individuals behind the brand. They want to feel connected to you and your business team. Social media is one of the key ways that you can generate this type of impact. For instance, through social media you can provide a window to the inner workings of your business so people can attach names and faces to the company they are buying from.

Bad Reviews

It’s a well known fact that a high percentage of people check reviews of businesses and companies before they use them or order from them. If you are inundated with negative reviews then this will put people off. It’s always a good idea to reply to any review that you receive, this shows you care about your customers as well as your reputation.

If the reviews state problems with products then you could refund your customers or replace the items. Doing something is much better than ignoring the issue and watching the negative reviews mount up.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key issues that can negatively impact the perception of your business that you might have to deal with at some point in the future. By taking the right steps, you will be able to ensure that your company is in a far stronger position overall.

7 Ways To Improve Your Personal Credibility As A Business Owner

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Personal Credibility|7 Ways To Improve Your Personal Credibility As A Business OwnerIf people don’t trust you, they won’t trust your business. This is why it’s so important to not just prove that your business is credible, but that you are credible too.

Invest in the right qualifications and licenses

Qualifications and licenses are compulsory to work in certain industries (you can’t become a doctor without a medical degree or an electrician without an electrical license). In other cases, qualifications and licenses may be optional – but they could still be worth pursuing in order to prove to clients and employees that you know your stuff. Nowadays, there are so many flexible options when it comes to taking courses. Think about which qualifications and licenses could be a benefit to you.

Create a LinkedIn account and get people to endorse you

Every business owner nowadays needs a LinkedIn page. Certain clients may want to look you up on LinkedIn in order to get an idea of your credentials – if you don’t have LinkedIn, they may not trust you. Build a page today if you don’t already have one and start connecting with people you know. It’s worth asking these people to endorse skills as this will help you look more reputable.

Show off your achievements with a personal bio website

A personal bio website such as this one belonging to Jonathan Dax Cooke could improve your online credibility further. Such websites are a great opportunity to list your achievements in your own words and paint the best picture of you. It can be particularly good for SEO – when people search your name, they’re likely to see your bio and read it.

Join professional groups and organizations

It’s good to network with other professionals and influential people. By getting to know these types of people, you’re likely to get recommendations, which will improve your credibility. There are all kinds of groups and organizations out there that you can join. This could include local business groups or even industry committees.

Lead seminars and workshops

Seminars and workshops are a chance to pass on your skills and knowledge. This can help you to look more credible – if a client knows that you’ve run a workshop on a subject, it will show that you’re competent enough (or at the very least confident enough) to do a good job. You could host seminars and workshops in person, or you could host them online.

Give advice through blog posts or vlog videos

Blogging and vlogging is another way to pass on your knowledge and skills – and it’s much easier than running a seminar or workshop. Potential clients may read your blog posts or watch your videos and then trust you as an expert. Consider starting a blog or launching a vlog series today.

Make sure that you look the part

How you look can also impact your credibility. Make sure that you don’t look scruffy when meeting clients – keeping your appearance neat and tidy will give off the impression that you’re organized and that you take pride in your image. This guide from Marcus Lemonis explains more about how to look the part.

What To Do When Receiving A Bad Review

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Receiving a Bad Review|What To Do When Receiving A Bad ReviewIt can be detrimental to your business if you receive negative online reviews. It is becoming more important than ever before for businesses to pay attention to what customers are saying about them on social media and online review websites due to the increasing popularity of social media.

The good news is that, even if negative online reviews occur, that does not necessarily result in loss of business like complaints made in person. In fact, they can be viewed as an opportunity to improve customer service. From using reputation management services to good communication with your customers, you can turn bad reviews into positive ones. Let’s look at how to deal with them below:

Respond Quickly

The online world operates around the clock and people expect to receive a quick response when they request it. As soon as a negative review appears, you must act quickly to avoid it escalating and attracting more potential customers to your brand.

Keep It Professional And Polite

If someone gives you a negative review, don’t react personally. Please handle the issue in a polite and professional manner. Don’t point the finger at other people or make excuses.

Handle The Issue Offline

Offer to deal with the issue in an off-line fashion, out of the public eye, when you acknowledge the problem. Let the person know where to find your contact info or email so that you can discuss the issue further.

You can then use the review website to put up a public comment outlining the agreed conclusion as soon as you have been able to resolve the issue.

Remove Or Request Removal Of Misleading Or False Reviews

You need to remove fake and misleading reviews if you know of them. An example of a misleading review that you should remove would be one that is written by any of the following.

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 gives businesses and review platforms the power to remove fake reviews. Failing to do so could lead them to breach the law.

There is no harm in asking for reviews to be removed (or to remove them from your own website or Facebook page), but this is not the same as asking for them to be removed. There is nothing wrong with being negative here and there, even though social media is all about building relationships. Some examples include:

  • Keeping your personal relationship a secret from family or friends
  • In a competitive market
  • An unqualified reviewer who paid to write it
  • You or someone on your staff

Encourage Customers To Write Reviews

As a business owner, you can ask happy customers to write reviews if they are happy with your product or service. However, you need to be careful not to sway them into only writing positive reviews.

You can improve customer reviews online by:

  • Review sites: understanding how they operate
  • You can track mentions of your business by registering with Google Alerts
  • Review sites, especially those specific to your industry, provide alerts when a review is posted
  • Providing details on how your customers can post a review so they are aware you are listed on review sites
  • Your staff should receive reviews

This guide should help you when dealing with bad reviews. Do you have any other tips that could help? Please share them in the comments below.

Rookie Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Should Avoid

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Entrepreneur Mistakes|Rookie Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Should AvoidIf running your own business is your ultimate career dream, then enhancing your entrepreneurial skills should be a top priority. In many ways, it’s easier than ever to set yourself up as an entrepreneur, but this doesn’t mean that success naturally follows. If you want to succeed as a business owner, it’s important to know how to launch a start-up, secure investors, and develop a brand.

However, it’s equally important to know what not to do! With this in mind, take a look at these three rookie mistakes every entrepreneur should avoid and start building your business now:

Not Managing Your Reputation

As an entrepreneur, your personal brand has a significant impact on your commercial success. After all, you aren’t just building a business; you’re establishing yourself as a thought leader and industry guru too. Due to this, you need to be acutely aware of your personal brand and manage your reputation accordingly.

In today’s online world, everyone has an online reputation, but few people actively manage it. By ignoring your digital reputation, however, you could be harming your future career prospects. Conversely, taking steps to implement a reputation management strategy with specialists like Reputation Defender allows you to take control and nurture a positive reputation that will help you to succeed.

Working Too Hard

Entrepreneurs are known for their work ethic, and you’ll often hear of business owners who spend 16-18 hours working every day. However, working too hard can be extremely damaging to your health and, ultimately, to your business as well. While there’s no doubt that you’ll need to put the effort in if you want to be a leading entrepreneur, it’s essential to find a work-life balance.

By using time management strategies to maximize your output, prioritizing downtime, and making time for other interests and hobbies, you can ensure that your entrepreneurial interests don’t take over your life. As a result, you’ll protect your physical and emotional well-being and even enhance your commercial performance.

Moving Too Fast

When you have a great idea for a new business, you’ll want to get it up and running as quickly as possible. After all, it’s important to strike while the iron’s hot and launch your brand before competitors have a similar idea. Although timing is critical to success, moving too fast and launching a business before it’s ready can have disastrous consequences.

Without the right team in place, you might struggle to deliver the service that your customers expect, for example. If you don’t have sufficient funding, you may be unable to fund your operations. Similarly, a lack of marketing can make it hard to engage with your target audience. There are numerous different aspects to consider when launching a business, so take your time to get things right if you want to reap the benefits.

Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur

It’s easy to assume that all entrepreneurs are overnight success stories, but the reality is very different. In most cases, people work diligently for years to develop their skills as a business owner, so don’t panic if it takes some time for you to achieve the same. With hard work and dedication, however, you can increase your profile, achieve commercial success and establish yourself as a successful entrepreneur.

How To Strengthen Your Company’s Reputation

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Company's Reputation|How To Strengthen Your Company's ReputationYour company’s reputation will impact how consumers and customers view your business and if they’re willing to work with you or not. If you’re not doing a good job with this matter currently then be glad to know there are steps you can take to strengthen your company’s reputation.

You’ll notice that you begin to attract more customers and that your reviews improve when you follow through with these suggestions. You can hold your head high knowing that the company you work for is in good standing and isn’t only focused on making a profit.

Keep Your Word

You can strengthen your company’s reputation by keeping your word. Avoid making promises you can’t keep and deliver on what you say you can do. Breaking promises and telling white lies will only get you into trouble and may make people upset with your business. Do what you say you’re going to do and keep customers updated when there are obstacles or delays throughout the ordering process.

Show You Care About Others & the Environment

Another way to strengthen your company’s reputation is to commit to following through with your corporate social responsibility as a business. Show you care about others by giving back through volunteer work or making donations to causes that are meaningful to you. Also, make an effort to implement sustainable business practices and find ways to improve the environment. For instance, if you’re in the trucking industry you can visit this website to learn more about how to reduce waste and plastic consumption in landfills.

Offer High-Quality Products or Services

You must also offer high-quality products or services if you want to improve your company’s reputation. You want customers to be more than satisfied after making a purchase from your business. Doing so will also boost your reviews and ratings and make people feel motivated to shop with you again in the future.

Take Responsibility

Everyone makes mistakes, even businesses, but not everyone admits to them. Therefore, commit to taking responsibility for your errors and owning the mistakes you do make. It’ll help strengthen your company’s reputation and allow you to build trust with your customers. Use open and honest communication and treat your customers with respect by being forthcoming about any issues with their orders.

Showcase Your Expertise

Strengthen your company’s reputation by showcasing your expertise in your area of business. You can do this by publishing articles on your business blog, speaking at conferences, and through social media updates. Focus on ways you can add value to your customer’s lives and let it be known what problem you can solve for them.

Conclusion

These suggestions and ideas will help you strengthen your company’s reputation and drive more sales in the end. You’ll be glad you took the time to address these areas once you see the constructive outcomes they bring. Be confident in yourself and your business and continue to build and nurture your relationships so you can ensure others see you in a positive light and want to work with you.