4 Major Issues that Will Scare Away Customers

When people need something, they look for the best place that might provide it. There is a combination of factors, other than simply selling the product or service they need, that go into a potential customer’s decision that you are the best place to look for their need to be met.

Your business might have major issues that are driving customers away rather than drawing them in. Here are four possibilities that you should consider.

A Bad First Impression

The way your business looks from the outside has an enormous impact on someone’s decision to stop coming in or keep going to your competitor. A faded sign, chipped and peeling paint, or dirty windows all indicate a lack of concern. So does a parking lot with cracked and chipped pavement or asphalt.

Take some time to freshen the paint on the building and put up a new and vibrant sign. Having your parking lot paved with asphalt by Lakeridge Paving Company or a similar provider will make it look good and last for years, while also being somewhat flexible and less expensive than other options.

Your Staff Doesn’t Care

If your staff is ignoring customers, giving unclear, vague or unhelpful responses, or providing fake smiles with no substance, customers will feel unwelcome. If they feel unwelcome, they’ll move on to someone more willing to help them.

Ensure your staff feels valued, is well-trained on what you offer and has plenty of knowledge about your products or services. Teach them good customer service, and reward them for a job well done to keep them motivated.

Being Hard to Reach

You need to provide as many methods of contact as possible and make sure they’re visible. Phone numbers, email and website addresses, the physical address and hours of operation should all be clearly visible.

Your address should be on your website as well as plainly visible from the road. Hours should be large and clear. If your phone is frequently in use, make sure you have voicemail and return any calls, and the same goes for emails and other messages.

Making Them Wait

A small wait is acceptable, and even to be expected. But if customers are expected to wait longer than what seems reasonable for your product or service, or if there’s no organization to the wait (no line to wait in, no numbers being called), they’ll give up and move on.

It’s important to have an organized method for waiting. If wait times seem to be growing, consider hiring more staff to help meet your customers’ needs.

It’s not always easy to manage customer expectations. Sometimes what they want is simply unreasonable. There is a minimum standard that any customer should be able to expect, however, and these issues address them.