If you own an online busines or conduct business online, you may not have thought about how important honesty is in online business.
Think about this. Say you decided to buy a computer and found a good deal on Amazon.com. You buy it, you get the pricy quick shipping, and a month later you have nothing but a credit card charge to show for it. If Amazon.com ripped you off, then I bet you would see the importance of honesty in online business.
This doesn’t happen with Amazon.com. It can happen with other businesses. When I get a client to write a resume for, I can hear the fear often when I ask for upfront payment. That is why I stress honesty in my online writing business.
Online business is particularly volatile, so it is a great place to stress your honesty. This means establishing trust. If you want your customers to trust you more, here are a few ideas to highlight your honesty.
- Provide testimonials of happy customers who received work to their specifications.
- Offer an accountable system of the work your provide or for your product.
- Offer a satisfaction guarantee, and remember to follow through with it.
- Remember to thank customers for doing business with you.
- Be specific with them. Vague answers create suspicion and make customers uncomfortable.
- Be easy to relate to: don’t get too chummy, but don’t be afraid to come off as a person to your customer.
- Respect everyone you do business with.
Honest is important is business. My entire business is branded with that idea, but you need not be as extreme. Think about a few ways that you can show your customers that you are someone you can trust. Avoid overselling and under-appreciating the individuality and needs of a customer.