Wednesday, April 20, 2011

How to Handle Reputation Management Online

FROM chamberofcommerce.com
03-28-11 - Posted By: Brent Barnhart in Online PR

Handling your business’ reputation in everyday life isn’t always easy. For example, somebody may something negative about your company, whether it’s true or not, and it may get around to few people. On the flip side, it’d be nice to post a notice for the world to see whenever somebody said something positive about your business. Such isolated incidents aren’t easy to spot, but usually don’t mean much to your business’ reputation in the long-run anyway.

The process of managing your reputation online, however, is an entirely different story. Libelous statements are posted for the world to see, and with billions of users online, there are plenty of people out there to trash your business at a moment’s notice. Conversely, the Internet affords many opportunities for your online reputation to shine if people are posting positive comments. Reputation management online is never easy, but is a crucial aspect of online marketing that’s very often overlooked. What are the proper steps for online reputation management, and what can you do to make sure your business remains in a positive light on the web?

Properly handling reputation management online not only makes your business look better to customers, but also to search engines. People looking for services online are heavily dependent on reviews. Think about your own experience online. When you have the choice between a business rated five stars on Google Places versus a business rated only two stars, which do you choose? You’re not in the clear if you have no reviews, either, as this may present your business as being unknown or perhaps inexperienced. For this reason, your business needs reviews. It’s wise to solicit reviews yourself as part of your online reputation management strategy, whether through an email or telling your customers directly after they’ve used your service. While you may only get a few people to actually write something about your company, it only takes a couple of reviews to create value for your business online.

What about bad reviews? People do generally love to complain over the Internet, so don’t be appalled if you get a bad rating during your quest for more reviewers. Some sites such as Yelp allow the owners of a business to respond to negative reviews, and doing so shows that you care enough about your company to take the time to defend it. Some issues, however, are better dealt with privately rather than publicly.
For example, if someone has a bad experience at your restaurant and they complain about an issue concerning a particular employee should probably be dealt with in private. A simple message to the customer to email you about the issue is sufficient.

Complaints that can be dealt with publicly usually involve some sort of misunderstanding, such as if a reviewer makes a claim that is either untrue or can quickly be refuted by facts. For example, if a reviewer complains that you were closed on a holiday or quotes your prices incorrectly and says that they’re unfair, you can set them straight publicly. Always be cordial, though, and offer them some sort of consolation or discount to your service so that they’ll be inclined to buy from you again. Doing this also makes you look humble in the public eye. Reputation management online can take some work and time to master, but it’s worth it in the long run.

As a side note, it’s not uncommon to see businesses leave spam and negative reviews on their competitors’ pages. Never do this, even if it’s been done to you. Almost all review sites allow you and other users to flag such reviews as spam, and anything that’s overly inflammatory will be dealt with accordingly. Also remember that some people just can’t be pleased and negative reviews will happen. Sometimes you may be unable to respond to a review. Don’t dwell on it. As long as you have an online reputation management strategy in place and solicit reviews from your satisfied customers, you’ll get plenty of positive feedback over time.

Additional outlets where you can monitor your reputation online include Facebook and Twitter. Social Media presents an interesting opportunity in that you can directly respond to anyone who mentions your business, positive or negative. A simple “thank you” comment or tweet is sufficient when somebody says something positive, there’s no need to go out of your way to message them privately for every compliment. Follow the same rules stated above in regards to responding to criticism.

Google aggregates a bulk of your reviews across the web, so having a well-reviewed and optimized Google Places page can do wonders for your business in its quest to improve its reputation. You should have a strategy in place for reputation management online, but as you make yourself aware of what people are saying about your business, don’t completely obsess over it. By submitting your business to small business directory sites to be reviewed and having plenty of positive feedback, your business and its reputation online will shine.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Increasing Sales to Small Businesses

From: chamberofcommerce.com

The phrase “time is money” has been embedded into the minds of professionals, especially in the corporate world. Coincidentally, time and money are key components in selling to small businesses. There is a significant difference between selling to large corporations versus small business sales, although some commonalities do exist and both present challenges in their own way. Keep reading to discover how to sell to small business owners, while keeping it simple and being successful!

What it Takes

Large and small businesses have two major commonalities when it comes to your ability to sell: they require a great deal of patience and both have limited budgets. Large businesses can take a lot of time to maneuver through for different reasons, including being able to find the right department, the right manager or getting in contact with the ultimate decision maker. That being said, patience is also necessary when selling to small business owners, however for different reasons.

A small business owner does not usually want to make a decision right away, which often makes the process drawn out over a longer period of time than necessary. The small businesses owner may need more time to round up money before making a purchase or simply be too busy to pursue any type of merchandise or service you are selling.

It’s no secret that small businesses have limited budgets, but why would large corporations have to worry about monetary constraints? Well, the truth is both have to deal with this challenge because they amount to the same issue: buying one thing means they are not buying something else.


Small Business Sale Strategies

In order to speak the small business person vernacular, you have to understand how small business owners think and why they make the decisions they do. Large businesses have a lot of help to get things accomplished, from assistants to co-workers and even legal representation. However, you have to understand that the vast majority of small businesses are one-person shops. Therefore, small business owners often play multiple roles within their company, including president, receptionist, bookkeeping clerk, director of marketing etc. As a result, they are burdened with too much to think about and do.

In terms of expenditures, there is a significant qualitative difference to consider for small businesses. It’s not exactly common for small businesses to consistently receive a biweekly paycheck. If new business is not continually generated, the mortgage may go unpaid, and if small businesses experience a bad month, the employees are also affected. Therefore, cash-flow is a big issue for small business owners.

So, where does all this information leave you as a seller to small business owners? The two major points you have to understand and overcome when pursuing small business sales is lack of time and lack of money. Consequently, the key to selling to small businesses is the ability to show them how the products/services in question will save them both time and money. There are also other selling points to consider, including building rapport with the small business owner and putting yourself in their shoes to better understand how decisions are made from a buyer’s standpoint.