Your customers are waiting for you to catch up

My hot water heater is on the fritz. I'm afraid it is long past time to replace so last night I searched online for a company to service it. The water heater has been so bad for so long I'm really serious about replacing and if I had found a company that allowed me to obtain an estimate and schedule an appointment online and they were reasonably priced, they would have had a sale for no additional work.

I like doing business this way---it saves a bunch of time and phone calls---back and forth and missed. It's easier to plan for my expense-----maybe the cost will be so much that I need to limp along with my old one for another month.

The only problem is that not one company came up with a website in my area. I'm a customer who is waiting for a company to fill a need. And there are at least 5 small businesses in my immediate area that missed an opportunity last night.

What are other customers doing? Probably going to a big box store....      

Current Customers and your Website

Your website, email and newsletter lists, and social media are ways to be in constant contact with your customers. It's out of sight out of mind when your customer is not in your physical location. And these days people are so busy they are not going to be thinking of your business much on their own.

Encouraging use of your website and social media allows customers to discover immediately when you bring out a new product line. If that customer takes the new product home and has a question regarding the use, information on the website can provide a timely solution that produces more satisfaction with the product.

And, of course, more satisfaction can translate into more sales. Keeping customers satisfied and excited about your offerings is also easier online. Your business is not only vying for business from competitors but also the customer's time and interest in your very products.

Does your customer spend time with a video game or a more creative product like a sewing machine? Does the sewing machine go into the closet in lieu of a big screen television? Only you and your marketing can keep your product out in front of your customer. Making it easy, immensely more interesting, and exciting to visit your business over and over again.

Why bring your business to the web?

Over the past week I've spent a lot of time promoting my business to local businesses in an attempt to drum up some business in this somewhat tough economic climate.

I don't know that I've made any sales, but I have located some local sources for products that I might have purchased over the internet because I was unable to find them locally from an internet search.

My local grocery quit carrying an herb that I like to use in my cooking, savory. Preferring to buy local produce when available, I'd been searching all over for the tasty seasoning. I started my search on the internet. Performing a search on my home city, Valparaiso, Indiana and herbs/savory. I tried both Google and Bing, and with no results, I searched Yahoo. The closest place I found was a business in Ohio. I bookmarked the site and decided to search locally on foot.

Most people today would order from the online source if a local business does not appear on the search. Last week I found the local business, that just happened to carry other items that I had been looking for also.

Turns out that the business had been there for years but I would have missed it had I not been our promoting my services. And that is why your business needs to be on the web.