Make Ordering a Breeze
You'll reap rewards when you make it easy for customers to do business with you.
Consumers respond to mail-order companies that make life easierfor them--via clear catalog descriptions, good photographs and aneasy-to-order/return process. They won't work too hard todecipher what you are trying to communicate. Your order-takingprocess should also be quick and simple. Offer as many ways aspossible for customers to send orders: fax, phone, mail, e-mail andthe Web. On the phones, don't make customers wait on hold forseveral minutes. Have enough employees to handle the calls.
Also take heed of the entrepreneurs who thought they didn'tneed to provide a toll-free number for their customers. Theyoffered terrific mail-order photo albums and storage containers.They had a wonderful people working their phones, and delivery wasreliable. They noticed, however, that their growth was slow. Sowhen they asked their callers what they could do better, they weretold time and again, "Get a toll-free number." They did,and business skyrocketed.
Excerpted from 303 Marketing Tips: Guaranteed To Boost YourBusiness
