Internet marketing as an industry sometimes gets a bad rap. Some people accuse online marketers of being like used car salesmen (ouch!) who are trying to scheme to sell people a high-priced lemon.
The reason for this is that some bad eggs have muddied the industry by their actions.
A lot of internet marketing success stories have overcome this by building trust with their clients and this helps the industry overall, as well as their own personal Internet Marketing Profile.
The way you act online can do a lot for the industry as a whole and it will improve customer relationships as well as get you more sales. Here are some tips to build trust and a strong rapport with your customers and prospects and build your Internet Marketing Profile at the same time:
- Only recommend products you actually believe in. A lot of affiliate marketing entrepreneurs push products with high commission and high gravity but many of them don’t truly know what they’re selling. If you’re sure that a product is worth marketing, not only will you be able to talk at more than a macro level about its benefits but you’ll know it isn’t likely to have a high return rate because it actually does do what it advertises.
- Disclose everything. Forget fine print. Make sure people know what they’re getting into when they buy from you. If you’re following the previous suggestion, you won’t need to hide anything.
- Answer queries immediately. Yes, immediately. Nothing makes a customer feel more valued than getting fast response when they ask a question.
- Don’t market to someone without permission. Get your ‘list’ through the right means – by getting people to agree to be marketed to. Don’t sell their names and don’t buy names off other people’s lists. Just because someone buys through your link doesn’t mean they’ve subscribed to your mailing list so it’s a good idea to ask for permission to contact them before you assume it’s ok to do so. It might be ok to rent space on someone’s list when there’s a complementary niche, or to work to increase your list through ethical means but you don’t want anyone to think of you as a spammer so don’t do anything to risk being seen that way.
- Be a good online citizen. Pay it forward and make people want to ‘know’ you because you exemplify professionalism and kindness.
- Give people value. People love a bargain. If you leave a customer feeling like they’ve been overcharged, they won’t be back. But if you leave them feeling like they got a great deal of value, not only will they buy from you again but they’ll say good things about you, which will benefit your Internet Marketing Profile immensely.
Have a most outstanding day.
Sean RasmussenAussie Internet Marketing
www.AussieSEO.com 2010
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
This is a great post. I think that building your internet marketing profile is no different to building your reputation offline. The principles of good customer service are the same.
I just think it’s important to value your customers. If something goes wrong with the sale or the product then deal with it immediately. Sincerely apologise for the error and refund the customer’s money.
In short, if you treat customers the way you want to be treated, you’ll have a great internet marketing profile in no time.
Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Learn and Earn Competition – This is It
Some great tips here Sean, it works the same in any business, customer service, a quality product, honesty and integrity is the key to keeping customers happy so they come back time and time again : )
Cheers
Cade
Cade´s last blog ..Learn & Earn from Aussie Internet Marketer Sean Rasmussen for free.
All superb advice there wouldn’t it be nice if there were no more bad eggs out there. Having good ethics and integrity goes a long way. Affiliate Marketing may never weed out all of the shady characters but those serving a purpose for the betterment will prevail at the end of the day.
To Your Success Sean
Helen Nester´s last blog ..Learn and Earn with Sean Rasmussen
Hi Sean
In this industry one needs to be in integrity at all times. If you want to be purified for any reason then the exposure of being an internet marketer is a great incentive to do so! (lol)
Selling a product you believe in is most important I think because if you don’t have that passion and belief behind it, you are coming from the premise of making a fast buck and not of wanting to really help others or improve your own self, nor create a bigger vision for your products and the benefits it will give to your customers.
Elly Wilson´s last blog ..
Couldn’t agree with you more Elly. Especially in this industry where there are those people just looking to make a quick buck and rip-off others, we need to ensure that our internet marketing profile is spotless.
Cemil´s last blog ..Importance of a Wealth Creation Plan
A super article. As usual, Sean is stressing the ethics of Internet Marketing. I think all of us should print out this list, frame it and hang it on the wall above our computers and then be sure to read it every day. As disciples, we should do everything possible to improve out Internet Marketing profile. We want to make Sean proud of his flock.
Don White´s last blog ..Psycho-
Hi Sean,
Don’t market to people without their permission. I’ll be glad when Telemarketers get this message.
If I can improve my Internet Marketing profile I will take that opportunity. It’s important to build online trust as an Internet Marketer. It’s also rewarding to know you have helped someone solve a problem by selling them something they need.
Jill Brown´s last blog ..Couples Marry at Common Law
Giving value online is even more important then anything I think. Having an ebay store, I know the importance of disclosing every detail to you potential customer as they have the power to bring you undone. Plus for piece of mind, you don’t want to be ripping people off or sending them emails without their permission. You will get a lot further with internet marketing by providing value.
Jackie Stenhouse´s last blog ..Anxiety Separation in Children