In our offices, we constantly talk about “e-business done in the old-fashioned manner.” We mean that the success of e-tailing is dependent on building strong relationships with real people, just as in the real world. This idea is fundamental to us (you’ve probably noticed this, haven’t you?) Even though this idea is hardly new, we are devoted to it. Carnegie, 63 years ago, wrote the same things with timeless knowledge.
I started thinking about how Carnegie’s ideas could help you improve how you run your online business.
How To Win Friends And Influence People is a book that has been sold in over 15 million copies around the world. It has been translated into many other languages. (I have offered to translate the Martian language – I expect a callback shortly.) and it is still available. Read it!
Carnegie believed financial success is due to 15 percent professional knowledge and 85 percent “the ability to express ideas, to assume a leadership role, and to arouse excitement among people.” This is the stuff of retail fantasies and the goal of every e-business. You want more than just someone to visit your website. You want your visitors to feel “Wow!” when they arrive. Oh, boy!
At last!” You want to ensure that every bit of your website reinforces their delight in having found you. Imagine walking into Sam’s Club or Disneyland for the first. Awesome, huh? You want to aim for this when you’re trying to inspire enthusiasm.
It’s not enough to say, “Wow when you arrive,” The entire shopping experience, including the service after the purchase, should continue to impress your customers. This is a situation where the customer has complete control. What a need for influence!
Mr. Carnegie, a wise man, said, “Remember, a person’s name will be the sweetest sound to him”
Personalization is significant in today’s world. People are much more likely than ever to open personalized emails, open them first, and read their content, assuming it is of value and well-written. This is true only if their names make sense and are a name they would respond to. You can’t meet your customers face-to-face, so including their names in marketing seems reasonable. Imagine a visitor who fills in her name, Ms. Samantha Frances Jenkins, and receives personalized newsletters or promotional material that begins with “Dear Samantha Frances Jenkins.” What does this sound like? Not at all. Not very. Especially if no one but the guy at the Motor Vehicle counter ever called her that. If you’re the one to blame, Samantha Frances Jenkins will be turned off by your fakeness unless you have an incredibly spectacular site. She may never return to your website.
You may have noticed that your name appears in the subject of this newsletter if you are a subscriber. It is likely to catch your attention if it’s a name that you enjoy being called. How did that happen? The clever people handling my mail asked you to tell them how you want to be addressed. This may seem like small stuff, but it is one of those things Carnegie says makes a huge difference in the pursuit of winning and influencing.
“Speak in terms of what the other person wants.” Carnegie has another nugget of wisdom
Locals call it “Your favorite radio: WIIFM” or “What’s In It For Me?” Check out my archives; I wrote an entire article about this. Carnegie said you can get someone to want to do something by seeing the situation through their eyes and “arousing an eager desire” in them. You are at a dead end if you cannot do this for your online clients; why? E-commerce is, by definition, consumer-centric. It’s a myth that you are the one who makes all the decisions. Your customers do.
You’ve probably heard me say it before, but the average conversion rate for e-shoppers into buyers is pretty bad. Conversion rates are around 48% in the brick-and-mortar environment, where there is no assumption of expertise by the customer, and the focus is on the sales process. On the internet? Around 1.75%. This means that at least 98% leave your site without purchasing anything (and, by the way, 75% tried to purchase from you but gave up and never returned). Only 10% of the people who buy will return to make another purchase. Can you say “Big losses”?
To succeed in your web business, you must win and influence by turning your This-Is-How-I-Run-My-Business-Like-It-Or-Not equation around. You can only get what you desire if you give your visitors what their wants are. Remember that people rationalize purchases using facts but make them based on their feelings. Plus, shoppers don’t only carry credit cards. The shoppers are “holistic beings” whose beliefs, experiences, and values influence when, what, and from whom they buy. By engaging the values and emotions of your customers, you can create a vast win-win situation in ecommerce.
Let the other person do most of the talking
Humans are constantly expressing their opinions. They are usually not shy to voice their opinions – they want them heard! Don’t limit them to the tiny type that reads “Send Comments to Whocares@Notus.com” at the bottom of your website. Encourage feedback. Create a place for feedback. Ask questions that are more complex than a yes/no answer. Please encourage them to talk. Why not learn from their actions and support them?
This will help you identify areas for improvement and give you some great ideas. Your potential clients won’t feel like they were talked into doing anything (even if that is true). This strategy also touches on other psychological needs, such as wanting to be a part of something. We “let the person feel like the idea was his or hers” when we use and ask for their feedback. Making them feel like partners in the project promotes goodwill.
Right? Think about the steps you need to take to achieve that competitive edge. Don’t forget that you are a customer too! How would you like to be treated? What is your preferred way of being addressed? What makes you excited? You can win friends and influence people online by combining your understanding of consumer behavior with the wisdom of Dale Carnegie and other geniuses. Can you say “Nice profit”?