How To Never Be Outshone By Your Competitors

In just about any industry, competition can be fierce. Being diligent in finding ways to outdo your competitors is an important part of running a highly successful business. Your tasks should include regularly visiting competitor websites, reading online customer reviews and even visiting their business locations personally.

What can you do to be better than your competitors?

Finding the answer to this question is the key to ensuring that your brand is never outshone.

Make unbeatable customer service the hallmark of your brand.

No matter what type of business you run, focusing on the customer experience should be a top priority of your company. Remember that what you sell and provide is likely available elsewhere. When people walk into your place of business, they should be able to enjoy themselves in ways that other places of businesses simply can’t provide. At the end of the day, your ability to never be outshone will come down to your customer service regimen.

“As a customer, there is nothing more frustrating than getting the run-around when trying to get simple questions answered or issues resolved,” writes celebrity business advisor, Carol Roth on her website, “Having a high level of courteous, friendly, and efficient customer service among every aspect of customer interactions- from your website, phone and email to in-person communications, will really engender customer loyalty.”

Be willing to go the extra mile.

Going above and beyond the call of duty is practically a guaranteed way to secure a loyal customer. A customer’s loyalty is the key to not being outshone by the competition. When you’re willing to do something for a customer that no other business owner has done or would do, you put your brand in a great position to be an industry leader.

“It\’s amazing how few companies ‘get’ this,” says Geoffrey James on Inc.com, “Never ship a product or provide a service without providing at least just a little bit more than the customer expected. And it\’s got to be more than a coupon for future purchases. Include a free gift. Take an extra 5% off. Even a personal note counts, if it\’s sincere and not boilerplate.”

Have your customers best interests at heart.

The most successful of business owners have mastered the art of when NOT to make a sale. Instead of going for the promise of immediate bucks, they put the customers’ needs first in order to garner long-term loyalty. In other words, they don’t push sales on those who wouldn’t benefit from the products or services being sold. As Roth puts it, this is a very basic rule that few people tend to follow because it means losing a sale.

“Sellers tend to convince themselves that the customer should buy, even when the seller knows, deep down, that it\’s not the customer\’s best choice,” she notes, “If you make a sale, you\’ve got a customer. Forego a sale (when appropriate) and you\’ve won a friend.”

Let customers pay however they like.

If you allow your customers to pay for their purchases with their choice of cash, credit card or debit card, you’re already ahead of the game. No cash-only business is going to succeed in outshining its competition. At Canadian POS, we highly recommend the Poynt Smart Terminal for all of your payment processing needs. For more information, call us at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.