It’s hard to ask for help, isn’t it? We hate to admit we need help. It hurts our pride. We hate to let go of our independence and control. All of that is scary.
If it’s hard for you to ask for help, imagine how hard it is for your customers.
That makes it your job to make it easier for them to ask, or to help themselves. Here are a few ways to do that.
1. Provide self-service help
Don’t make them ask at all. Just let them help themselves.
- Post detailed descriptions of products online.
- Post descriptions of products in your store.
- Add more answers to your FAQ (frequently asked questions).
2. Make it easier to ask
Even if you think you’re easy to approach with questions, you can make it more user-friendly.
- Ask customers, “what questions can I help you with today?”
- Add a large, obvious link to your website: “Questions?? Ask them here.”
- With everything you sell, throw in 30 minutes of free question and answer time.
3. Help customers to help each other
Your customers are the real experts. They come up with ides you’ll never think of. By helping them to connect, you’ll benefit with more smart ideas.
- Be a social media mirror, and reflect customer stories back to your community.
- Open up comments on your website, and promote this opportunity to interact to your customers.
- Ask questions of your customers, and pass along questions others have asked you.
Keep in mind that customers have the same worries and feeling as you and me. They hate to admit they don’t know something. They don’t like to look ignorant. Just changing a few words in your approach can make it much easier for them. We found at our store that if we asked, “What can I help you find?” people would deflect that question. But when we say, “What can I help you locate?” customers seem to respond better. It feels less threatening. It’s not that you can’t find it, just that you can’t locate it right now.
If I simple word change like that can help in our store, what words can you change to help your customers?
Thanks to Susan T. Blake, @susantblake, for her tweet that inspired this post:
“And if it’s hard for us to ask for help, think how hard it is for our customers.”
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.
- How cooperatives improve small town economies - May 8, 2022
- Metaverse business idea: virtual world tour guide - April 15, 2022
- Make extra money from extra workspace: co-working and 3rd workplaces in small towns - March 28, 2022
- Trade show booth design trend: hand drawn visuals - March 21, 2022
- New business sign design? Don’t use cursive script - February 14, 2022
- Way more people prefer rural than urban, new Pew Research study finds - February 1, 2022
- Top 5 Rural and small town trends 2022 - January 3, 2022
- How to start a real small small business - December 17, 2021
- Tip for better pop-ups and shed businesses - December 5, 2021
- Small town business idea: cat grooming - November 15, 2021