How to stand out as a small business in 3 steps.

Instagram had me scrolling, per usual, and I stumbled upon an adorable shirt from a small business that I HAD to have. The back and forth conversation in my head of whether it was worth it or not was quickly shut down by a tap of the screen. My finger made the decision for me; I needed to have it.

I waited as the screen loaded, like a child on Christmas morning, ready to click the PayPal button that I anticipated it to prompt me with. It stalled…I waited. Finally, the page loaded. It requested I enter my email address before purchasing the shirt. Really? Oh man…but this shirt was so cute I just needed to have it. I didn’t just give out my email to anyone, and this, my friend, was worth it. Or, so I thought. So, I obliged and gave them my email.

The screen started prompting me to click through a few sales flyers before I could even see the shirt again, and I started becoming more agitated. Seriously, how hard can it be to buy a dang t-shirt people!? The shirt finally appeared and I chose the size I wanted and then added it to my cart.

Waaa laaah! I thought.

I waited patiently again for the cart page to load. A painful minute later it loaded and it did not have a PayPal link and was requesting me to enter all of my credit card information. I surrendered. The x button called my name and I jumped out of the screen to keep scrolling. Moving on.

How many purchases have you navigated away from because the process was too complicated?

77% of customers report purchase difficulty, according to Gartner Inc. And, the more difficult a purchase is, the more likely they are to regret said purchase. Which, you guessed it, then results in a dramatic drop in customer loyalty.

We all want loyal customers. But, how? Here is how you can stand out as a small business.

Invest in your customer experience.

My experience with the t-shirt company started the second I saw the advertisement. (Though, if you’re lucky that isn’t always the case and the experience starts much sooner.) From the point of seeing the t-shirt to the next there were nonstop frustrations of navigating through hurdles and irritations. My experience was less than ideal and I ultimately navigated away from the potential purchase.

Purchasing a t-shirt from a digital advertisement is quite different than walking into a brick & mortar shop and having a negative experience. Yet, they are one in the same as to how they reflect on a brand. Each and every interaction your customers or potential customers have with your company can grow or plummet your sales.

Improving your customer experience to ultimately increase sales isn’t easy, so I recommend starting by asking yourself these 3 questions:

1. Is it easy to find us (digitally or locationally)?
2. Do we have a process and expectations for how we interact with clients?
3. After a purchase, do we receive a lot of follow-up questions?

These are simple questions to start analyzing your customer experience to implement changes without overwhelming your organization.

Over deliver on everything.

I heard that sigh and eye roll from over here. But guess what, not everyone is doing it! So, if you want to increase sales and stand out: OVERDELIVER.

Let me clarify what “overdeliver” means to me.

Effort. You do more than what the contract states but ultimately it does not cost you and your company more. It does not mean you pick up your phone at 6:30 pm during family dinners or follow up on emails while you’re on vacation. It means, you pick up the phone a couple weeks down the line and ask them how they’re enjoying their new office chair. It means, you care enough about them and their satisfaction that you prioritize the human aspect of the sale.

Most companies want more, more, more. More clients because they believe that means and more purchases and purchasing decisions. But what if you could increase one and thus increase both? It is possible.

If you overdeliver on every contract or purchase, the likelihood of those clients purchasing again goes up tenfold. It is because they felt heard and you cared about more than just a sale.

Our realtor hung in there with us for 2 years…yes 2 years…until we found a house we agreed on. Differing views on the biggest purchase of our lives was the perfect storm for this poor man. However, he never wavered in his commitment or dedication to learning us or what mattered to us. 8 years after we moved into our beautiful home, we still receive a “Happy Home Anniversary” postcard in the mail. He overdelivers.

Train your team and stand out as a small business.

Simple right? Then, why don’t we do it? Keeping the business afloat through dealing with turnover, internal movement, economic roller coasters, and so many other things keep you busy enough. On the job training is enough. No, it isn’t.

Your employees are your first marketers. If they don’t feel cared for and loved enough through proper training, your customers will feel that and it will trickle down into the customer experience.

Prioritizing training is crucial for a small business to stand out and succeed. Nobody has the time, and everybody has to make the time. Putting processes in place is time consuming but once in place it will make your employees feel confident and thus will make your life as a leader easier.

Training pieces you can incorporate that will make a huge splash:

• A list of your most regular and valued customers
• System how to videos
• Prioritize their first day
• Culture cues: what is a typical day like, when do people leave for lunch, etc. Avoid making them feel like the weird new guy.

As a small business it is a blessing and a curse that you have more opportunities to stand out. Investing in the right people & taking the time to implement the right processes will make all the difference!

How do you stand out as a small business?