The following article is part 5 in a 5-part series on how to boost business cash flow.
You have stellar products and services that perfectly meet the needs of your market and offer unique value. Now, all you need to do is make it as easy as possible for your customers to buy from you. If you don’t do this, you won’t see the sales you need.
Sales are critical right now for your business. But you may have obstacles in your sales process that make buying from you a little challenging. At a time when every single sale matters, you have to eliminate as many obstacles as you can.
If you’ve had to move more of your sales process online or over the phone, you want to create a seamless process for people. Otherwise, you’ll lose sales right at the checkout counter.
Offer Several Payment Methods
Offer as many payment methods as possible. If a customer wants to buy from you but you don’t have their preferred payment method, there’s a chance they’ll leave and go to someone who does. Only a small portion of customers will go through the trouble to set up a new payment system just to buy from you.
Find out which online payment methods are currently popular. Learn about your customers’ preferences to see what they already use. Come right out and ask them if you don’t know. Whenever a new customer asks you about a new method you’re not familiar with, check it out to see if you can offer it.
Keep It Clean and Simple
The purchasing process should have a clean design and simple navigation. The customer shouldn’t have to make an account and log in to buy from you. It should just be a couple of clicks — or better yet, just one click.
Whether you’re accepting payments online or over the phone, only ask for information that’s absolutely essential. This not only makes it easier but also gives your customers peace of mind about the security of their information. Too many businesses make their purchase process prohibitively long because they want to collect as much information as possible.
But now especially is the time to clean up your purchase process. Get the sale first and collect the money. Then you can go back and collect as much information as you need through a formalized process.
Once you’re set up, test the ordering process yourself and look for anything that slows it down or complicates it. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer who’s on-the-fence. If there are any glitches or complications in the system, get rid of them.
Set up a Merchant Account and Mobile Payments
Set up a merchant account if you don’t already have one. This is a business account that allows you to process credit cards without using a third party. Think of it as the digital version of a credit card reader. You should be set up to take any type of traditional payment method as well as online payment processors.
Also get set up to accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, digital wallets, and other mobile payment methods. Increasingly, people like to pay for goods online on the go. You’ll lose business from mobile purchasers if they can’t.
Excellent Customer Service Standing By
Make sure you have good, responsive customer service available for when there are problems. There should be multiple ways to contact a human being. Response time is critical so make sure someone is standing by and can reply quickly. Train all staff to put customer service as a number one priority. The human touch is especially important for engendering trust online.
If purchasing from you is a simple, seamless process, you’ll see more sales and greater customer satisfaction.
