Why Offline Customer Relationships Matter

It’s hard to imagine that with all of the technology we have in place that offline sales interactions won’t happen. The fact is, they will. Or, at least, they should! Even if you have an e-commerce site and you don’t want to talk to customers you probably should.

Offline interactions with customers can help you better understand their needs, how they intend to purchase and how you might be able to make their next purchase much easier. In fact, by learning more about your customer’s offline you can offer a better user experience and improved SEO from it too!

What Do Your Customers Want

Ok, sure, they bought that fancy widget from your site so that must mean they really like those widgets. Why did they buy that widget? What other sites did they check out and why did they ultimately buy from you? Go that extra mile and personally ask them these types of questions and let them open up about their experience. Do you think a generic questionnaire will do it? Probably not. In fact, that personal attention may actually be what’s needed to make them a repeat customer.

Why Did They Choose You?

What is truly unique about your business? More than likely we can get the same or similar product from somewhere else. Pricing might not be all that different. Ok, so why did they buy from you? Sure, Google Analytics can tell you a lot about your customers in general. But imagine now taking that time to ask them these types of questions from a more personal level. You’ll find out more about why they chose to go with you. If that resonates maybe you can incorporate that into your site because what made them say yes might make others say yes as well.

Make Their Next Experience Better

Now that you’ve built an offline relationship with the customer you’ve taken things to the next level. If you did it right they’ll want to support you instead of the competition. Many of us like going to the same coffee shop because of the relationship they’ve got with that store.

From a personal level, I buy my hockey equipment from one store. I know I may spend a few dollars more with them but the friendship we’ve built and the way in which I value their knowledge of equipment and putting me into the pieces that are right for me provide way more value than saving a few dollars. In fact, in the long run, they actually save me money because my gear lasts longer!

By working with your clients offline you learn more about what your customers want. Your website can now become like a blank canvas that you can use to paint a better picture to provide these people with a better experience.

That’s a rant by me. For more wait until after my beloved Leafs lose another game. Please call Patrick at 905-943-2985 x108.