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Casual Articles - Ten On-Page Website Credibility Builders for Your Customer
EBay dominates the consumer purchasing world for internet savvy people but there are still a lot of people who make mistakes and don’t get the bargains they should. Many of my friends and colleagues had still not used eBay (nor did they know how to) until I give them a few tips on how to get the best prices. For anyone who is an eBay king / queen there’s no need to read on, for anyone who is not… just 3 tips which could make a big difference:P.S. You’ll have to register (or log in if you have already registered) to have access to some of the functionality I will talk about. Buying on eBay1. Never enter your maximum bid at the startWhen you enter your maximum bid eBay will initially just show the lowest amount which puts you in a winning position. But the problem with entering your maximum amount so early is that you can get impulse buyers who are prepared to pay quite high to get the item they are bidding on. When they enter their bid and eBay comes back with the message saying that they have been outbid they will keep entering higher figures until they hold the maximum bid. The result of this is that you are quickly out bid and the chance of a bargain is gone.2. Be patientPatience is the name of the game, there is excitement in online auctions and a real sense of achievement when you win the auction. But don’t let that excitement get the better of you, and avoid the ego trip in trying to win all the auctions you take part in.If you know exactly what you’re looking for, use the ’Advanced Search’ option under the search bar. Enter the item description and tick the box for ’Completed listings only’.
Having your telephone number and contact details on every single webpage will build credibility. The reason is that it gives customers the ability to call you easily. If you try to hide away from your customers you will loose sales. One thing to make sure though is that in most countries they have a Free Call Number system like 1800 etc, which many overseas people cannot access, so you need to make sure that you also include your international number as well. Many times I have gone to ring a number in the United States from Australia only to find that I cannot do so because their 1800 number blocks overseas calls, which means if I bought something from this supplier, I would have know way of talking to them directly. I can assure you; these sites do not get my business.
One word of caution, there are some people out there who will simply ring you to say they hate your products and would never buy from you for any number of reasons. In those cases simply ignore those people. Everybody in business gets those calls, it is nothing unique (if you have a really crappy product then you deserve it) there are just simply some people out there who are just rude, so I do recommend growing a thick skin.
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
Privacy has become a big issue for everyone on the Internet. Having a clearly articulated privacy policy is a major benefit from the consumer's point of view as it tells them where they stand when it comes to their privacy on information stored on your website. I have also seen a few pieces of information lurking around which basically states that having a privacy policy may help your search engine position. I do not know how true that is, it might be, but from a consumer's perspective, it helps build credibility that you are a quality website provider.
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
Please put up your hands if you have bought something on the internet which does not work and you cannot find a way to send it back to the website owner or get a refund? As I look out my windows I see millions of people who have their hands up. This is one of my pet peeves at the moment. I recently bought some software to convert WMA audio files to MP
The environment of your workplace is vital to employee satisfaction, reduction of turnover, and productivity. It is also vital to the legal stability of your business. A hostile work environment can be the basis for many types of employee complaints and causes of legal action. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lists as a basis for employee complaints the existence of a “hostile work environment.” The creation or continuation of a hostile workplace environment can be the beginning of a legal quagmire of lawsuits, wrongful termination suits, and discrimination complaints. The atmosphere of a harsh and antagonistic workplace can be a death sentence for your business.One of the biggest factors affecting hostility in the workplace is inequity and selective discipline. Employees frequently site favoritism and unfairness as their reasons for discomfort and intimidation at work. It can also be the basis for proving a pattern of discrimination in your workplace. It is essential for all managers to apply coaching and discipline in an equitable fashion. Once employee standards are established, infractions of these standards must be applied fairly and without bias. Failure to hold workers accountable to employee standards of conduct and behavior in a consistent manner will lead to accusations of bias and favoritism. The consequences of such accusations are far reaching and will affect management credibility at all levels of your organization.Establishing a written and clear code of employee conduct is only the first step in good human resource management. This written policy is only as good as the enforcement of its standards. Just as your personnel policies were written
I am quite sure you will know some of these ten on-page elements but there are others you may have thought about but never done anything about. So let us begin …
#1 - Have a Clear Guarantee
Every Internet marketing guru or business coach will tell you that you must have a clear guarantee. Essentially a guarantee is simply a document that states to the customer that you standby your product or you will give the customer their money back. Many internet websites have guarantees, but very few in my experience will actually standby the guarantee but I will talk about that more in element number 10.
One other element about a guarantee is to make it believable. If it is not believable then nobody is going to buy from you. Let me explain …
A few years ago I ran a campaign through my training company that a brand new intensive training program we had developed would get you a job within one month or we would hire you ourselves. Now I want to say, to this day, I standby that guarantee, but in reality the campaign was a total flop because nobody actually believed we were serious. In fact what happened was that most of the recruitment agencies actually called us asking us what positions we had available and could they fill them for us. These guys totally missed the point!
The bottom line is that if you are going to have a guarantee then it must be believable. If it is not then you have absolutely no hope of making a sale.
#2 - Verifiable Testimonials
Testimonials are everywhere on the internet. Just about every single sales site has at least one testimonial but most of them are non-verifiable. What I mean by verifiable is that there is no mechanism to prove whether that person really exists or if they really do support that product. In fact, when I started thinking about this article, I found five websites on-line and contacted them to verify their testimonials. That is I rang them and asked them how I could get into contact with the people giving their testimonials. Guess what, most of them said they no longer stay in contact with those people or the testimonials were not real. The word … BUSTED comes to mind!
There are few ways you can create Verifiable Testimonials. One is to have the person do a video on your website and then host that video. Lots of companies do that now. The second way is to ask the person who is giving you the testimonial if they will put a single Testimonial webpage on their website. That's right. Their testimonial is confirmed by you providing a link to their website that basically says they do endorse the product. What this means is that your customers can check to see if the persons website that is offering the testimonial is real and if they are the actual owners of the website (Note that you can the owners of the website using - whois) and not just a setup.
Way to many internet businesses are to lazy to get verifiable testimonials and put fake ones on their websites. A word of warning to all those doing this, it will come back and bite you.
#3 - Join Your Local - Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau
Remember, if you are looking for credibility then join the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. Most Chamber of Commerce organisations actually have programs now where when you join as a member then you are allowed to show their logo on your website to prove you are a member. One of the reasons this is a good practice is because most organisations like the Chamber of Commerce have a Business Code of Practice that they require all members to follow and 90% of those organisations enforce that code of practice. If you do not follow it, you can find yourself booted out as a member and on a banned list on their website.
A word of warning, do not put a logo onto your website were you are not a member, especially a logo from the Better Business Bureau. Whilst I was going through the research for this article, I wanted to check out a few sites and see if they really were Better Business Bureau members and guess what, they weren't so remember, the key advantage to you as a member is people can verify that you are a member and legit. Remember the downside is that if you are not a member they can also verify that as well and you will lose the sale.
#4 - Register with Certified Companies like - Thawte, Alexa
Anything with the word Certified in it, will always make consumers feel more comfortable. For example if you run a website that does credit card transactions then it is mandatory to have a digital certificate issued by a reputable company like Thawte. Companies like this run a very strict Certification program where you can use a Certified Logo on your website to prove to consumers you have been checked out.
My organisation has used Thawte in the past and we went through a lot of checks and balances to make them comfortable that we were legit. This included having to provide information like our companies Certificate of Incorporation as well as the team at Thawte visiting Australian Government websites like the ACCC to prove we were who we said we were and a properly registered companies.
Companies like Thawte have put these mechanisms into place, to ensure that consumers can trust those they provide digital certificates for their ecommerce systems.
#5 - Use Trackable Shipping Companies
In some countries like Australia, using trackable shipping companies to ship overseas can be cost preventative. But where ever possible I recommend using Trackable Shipping Companies like Fedex, DHL, EMS, Australian Air Express etc. The reason for this is that your customers know that if you are dealing with companies like this then you are more likely to be legit and apart from that, if you tell them the con note number then they will feel more comfortable in knowing they are actually going to get the parcel and when, because they can visit the shipping companies site to see it has actually left your shipping centre.
When I buy from overseas most of my suppliers use Fedex and I love watching where my product is in the shipping process plus it makes me more comfortable that they have actually sent the product.
#6 - Use Trusted Credit Card Handling Companies like PayPal
Some banks and credit card handling companies run a certification program for their merchants. For example the National Australia Bank in Australia ran a program that certified merchants who used their internet credit card processing system provided a program where the merchant could use a specially developed National Certified logo on their website to prove they were a quality merchant. Many banks around the world now run similar programs as well. I will say though that the cost to join this program are quite astronomical and when I first looked into it you have to pay $300 per month plus a percentage of sales which were very high.
There are more economical ways to get this sort of system, with virtually no monthly fees like PayPal. PayPal now owned by ebay has become the sudo standard for credit card purchases on the internet and with their Customer Protection Policy it gives buyers a level of comfort in buying from you. The cool part about this service is that it costs absolutely nothing to join and their merchant fees are pretty much inline with most standard merchant facilities.
An added bonus is that you can put a PayPal logo on your website so that people know they will be going through a quality organisation.
#7 - Provide Live Support Online
Live Online Support has been around for about 5 years now. I first purchased my online support system about 3 years ago and I can definitely attribute about 30 to 40 percent of my sales to this tool. Essentially the way the system works is that you have a logo on your webpage which states whether Live Support is available and when you click on the logo a small screen opens that allows you to talk to an operator. Essentially the system allows you to check out about the merchant and talk to their operators like you would say on a phone.
From the consumers point of view, the live support system gives them confidence in knowing that the service you offer is legit and there are people actually running the service. More so, they feel comfortable there is a way to actually contact you if something goes wrong or they are not happy with your products, which leads me to point eight.
#8 - Have your telephone number and contact details on every page of your website
Having your telephone number and contact details on every single webpage will build credibility. The reason is that it gives customers the ability to call you easily. If you try to hide away from your customers you will loose sales. One thing to make sure though is that in most countries they have a Free Call Number system like 1800 etc, which many overseas people cannot access, so you need to make sure that you also include your international number as well. Many times I have gone to ring a number in the United States from Australia only to find that I cannot do so because their 1800 number blocks overseas calls, which means if I bought something from this supplier, I would have know way of talking to them directly. I can assure you; these sites do not get my business.
One word of caution, there are some people out there who will simply ring you to say they hate your products and would never buy from you for any number of reasons. In those cases simply ignore those people. Everybody in business gets those calls, it is nothing unique (if you have a really crappy product then you deserve it) there are just simply some people out there who are just rude, so I do recommend growing a thick skin.
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
Privacy has become a big issue for everyone on the Internet. Having a clearly articulated privacy policy is a major benefit from the consumer's point of view as it tells them where they stand when it comes to their privacy on information stored on your website. I have also seen a few pieces of information lurking around which basically states that having a privacy policy may help your search engine position. I do not know how true that is, it might be, but from a consumer's perspective, it helps build credibility that you are a quality website provider.
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
Please put up your hands if you have bought something on the internet which does not work and you cannot find a way to send it back to the website owner or get a refund? As I look out my windows I see millions of people who have their hands up. This is one of my pet peeves at the moment. I recently bought some software to convert WMA audio files to MP
Using SEO is a great way to get traffic to one’s blog. It can seem like a nightmare when one tries to learn SEO from scratch, but after a while, SEO becomes as easy as a few simple daily tasks. The basics of SEO tell us we need to build links, but how many do we need? The amount of links needed to bring a site to the top of search engines depends on the competition of the phrases one targets.One can simply dominate low Competition key phrases with ease through a bit of link building and anchor text optimization. To accomplish this, one must first start with research. Research is the key to any project on the net. Many believe they can begin an online business without research, but this is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make. To begin research, use a tool like wordtracker, the adwords key word tool, or the Yahoo overture tool. Do a basic search of key words in one’s niche and take down a list of the most searched with the least competition.To further one’s research, one can use sites such as Yahoo answers, forums, blogs, online news, and more. The possibilities are endless on the internet. Actually, a topic with a large amount of research resources is a sign the niche has some profit in it.The next step is to right the article. The title should be related to the best of your key phrases. This article must also be written with at least 250 words. The more words written, the more key phrases in the article, the better chance it will be found in search engines.The final element of the article is the Bio. The main benefit of the bio is that it contains links to your site. One must place 2 links in the bio maximum. One link must be of the site in plain URL form becau
There are few ways you can create Verifiable Testimonials. One is to have the person do a video on your website and then host that video. Lots of companies do that now. The second way is to ask the person who is giving you the testimonial if they will put a single Testimonial webpage on their website. That's right. Their testimonial is confirmed by you providing a link to their website that basically says they do endorse the product. What this means is that your customers can check to see if the persons website that is offering the testimonial is real and if they are the actual owners of the website (Note that you can the owners of the website using - whois) and not just a setup.
Way to many internet businesses are to lazy to get verifiable testimonials and put fake ones on their websites. A word of warning to all those doing this, it will come back and bite you.
#3 - Join Your Local - Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau
Remember, if you are looking for credibility then join the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. Most Chamber of Commerce organisations actually have programs now where when you join as a member then you are allowed to show their logo on your website to prove you are a member. One of the reasons this is a good practice is because most organisations like the Chamber of Commerce have a Business Code of Practice that they require all members to follow and 90% of those organisations enforce that code of practice. If you do not follow it, you can find yourself booted out as a member and on a banned list on their website.
A word of warning, do not put a logo onto your website were you are not a member, especially a logo from the Better Business Bureau. Whilst I was going through the research for this article, I wanted to check out a few sites and see if they really were Better Business Bureau members and guess what, they weren't so remember, the key advantage to you as a member is people can verify that you are a member and legit. Remember the downside is that if you are not a member they can also verify that as well and you will lose the sale.
#4 - Register with Certified Companies like - Thawte, Alexa
Anything with the word Certified in it, will always make consumers feel more comfortable. For example if you run a website that does credit card transactions then it is mandatory to have a digital certificate issued by a reputable company like Thawte. Companies like this run a very strict Certification program where you can use a Certified Logo on your website to prove to consumers you have been checked out.
My organisation has used Thawte in the past and we went through a lot of checks and balances to make them comfortable that we were legit. This included having to provide information like our companies Certificate of Incorporation as well as the team at Thawte visiting Australian Government websites like the ACCC to prove we were who we said we were and a properly registered companies.
Companies like Thawte have put these mechanisms into place, to ensure that consumers can trust those they provide digital certificates for their ecommerce systems.
#5 - Use Trackable Shipping Companies
In some countries like Australia, using trackable shipping companies to ship overseas can be cost preventative. But where ever possible I recommend using Trackable Shipping Companies like Fedex, DHL, EMS, Australian Air Express etc. The reason for this is that your customers know that if you are dealing with companies like this then you are more likely to be legit and apart from that, if you tell them the con note number then they will feel more comfortable in knowing they are actually going to get the parcel and when, because they can visit the shipping companies site to see it has actually left your shipping centre.
When I buy from overseas most of my suppliers use Fedex and I love watching where my product is in the shipping process plus it makes me more comfortable that they have actually sent the product.
#6 - Use Trusted Credit Card Handling Companies like PayPal
Some banks and credit card handling companies run a certification program for their merchants. For example the National Australia Bank in Australia ran a program that certified merchants who used their internet credit card processing system provided a program where the merchant could use a specially developed National Certified logo on their website to prove they were a quality merchant. Many banks around the world now run similar programs as well. I will say though that the cost to join this program are quite astronomical and when I first looked into it you have to pay $300 per month plus a percentage of sales which were very high.
There are more economical ways to get this sort of system, with virtually no monthly fees like PayPal. PayPal now owned by ebay has become the sudo standard for credit card purchases on the internet and with their Customer Protection Policy it gives buyers a level of comfort in buying from you. The cool part about this service is that it costs absolutely nothing to join and their merchant fees are pretty much inline with most standard merchant facilities.
An added bonus is that you can put a PayPal logo on your website so that people know they will be going through a quality organisation.
#7 - Provide Live Support Online
Live Online Support has been around for about 5 years now. I first purchased my online support system about 3 years ago and I can definitely attribute about 30 to 40 percent of my sales to this tool. Essentially the way the system works is that you have a logo on your webpage which states whether Live Support is available and when you click on the logo a small screen opens that allows you to talk to an operator. Essentially the system allows you to check out about the merchant and talk to their operators like you would say on a phone.
From the consumers point of view, the live support system gives them confidence in knowing that the service you offer is legit and there are people actually running the service. More so, they feel comfortable there is a way to actually contact you if something goes wrong or they are not happy with your products, which leads me to point eight.
#8 - Have your telephone number and contact details on every page of your website
Having your telephone number and contact details on every single webpage will build credibility. The reason is that it gives customers the ability to call you easily. If you try to hide away from your customers you will loose sales. One thing to make sure though is that in most countries they have a Free Call Number system like 1800 etc, which many overseas people cannot access, so you need to make sure that you also include your international number as well. Many times I have gone to ring a number in the United States from Australia only to find that I cannot do so because their 1800 number blocks overseas calls, which means if I bought something from this supplier, I would have know way of talking to them directly. I can assure you; these sites do not get my business.
One word of caution, there are some people out there who will simply ring you to say they hate your products and would never buy from you for any number of reasons. In those cases simply ignore those people. Everybody in business gets those calls, it is nothing unique (if you have a really crappy product then you deserve it) there are just simply some people out there who are just rude, so I do recommend growing a thick skin.
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
Privacy has become a big issue for everyone on the Internet. Having a clearly articulated privacy policy is a major benefit from the consumer's point of view as it tells them where they stand when it comes to their privacy on information stored on your website. I have also seen a few pieces of information lurking around which basically states that having a privacy policy may help your search engine position. I do not know how true that is, it might be, but from a consumer's perspective, it helps build credibility that you are a quality website provider.
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
Please put up your hands if you have bought something on the internet which does not work and you cannot find a way to send it back to the website owner or get a refund? As I look out my windows I see millions of people who have their hands up. This is one of my pet peeves at the moment. I recently bought some software to convert WMA audio files to MP
A joint venture is a profitable business arrangement in which two people combine their talents, products, skills etc. in order for both to produce two streams of income. It happens constantly in the retail business, the movie industry, and the restaurant business to name a few. People should not be hesitant to use this technique because everyone benefits.How to do this:1.Contact potential joint venture partnerships personally not through e-mail. This kind of meeting will lend credibility to your proposition. Furthermore, you’re more likely to be successful this way because You can discuss any hesitations, that the other party may have, immediately.2. Begin by explaining how it is a win-win situation for both sides. If the other person doesn’t believe this will increase the bottom line, why should he waste time listening to you? When doing this be sure to discuss the benefits of backend sales. Once a customer buys once (s)he is more likely to make another purchase immediately. Don’t hesitate to request a fair percentage. The other person’s sales will increase also drastically. They will keep all of the profits from backend sales.3. Discuss your product and offer a sample so (s)he can experience its worth and how it will make their customers more interested in making the purchase. This will make the sell easier and they’ll understand exactly how it will enhance their own image and result in additional sales.4. Explain that you are willing to offer your product at a discount since combining the two resources will actually increase profits in the long run since you will sell more. The partner can improve his image because (s)he worked hard to reach this deal.s and see if they really were Better Business Bureau members and guess what, they weren't so remember, the key advantage to you as a member is people can verify that you are a member and legit. Remember the downside is that if you are not a member they can also verify that as well and you will lose the sale.
#4 - Register with Certified Companies like - Thawte, Alexa
Anything with the word Certified in it, will always make consumers feel more comfortable. For example if you run a website that does credit card transactions then it is mandatory to have a digital certificate issued by a reputable company like Thawte. Companies like this run a very strict Certification program where you can use a Certified Logo on your website to prove to consumers you have been checked out.
My organisation has used Thawte in the past and we went through a lot of checks and balances to make them comfortable that we were legit. This included having to provide information like our companies Certificate of Incorporation as well as the team at Thawte visiting Australian Government websites like the ACCC to prove we were who we said we were and a properly registered companies.
Companies like Thawte have put these mechanisms into place, to ensure that consumers can trust those they provide digital certificates for their ecommerce systems.
#5 - Use Trackable Shipping Companies
In some countries like Australia, using trackable shipping companies to ship overseas can be cost preventative. But where ever possible I recommend using Trackable Shipping Companies like Fedex, DHL, EMS, Australian Air Express etc. The reason for this is that your customers know that if you are dealing with companies like this then you are more likely to be legit and apart from that, if you tell them the con note number then they will feel more comfortable in knowing they are actually going to get the parcel and when, because they can visit the shipping companies site to see it has actually left your shipping centre.
When I buy from overseas most of my suppliers use Fedex and I love watching where my product is in the shipping process plus it makes me more comfortable that they have actually sent the product.
#6 - Use Trusted Credit Card Handling Companies like PayPal
Some banks and credit card handling companies run a certification program for their merchants. For example the National Australia Bank in Australia ran a program that certified merchants who used their internet credit card processing system provided a program where the merchant could use a specially developed National Certified logo on their website to prove they were a quality merchant. Many banks around the world now run similar programs as well. I will say though that the cost to join this program are quite astronomical and when I first looked into it you have to pay $300 per month plus a percentage of sales which were very high.
There are more economical ways to get this sort of system, with virtually no monthly fees like PayPal. PayPal now owned by ebay has become the sudo standard for credit card purchases on the internet and with their Customer Protection Policy it gives buyers a level of comfort in buying from you. The cool part about this service is that it costs absolutely nothing to join and their merchant fees are pretty much inline with most standard merchant facilities.
An added bonus is that you can put a PayPal logo on your website so that people know they will be going through a quality organisation.
#7 - Provide Live Support Online
Live Online Support has been around for about 5 years now. I first purchased my online support system about 3 years ago and I can definitely attribute about 30 to 40 percent of my sales to this tool. Essentially the way the system works is that you have a logo on your webpage which states whether Live Support is available and when you click on the logo a small screen opens that allows you to talk to an operator. Essentially the system allows you to check out about the merchant and talk to their operators like you would say on a phone.
From the consumers point of view, the live support system gives them confidence in knowing that the service you offer is legit and there are people actually running the service. More so, they feel comfortable there is a way to actually contact you if something goes wrong or they are not happy with your products, which leads me to point eight.
#8 - Have your telephone number and contact details on every page of your website
Having your telephone number and contact details on every single webpage will build credibility. The reason is that it gives customers the ability to call you easily. If you try to hide away from your customers you will loose sales. One thing to make sure though is that in most countries they have a Free Call Number system like 1800 etc, which many overseas people cannot access, so you need to make sure that you also include your international number as well. Many times I have gone to ring a number in the United States from Australia only to find that I cannot do so because their 1800 number blocks overseas calls, which means if I bought something from this supplier, I would have know way of talking to them directly. I can assure you; these sites do not get my business.
One word of caution, there are some people out there who will simply ring you to say they hate your products and would never buy from you for any number of reasons. In those cases simply ignore those people. Everybody in business gets those calls, it is nothing unique (if you have a really crappy product then you deserve it) there are just simply some people out there who are just rude, so I do recommend growing a thick skin.
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
Privacy has become a big issue for everyone on the Internet. Having a clearly articulated privacy policy is a major benefit from the consumer's point of view as it tells them where they stand when it comes to their privacy on information stored on your website. I have also seen a few pieces of information lurking around which basically states that having a privacy policy may help your search engine position. I do not know how true that is, it might be, but from a consumer's perspective, it helps build credibility that you are a quality website provider.
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
Please put up your hands if you have bought something on the internet which does not work and you cannot find a way to send it back to the website owner or get a refund? As I look out my windows I see millions of people who have their hands up. This is one of my pet peeves at the moment. I recently bought some software to convert WMA audio files to MP
By now, you must have heard that many people are using the Internet everyday to make some part time or full time income working at home. There are several methods which you can use to generate some cash online. The common ones are placing Adsense on your websites, affiliate marketing, doing paid surveys, blogging, eBay etc. However, there are really some other unique ways to earn money online which are lesser known to people. They are pretty profitable and can give you a full time income. Here are 3 other methods:#1: Offering ConsultationDo you know that offering a consultation is one of the easiest ways to make money online? It requires very little capital get started. For example, if you have deep understanding at astrology, you can set up your own horoscope site and offer both free and paid readings to your customers.If they like your free "basic" stuffs, mostly likely they will upgrade and would pay you to have a more personal consultation. Other consultations may include feng-shui, landscape gardening, relationships etc. The lists are endless if you know how to monetize them. The only set back is that you need to have a skill or specialized knowledge to consults others.#2: Writing articlesDon't be mistaken. I never ask you to become an author and you don't need to have very good writing skills. As long as you can write simple English with good flow, no grammar mistakes and for around 250-600 words, you are qualified. There are a lot of internet marketers who are willing to pay $3-$8 for a single article. The topics can range from business to fish rearing.The amazing thing is, you don't need to be an expert in those areas for you to write articles for
Some banks and credit card handling companies run a certification program for their merchants. For example the National Australia Bank in Australia ran a program that certified merchants who used their internet credit card processing system provided a program where the merchant could use a specially developed National Certified logo on their website to prove they were a quality merchant. Many banks around the world now run similar programs as well. I will say though that the cost to join this program are quite astronomical and when I first looked into it you have to pay $300 per month plus a percentage of sales which were very high.
There are more economical ways to get this sort of system, with virtually no monthly fees like PayPal. PayPal now owned by ebay has become the sudo standard for credit card purchases on the internet and with their Customer Protection Policy it gives buyers a level of comfort in buying from you. The cool part about this service is that it costs absolutely nothing to join and their merchant fees are pretty much inline with most standard merchant facilities.
An added bonus is that you can put a PayPal logo on your website so that people know they will be going through a quality organisation.
#7 - Provide Live Support Online
Live Online Support has been around for about 5 years now. I first purchased my online support system about 3 years ago and I can definitely attribute about 30 to 40 percent of my sales to this tool. Essentially the way the system works is that you have a logo on your webpage which states whether Live Support is available and when you click on the logo a small screen opens that allows you to talk to an operator. Essentially the system allows you to check out about the merchant and talk to their operators like you would say on a phone.
From the consumers point of view, the live support system gives them confidence in knowing that the service you offer is legit and there are people actually running the service. More so, they feel comfortable there is a way to actually contact you if something goes wrong or they are not happy with your products, which leads me to point eight.
#8 - Have your telephone number and contact details on every page of your website
Having your telephone number and contact details on every single webpage will build credibility. The reason is that it gives customers the ability to call you easily. If you try to hide away from your customers you will loose sales. One thing to make sure though is that in most countries they have a Free Call Number system like 1800 etc, which many overseas people cannot access, so you need to make sure that you also include your international number as well. Many times I have gone to ring a number in the United States from Australia only to find that I cannot do so because their 1800 number blocks overseas calls, which means if I bought something from this supplier, I would have know way of talking to them directly. I can assure you; these sites do not get my business.
One word of caution, there are some people out there who will simply ring you to say they hate your products and would never buy from you for any number of reasons. In those cases simply ignore those people. Everybody in business gets those calls, it is nothing unique (if you have a really crappy product then you deserve it) there are just simply some people out there who are just rude, so I do recommend growing a thick skin.
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
Privacy has become a big issue for everyone on the Internet. Having a clearly articulated privacy policy is a major benefit from the consumer's point of view as it tells them where they stand when it comes to their privacy on information stored on your website. I have also seen a few pieces of information lurking around which basically states that having a privacy policy may help your search engine position. I do not know how true that is, it might be, but from a consumer's perspective, it helps build credibility that you are a quality website provider.
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
Please put up your hands if you have bought something on the internet which does not work and you cannot find a way to send it back to the website owner or get a refund? As I look out my windows I see millions of people who have their hands up. This is one of my pet peeves at the moment. I recently bought some software to convert WMA audio files to MP
Today's technology has many advantages and a great many disadvantages. I often wonder how our society survived without a mobile telephone. I wonder how I survived without the Internet. I was connected when Prodigy was first introduced on the scene. The pharmaceutical company for which I worked provided a laptop to help me manage my territory or I may have not been so well connected.One disadvantage of a mobile telephone is the lack of telephone etiquette. People seem to have no manners when talking on their phones. Personally, I do not care to hear another person's conversation. If I'm having dinner alone in a restaurant, I believe I am having more fun than a family whose parent (usually the Father) is interrupted by a call and does not tell the caller about the personal family time he's having but continues to talk on the phone. Of course, it's not my business. I have no idea the understanding that exists between those family members. I do know the call is about business because people tend to talk extremely loud when talking on their mobile phones. That really annoys me.I have addressed my leisure time away from the workplace where I have observed others and their inconsideration to the general public. At the workplace, impoliteness and rudeness to others when on the phone or not, is totally unacceptable from employees. Since I am a trainer and consultant, I find it extremely difficult minding my own business when I hear conversations employees have with customers, clients or patients. I think of the many opportunities I have to offer assistance to the companies who have not made the connection between untrained employees in the area of proper telephone etiquette (or any area if t
Having your telephone number and contact details on every single webpage will build credibility. The reason is that it gives customers the ability to call you easily. If you try to hide away from your customers you will loose sales. One thing to make sure though is that in most countries they have a Free Call Number system like 1800 etc, which many overseas people cannot access, so you need to make sure that you also include your international number as well. Many times I have gone to ring a number in the United States from Australia only to find that I cannot do so because their 1800 number blocks overseas calls, which means if I bought something from this supplier, I would have know way of talking to them directly. I can assure you; these sites do not get my business.
One word of caution, there are some people out there who will simply ring you to say they hate your products and would never buy from you for any number of reasons. In those cases simply ignore those people. Everybody in business gets those calls, it is nothing unique (if you have a really crappy product then you deserve it) there are just simply some people out there who are just rude, so I do recommend growing a thick skin.
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
Privacy has become a big issue for everyone on the Internet. Having a clearly articulated privacy policy is a major benefit from the consumer's point of view as it tells them where they stand when it comes to their privacy on information stored on your website. I have also seen a few pieces of information lurking around which basically states that having a privacy policy may help your search engine position. I do not know how true that is, it might be, but from a consumer's perspective, it helps build credibility that you are a quality website provider.
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
Please put up your hands if you have bought something on the internet which does not work and you cannot find a way to send it back to the website owner or get a refund? As I look out my windows I see millions of people who have their hands up. This is one of my pet peeves at the moment. I recently bought some software to convert WMA audio files to MP3 format and when I purchased the software they did not tell me how to download it and there were no links on the page. When I did finally get the information, they told me in the email I needed a registration key which was issued during the purchase. Which of course I did not get?
Guess what else; they did not have a Returns Policy as well. In the end I gave up in disgust and lost my $70 USD which will work against them because I have been telling all my friends and my 2000 clients who they are and to stay away from them. I figure at $70 a transaction x 2000 that would be a total of $140,000 they have missed out on, simply because they were rude and were not serious about customer service.
Whilst you may not like Refunds or Returns (I definitely do not) it is a necessity to have a returns policy because it specifies to the customer how you deal with a Refund or with a Return. In fact, all of my clients I work with online will actually include a link to their Return Policy where their Guarantee is specified. The Returns policy simply says theses are the steps you must follow in returning the products or getting a refund. By doing this, the customer has confidence that you are a legitimate business. One of the other elements you should include in your Returns Policy is your address, telephone number and contact email address for returns. Also specify in the returns policy how long it may take to get a refund.
The bottom line is this; these ten elements when specified on a webpage for a customer to see will help prove to them that you are a legitimate and ethically operated business. Having these items on your webpage will certainly give them the confidence your company acts in the way they expect. So, let me finish off by quickly reiterating the ten elements:
#1 - Have a Clear Guarantee
#2 - Verifiable Testimonials
#3 - Join Your Local - Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau
#4 - Register with Certified Companies like - Thawte, Alexa
#5 - Use Trackable Shipping Companies
#6 - Use Trusted Credit Card Handling Companies like Paypal
#7 - Provide Live Support Online
#8 - Have your telephone number and contact details on every page of your website
#9 - Have a Clear Privacy Policy
#10 - Have a Returns Policy and Instructions on how to Return Items
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