The Abbey Information Exchange – A GUIDE TO T.E.S.T

The Abbey Information Exchange – A GUIDE TO T.E.S.T

Don't sell, tell! Marketing is not about selling your products to an individual but showing that individual that you'll look after them if they choose to become a customer.

We all purchase emotionally, whether we think we’re buying a product without emotion or not it always comes down to whether it feels right. This means it’s vital for a business to understand how their customers feel and what emotions are guiding them to become, or not become, a client.

There are obvious factors if you’re buying a house or a t-shirt or a holiday but what about a business service? After nearly a decade working with businesses developing their presence in the marketplace, I feel it comes down to four simple things - TRUST, EXCITEMENT, SATISFACTION and TOTAL CARE, we like to think of this as the Customer T.E.S.T!

Trust.

This is absolutely vital. A business relationship will break down in seconds if the customer loses trust and it’s almost impossible to win that customer back once they’ve gone. It’s also important to gain the trust of your potential clients so they feel confident they’ll be looked after if they do decide to become a paying client.

Excitement.

With any purchase, there is a need to feel excited about what we’re buying, to get a buzz from the transaction so that we get that ‘it was worth it’ feeling. This is sometimes hard to do if you’re operating online but simple things like a personalised message in the parcel or a voucher for a free coffee from Starbucks or Costa can be a great way of getting your customers to look forward to receiving their next order.

Satisfaction.

Well, this one is obvious but it’s sometimes overlooked initially. The need to see the result of the transaction is vital. Putting yourself in your clients' shoes and answering questions such as will my order arrive on time? Will there be any issues with the products I’ve ordered? Clarifying these points with your clients before the purchase kick-starts the customer satisfaction journey and gives them the confidence to go through with the purchase.

Total Care.

Has your client had the attention they needed through the purchasing process? Be honest with yourself, we all have those days when there’s too much going on but we need to make sure that each client feels like they’re the most important one we've got. We've found that asking simple questions like how's your week going? Or, is there anything you need help with at the minute? Making the customer feel important links straight back round to TRUST and the cycle starts all over again.

Any small business, especially now, has to really care for its customers, it’s easy to become complacent with how things are going but if we, and I speak for myself here being the owner of a small design company, spend time understanding our clients and building deep relationships with them then they’ll be clients for a very long time.

After all, marketing is just the communication tool to develop strong relationships with your clients. Using these 4 emotions as the driving force of your marketing will change the way your customers and potential customers see you. Because all purchases are made emotionally, the minute we get told to buy something we turn off from it. Helping your clients understand that you care about them only increases the chance of them choosing you.