As a kid you probably made promises in a carefree manner. You promised to be best friends with someone you just met. You promised never to ask for anything again if your mom would just buy you the one thing you wanted right then. You promised to be on time and probably forgot all about where you were supposed to be and when. If you didn't keep your promises most of the time the consequences were slight, if they were any at all.
As a business owner it's important to keep your promises. Your reputation and the success of your business depend on it. That's why it's important that you, and your employees, don't promise anything you aren't 100% sure you can deliver. Stockpile simple small business inventory solution delivers and we can help you.
It can be tempting to make promises just to close a sale, but if you guarantee something that you can't provide you are going to disappoint your customer in the long run. You may make the sale of the moment, but you will certainly lose out on future business when you get a reputation for being unreliable, or worse untrustworthy.
Keep reading for a list of some of the most common promises and suggestions on what to say instead.
- "We can definitely have it for you by X date." You can only safely say that if you already have the item in stock and have a way to get it to your customer that is solely within your control. The minute you involve outside vendors and shipping companies you introduce a number of variables that you can't control. Instead, let your customer know that you will be ordering the merchandise from an outside vendor and what their estimated production and shipping times are. Keep your customer informed and allow a little leeway to get the item in on time. If there is a problem your customer will be more likely to understand since they knew all along that it wan't entirely in your control. While they might be unhappy about the experience they will likely blame the vendor they don't know and still give your business another chance.
- "It is absolutely compatible with that other item you already have at home." It's fine to say that if you're really sure, but if you're just making assumptions based on information that the customer has volunteered you're really just guessing. Obviously, your customer thinks the item they wish to purchase will work, but they're not sure. They are probably hoping that you will tell them it will so they may unconsciously steer you towards an affirmative response. Never doubt, though, when it doesn't work as expected they will lay the blame solely on you. Only confirm with certainty that one item will work with another if you know this from personal experience or can confirm based on manufacturer specs. Confirm that an item should be compatible, based on what they've told you. Then when it doesn't work they know that you're assertion was based on what they told you and that you provided the best answer given the facts as you knew them.
- "Guaranteed to last." You can promise to replace defective items but you can't promise that they won't break. You'd like to believe that all your customers are careful, conscientious, and above all, honest. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. People can be careless and inflict damage on an otherwise sound item. Speak more about any warranty that your company or the manufacturer provides for items. Reassuring customers that you stand behind everything you sell when not give them peace of mind when purchasing, it also enhances your reputation as a quality business.
Make promises that you can keep. You can promise to deliver high quality products and services. You can promise to provide the highest level of customer service. You can promise to listen to your customers and value their opinions. You can promise to give back to your community. In short, you can promise to be the kind of business they are happy to do business with.
Our Simple Small Business Inventory Solution Delivers on Its Promises
One way to ensure you can keep all those promises is by using Stockpile simple small business inventory solution. Inventory management can be a real headache. Whether you sell goods or services, it is a crucial part of ensuring success. Stockpile simple small business inventory solution makes it easy to track inventory within a single location or across multiple locations. Thanks to areas and locations, you can be very specific about where items are stored. Don't worry about losing track of items. With Stockpile simple small business inventory solution you can quickly and easily access item records, anytime from anywhere. Running reports is a snap. Just a few clicks and you'll have all the details you need regarding inventory right at your fingertips. Once your inventory issues are well in hand you'll have plenty of time to focus on other critical business issues. What are you waiting for? Try Stockpile today!
