Treat your customers and potential customers like royalty and they’ll reward you. The long term success of your business depends upon your customers. Your customers are more important than your product or any short-term profit you make. Make it your passion to cater specifically to their needs. So if someone sends you an email asking a blindingly obvious question – don’t be rude. Politely answer them back.
Online Customer Service Rules
- Your customers are everything. Try running your business without them.
- Your customer is always right. Never tell them they are otherwise.
- Go the extra mile.. .it is worth more than all the paid advertising you can afford.
- Return emails promptly. If you can’t, set up an auto-responder to tell your enquirers you’ll get back to them soon.
- Under-promise and over-deliver in everything you do.
- Never criticize your customers directly or indirectly!
- Make the auction process extremely simple for the customer.
- Follow up the day after the sale and one week after. Ask if there’s anything more you can do for your buyer.
Always Be Honest
Make one rule for yourself on eBay and that’s always tell the truth. If your are a little late getting the package in the post – tell your customer. You’ll always be forgiven and spared the negative feedback if you messup. They’ll thank you for being honest with them and reward you with generous feedback.
Be Courteous
You should always to polite and courteous or you’ll lose the potential of return business and run the risk of provoking the wrath of negative feedback. While I probably don’t have to tell you this, there are plenty of rude buyers who will test your patience to the maximum. Never let them get the best of you, you don’t ever want to write an email in anger.
ALWAYS Leave Feedback
Positive feedback is always appreciated. If the transaction goes well for both parties.
Don’t Leave Negative Feedback
Be careful about leaving negative feedback for bidders that may deserve it. Go out of your way to clear things up before you decide to do so. It’s normal for bidders to strike back with their own negative and unfair comments. Always try to find some other solution. Don’t leave negative feedback unless they blatantly defraud you ie. if they dont pay. Either leave neutrals or no comments.
Get Positive Feedback
This is one of the most important things you can do. Potential buyers will review this feedback and determine whether or not they want to do business with you. The best way for you get positive feedback is to simply ask for it.
Stay In Contact With The Buyer
When auction ends, quickly email the buyers with the final price, shipping, total cost, and your address. To reassure your customer, email them when you receive their payment. This is important for their peace of mind and they’ll thank you later in feedback and repeat business.You’ll also score well with the buyer if you send them an email when you ship their goods. Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing. Even go so far as to follow up a few days later to see if everything is all right… you’ll earn very loyal customers by doing this.
Send Customers The Auction Number
At the end of the auction include the auction number with the end of auction notice. Place the number in the subject line so you can easily track emails. Your customer may also be bidding on multiple auctions. Doing this will prevent confusion for you both.
Use a Good Sales Policy to Avoid Trouble
Post terms and conditions on every listing you create. Things like shipping terms or any other rules that you’ll use. Make a separate text file containing your sales policy that you can edit, copy and paste into your listings quickly.
Sit down and come with a good one in order to avoid any bumps in the road. For example, do you insure packages? Be sure to state these types of things in your policy.
The Importance Of Good Feedback
Building up a good feedback record on eBay is your #1 priority starting out. The credibility factor will weigh on you at the beginning but this can be overcome…
Remember:
- Treat your winning bidders like royalty
- Sell them a quality product
- Actively pursue positive feedback from winning bidders
On average, only 35% of bidders leave feedback if you don’t prompt them at all. Let them know that you NEED feedback. Make it easy for them to get to the forum and consistently follow-up. You can get that up to about 90%. Once you have a good record people will be much more likely to do business with you. Make it your goal to never get a negative comment. This is hard to do but very impressive with the buyers. If you get ‘negged’, correct the mistake and move on, it’s not the end of the world.
Kindly reply to the response with a rational explanation for the problem and your buyers will overlook it when they glance your profile.
