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Melody Spier
Assistant Editor

Featured Success Article

Avoiding Toddler Tantrums in Your Marketing
By Mila Sidman

Have you ever seen a toddler have a temper tantrum?  Once they're at a stage where they're kicking and screaming, it's really hard to get them to listen to you isn't it?  But if you diffuse the situation from the start or avoid putting yourself in the situation that will cause the tantrum in the first place (i.e. the grocery store checkout at lunch time with a hungry and sleepy toddler!) you can avoid 'most' tantrums... and it's definitely easier to connect with your toddler when they're happy go lucky than kicking and screaming.

Think of selling the same way -- don't give your potential customers a reason to click away or have a tantrum because they can't easily navigate your website or find information about your products. Customers in today's market place are much like finicky toddlers -- short attention span, always on the go, and ready to shout NO when they don't like something.

This is why it's important to keep those customers happy in the first place. Here are a few easy ways to achieve this.

Make them feel secure 

If your website sells x, y, & z widgets make sure you give clear information about each widget.  Have an FAQ page where you answer any possible questions the customer may have about your product.

Also, make your contact details easy to find.  Just cause you're doing business online doesn't mean that you don't have to worry about people contacting you.  In fact, online this is more important than offline.  When you aren't there to personally greet your customers, an "about" page with full contact details is the next best thing for your visitors.

Make your customers feel safe and secure by being completely honest and providing all the information they need. 

Keep your promises

Have you ever seen a toddler's face when you promise you'll go to the park only to backtrack and say "sorry honey but something came up and we'll have to go another time?" -- Not good.  Your customers aren't any different. If you say that you answer support emails within 24 hours, then make sure you do so. Better yet over deliver and answer those emails in half that time.

If you say that products arrive within 3 to 5 days, then make sure you have a system of following up within that time to ensure your customers have indeed received their goods. Basically, if you say you're going to do something follow through -- it's not only good business, but also the polite thing to do isn't it?

Give clear instructions

Like toddlers, grownups need to be told what to do too. When a customer is new to your site or a process -- say like ordering online -- it's important they have easy to follow steps. Don't assume that all your visitors will be web savvy.

For example, if you order digital products regularly online and pay through Paypal, you'll know that Paypal redirects you to a download page where you can access your products. Well, not all customers are familiar with this process so don't ever assume people will just know... remember what it was like when you were new to the online world? 

Make the online process easy for your customers by providing clear instructions for everything they need to do.  If you're selling a product, ask them "click here to order now" and detail what will happen once they click on the link. Be super specific and detailed at all times.

Show them a little love

Being nice not only makes you feel good, it's also great for business. Send your customers a little something extra once in a while to show you appreciate them -- a nice discount on future products will do. A customer appreciation card is always nice too.

But the best thing you can do to make your customer's feel good is to simply provide stellar customer service. Take each customer's needs to heart and help them solve their problems. This attitude in business will pay you back over and over again... and you'll feel good too.

Keep in mind selling isn't difficult once you understand that a good sales person merely knows how to connect with their prospects. By being proactive and giving your customers the information they need and providing great customer service, you can avoid many problems in the first place.

Inevitably sometimes no matter what you do your customers will still get upset at you, don't take it personally, simply handle that customer with your excellent customer service skills and pride yourself in providing the best service possible at all times -- no matter what the outcome -- and you'll do just fine.

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Mila Sidman is the owner and editor of the popular website Internet Based Moms. She's a copywriter, marketer and mom with a passion for helping women succeed in business.

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