At one point or another, every business will experience a sudden loss of customers. You might be confused as to why this is happening. After all, your product or service hasn’t changed nor has your marketing strategy. So what could be causing such a disruption within your business? The fact is that there could be a number of reasons why this is happening. The following list explores a few of the most common issues that tend to drive away customers from your business.
Hard to Contact
One of the competitive advantages that a small business has is that it can easily speak with each customer and truly provide him or her with a great experience. However, when your contact information is difficult to find, it can be a very frustrating moment for your customers. When it’s difficult for customers to find your contact information, it makes it look like you don’t care or that you’re up to something illegal. Any potential clients who may have wanted to order from you would simply go to the competition. When it comes to this information, make it a point to post it as often as you can, anywhere you can. This may include on a business card, your doors, the phone book, Google, and wherever else your clients may be looking.
Difficult Website
A common mistake made by small business owners is thinking that simply getting the customer onto the website is enough to encourage him or her to buy. That is, unfortunately, not true. Even after the customer has reached your website, he or she may still need to navigate it to find his or her desired product and/or service. This can be very difficult for visitors if they can’t even find the search feature on your website. Making your website difficult to navigate can easily discourage potential customers from moving forward with their intended purchases. The checkout process is also another crucial element of your website. Refining the checkout experience helps ensure that customers finish their purchases. This means providing a variety of payment methods as well as making the process as short as possible, which can be accomplished through an address autocomplete feature.
Constant Selling
When customers or clients come to you, it’s most likely because they like your products or services. You are essentially solving a problem they have. However, when you exchange one problem for another, it can quickly lead customers to leave. So what could you possibly be doing that’s a problem? You may be overbearing with your sales tactics. This is not to say that you shouldn’t pitch new services to your customers, but when you become more of an annoyance rather than an asset, it can quickly lead to them going with the competition. So before you go on advertising those cool, new products you’re coming out with, just make sure they are happy with your current offerings first.
The bottom line is that customers are rarely, if ever, going to tell you why they are leaving. Therefore, it is your responsibility as a business owner to get to the bottom of it as fast as possible. Include the list of mistakes posted above to begin forming your theories and making sure they are eliminated.
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