Relationship Marketing | Build Your Online Business

How do you view success?  Many people grew up with a negative attitude toward the word “success”.  They were raised to believe that if you focused on having success in your life, it immediately branded you as being narcissistic or materialistic?  But is that necesssarily correct?  True, the desire for success has caused many persons to show undesirable qualities such as greed, selfishness, etc.   However, for the average person success may mean achieving more to make your life comfortable, build your self-worth, or accomplish a goal.

Do you ever find that you talk yourself out of success by indulging in negative self-talk?  Do you tell yourself you could never attain those ‘lofty' goals? Do you set yourself up for failure listening to the negative voice within?  Rather than listening to the negative voice, you can use positive self-talk to counter the negativity and overcome many anxious thoughts.  It has been said that if you fail to set a goal, you will reach it every time.  Identifying your goal and writing it down is the first step in goal-setting.  The next step is to formulate a plan, which will include a start date and an end date.  As your thoughts flow you will become filled with excitement on how you will accomplish the steps needed to conquer the goal.

At this point are negative thoughts creeping in?  Do not allow them to take hold!  Replace them with positive self-talk.  You may need to repeat positive affirmations like, “I am a smart, capable woman (or man).  I can do this.”  “I am filled with positive energy and action.” “I deserve to succeed because I am worthy of success.” On a personal note, I never forget to pray for the strength to accomplish what I've set out to do.

Another important way to encourage positive self-talk is to know Your WHY.  Why do you want to succeed?  What is it you hope to achieve for youself and or your family by completing your goal?  When your “why” is compelling enough to propel you through any obstacles you may encounter, you will find that it is possible to conquer your goal by practising positive self-talk.  Many people  were raised in a negative environment to believe they would not accomplish much in life.  If that was true in your case, as you recognize the impact that those negative statements may have on your mind, learn to use them as the catalysts to prove those negative people wrong.  But do it for yourself, not for someone else!  Use positive self-talk to prove to yourself that regardless of what anyone else may have said, you were created with wisdom and beauty and you can achieve anything you set your mind to do if you are prepared to work at it.

If you work from home you will need support especially on days when negativity rears its ugly head.  There are two Forums that I have found extremely helpful and supportive and I invite you to check them out.  If you are a Work-at-Home Woman or in Direct Sales, visit The Association for Work At Home Women is one of the places I'd recommend.  If you are an Internet Marketer, Lynn Terry's Elite Mastermind is fabulous!  Lynn shares so much and is very responsive to your questions, plus the members are willing to help you above and beyond.

Customers may be unhappy for a number of reasons: the product did not meet their expectations, they did not experience the desired results, they were dissatisfied with the color or texture; they may regret an impulsive purchase and would like to have a refund, or because buying often involves the emotions the initial enthusiasm for the product has waned.

Regardless of the reason for the dissatisfaction, how you respond to the complaint makes the difference between customer retention and customer abandonment. Successful entrepreneurs and small business owners recognize that tact and discernment are necessary to cultivating and maintaining good customer relationships. Your goal should be to keep your customers happy to the extent possible.  Not only is this the wise course from a business perspective, but is also the best course from a relationship point of view.  While there are some persons who will rarely be satisfied, your main concern should be to do your part to retain your customer.

It has been said that when someone is happy with your products or service they will tell three people, but when they are dissatisfied they share this with 3,000.  Which would you prefer? Responding promptly and offering to correct the situation is the most effective route to take in
addressing  dissatisfaction and increase customer retention.  Make it seem to the customer that this was the easiest thing to correct and, in
fact, you appreciate that they brought it to your attention. Follow-up with a card of appreciation for their continued business.

People want to be made to feel important and if you can genuinely keep them feeling that way, they will leave your space feeling that you really appreciate them and they would rather do business with you than anyone else who may provide similar products and services.

Studies indicate that many people suffer from e-mail fatigue.  They receive so many e-mails per day that they miss important ones.  Just do an informal survey of many of your customers and friends and you'll find that they either have not checked their e-mail in a few days or they only open e-mails from people they immediately recognize.

What this tells us is that you cannot rely on communicating with your network, including clients and customers, by e-mail only.  And you will agree that communication is the lifeblood of any relationship.  It therefore means that you have to use other more effective methods of communication like the telephone as well as written communication.

Many persons, especially in Direct Sales, seem to find making telephone calls a challenge and somehow that instrument can morph into a 40-lb. object.  If you are one of those persons, work hard at overcoming your reluctance to use the telephone.  Perhaps positive affirmations may help like, "The telephone is my friend." "The telephone helps me to communicate and build relationships with my customers." How about "The telephone helps me to pay my bills?"

Of course, for this to be effective, you have to set the parameters.  For example, if you plan to spend two solid hours of telephone calls, decide how many customers you plan to call and limit your conversation with each customer to a specific period.  Help them understand that this is a business call rather than a social one and while you keep the call friendly, you need to stick to your outline and control the call.  Rather than being offended, you hope your customers respect the fact that you are working  in your business.

Use the time to learn about your customers' needs and get their feedback on how you can help to make their lives a little easier.  Make detailed notes.  They may not need your product or service right away, but by really listening to their comments you can offer products or services that meet the needs expressed during the conversation at a later date. Remember to let your customers know how much you appreciate their business and how special they are to you.

———————

Yvonne Jones is a
home-based Entrepreneur and Direct Sales Consultant who works with small business owners and
entrepreneurs to build and maintain relationships with their clients
through regular communication.  To learn more about how this can be
done easily and effectively, visit her website at
http://cardsuccesscircle.com. 

She
also partners with women to develop a skin care program to meet their
specific needs. To learn more, visit her blog at
http://www.yvonneajones.com