Wednesday, May 16, 2007
I Just Got A Connect! Now What Do I Do With The Lead?
So, you have 20 used cars posted on Gumiyo’s site. While out golfing, you receive an SMS text message to your cell phone which reads, “Gumiyo Connect! – Buyer John is interested in your 1996 Honda Civic and asks, ‘Does the GPS come with its original manufacturer’s manual?’ - and do you have it in white?”
This is an interesting question because:
1. The 1996 Honda you posted on Gumiyo doesn’t have a GPS. In fact, it’s probably a safe bet to assume that there wasn’t a car manufacturer around who offered the option of a built-in GPS when this car was assembled in 1996.
2. You don’t have a white 1996 Honda Civic.
So you are faced with a decision somewhere between the 6th & 7th hole on your afternoon off. How should you respond? Now I’m not a sales guru by any stretch, but I may have some ideas which could help a Gumiyo Merchant when faced with a situation like this.
Always Respond In A Timely Manner
In a plugged in society, nothing says “I am ready to serve the needs of my customers†like a quick response. If you can get notified of your prospective customer’s interest in your product with a real-time SMS, and you send your response back within a few minutes, you may be able to catch them while they are still in the mood to shop. Remember, their text message is limited to 100 characters, so they might not have effectively communicated their entire question. Your response back to them, either by contacting them directly using the contact information provided or using Gumiyo’s built-in communication tools, is very important. You want to let them know you appreciate the interest they have shown and are available to answer all of their questions.
Let The Customer Know Who You Are And Why You Are Reliable
We at Gumiyo envision a harmonious community of buyers and sellers transacting with each other in an end-to-end, mobile-to-mobile environment. While we believe everyone using our site is fundamentally good and has honest intentions, the internet has gotten a reputation of being a feeding ground for scammers, hackers, phishers, and the like. When a customer connects with you, they are probably MORE skeptical of you than you might be of them. When you respond, let the customer know who you are: what your name is, how long you’ve been doing business in the area, and that you are interested in doing business with them and will work to accommodate their needs and concerns. Because of the nature of the internet today, a buyer may choose to connect with you once or twice publicly before privately giving you their email address or phone number. This should be expected and anticipated by sellers. Take the opportunity to let the buyer know why you are a reliable merchant for them to do business with.
Immediately Address The Customer’s Question
Now, in the example I gave above, the customer asked about the original manufacturer’s instruction manual on a GPS in a 1996 Honda Civic. Rather than raining insults onto your inquisitive lead, or answering with a simple “No GPS†or “Not In Whiteâ€, maybe you can answer a question with a question of your own to start a dialogue. You might try answering “Are you interested in a used economy car with a GPS? I may have a few models in addition to the one you connected to me with, which be exactly what you are looking for.â€
Ultimately, you have to look at each connect you get from Gumiyo as your next sale and the person who refers three of their friends to you because they were so happy with the high level of service you provided to them. You want to let the customer know that there is a live person and a face behind your advertisement, and you want the customer to know that you are willing to accommodate where possible to fit the customer’s needs and make everybody happy.
Do you have an opinion about our ideas or an idea of your own? Please let us know by commenting on our article.
Next Month’s Vendor’s Forum: How can I maximize the exposure I get on each advertisement I publish across the web through Gumiyo?
Permalink
