An Executive Guide to Choosing the Right Courier Service

At one time if you wanted to send something from one place to another you used the post. Courier services are a relatively new phenomenon, first appearing in the UK around the late 1970s and growing out of taxi services. They typically offer additional features when compared to normal postal systems. These include fast service and same day and guaranteed delivery windows. Originally couriers would often be used to transport urgent documents but the use of email has seen a shift in the business model. The growth of courier services now is partly down to the boom in mail order deliveries thanks to Internet shopping and partly to more businesses using ‘just in time’ production methods.

Courier companies range from small ‘man and a van’ operations to large companies, with medium sized local companies somewhere in between. Larger companies are likely to offer extra services such as deliveries to overseas locations or the ability to handle awkward or fragile loads.

If you need a courier service then it’s important to look for one that’s going to be responsive to your business needs. That means having the flexibility to cope with different sized consignments and to be able to accept jobs and collect packages at short notice. The latter is especially important as one of the main reasons for using a courier is speed. You also need a pricing structure that’s easy to understand so you know you won’t get hit with unexpected charges.

Key Questions to Ask When Choosing a Courier

• How fast can they collect?
• Can they guarantee delivery to your timescale?
• Do they offer a 24 hour service?
• Are there limits on size and weight of packages?
• Is online tracking available?
• How is proof of delivery provided?
• Are goods insured in transit?
• Will there be additional charges?

Some additional features you might want to bear in mind are any special requirements you may have. Do you need to transport hazardous substances or high value items for example? Some couriers specialise in this type of work. If you need to send packages overseas, can the courier company advise you on the customs and taxation requirements needed for a particular destination?

If you’re looking to use a new courier company for the first time then it’s worth checking out their reputation online. Testimonials from happy customers are a good sign; look for recommendations and ratings on popular forum and consumer websites not just on the company’s own site. See if you can contact existing customers too. Be aware that some websites offering courier services merely act as brokers allowing you to compare prices from a range of different services. If you’re using one of these make sure that it gives you enough information about the courier that will actually be used. If you’re in doubt check out the website of the service directly or search online for more information.

Most companies now offer tracking services so that you can see where your parcel is in the delivery process. This gives you additional peace of mind and in many cases you can also give your customer the tracking information so they can see for themselves the status of their delivery.

When it comes to getting in touch, if you contact a courier by phone take note of how quickly they answer the call and how professionally they deal with your enquiry. If you book online make sure there’s a number you can call in the event of problems.

There’s a mass of information available on the Internet so it’s easy to research your chosen courier company. You can find their reputation via customer reviews that will vouch for their reliability, efficiency and price.

It’s easy to select the lowest cost when choosing suppliers for any goods or services. But when you’re looking at a courier service it is, if anything, even more important. If your goods arrive late or damaged then it reflects badly on your own business and you risk losing a customer.

If you require a same day courier, Manchester like other large cities has so many options in the courier business for you to choose from. So get researching and find one that suits your needs.

 

 

5 Tips For Making Repeat Customers Out Of Online Shoppers

Okay you’ve finally opened your online shop.  How exciting!  Now all you need is shoppers.  Better yet, you need customers, repeat customers! Here are a few tips that will help you earn repeat customers.  Some of the tips are no different than if your store were a physical one yet some of are special to online shopping.

1. Be Attentive, Polite and Courteous

Online shopping can be a bit scary.  Reassure your shopper you are legit with the utmost customer service.  Always, when corresponding with a customer, either over the phone or the Internet, be polite and courteous; be attentive to their needs.  It doesn’t matter how many times it seems you’ve been asked the same question, answer it as though you’ve never heard it before.  Treat each and every shopper as you’d expect to be treated.  And, if needing to get back to a customer, do so in a timely manner.   Superior customer service will help lure shoppers back.

Always follow up with your customer feedback.  You may receive feedback on one of the many forms of social media, directly, or elsewhere, but whatever the case, always acknowledge it.  Take joy when you get complimented but take notice and learn from any negative feedback you may receive. Do not delete negative comments! It may be tempting, but this will only decrease trust in your company. It’s much better to acknowledge and see how you can right the situation.

2. Know Your Market

Know who your buyers are.  Promote your product or service by concentrating on that particular market.  Let people know about you.  Put yourself out there.  Use social media as a form of advertising and if blogging write enthusiastically.

Keep in touch with your customers.  Use email marketing (newsletters, promotions, specials) and again, social media to remind them who you are.  Just be sure not to over do it.  You want to be remembered and thought of not be a nuisance.

3. Have A Respectable Company Web Site

Make sure your site is easy to navigate.  Have it inviting yet simple.  A quality e-commerce platform helps to simplify the shopping process.  The verbiage should be in easy terms and easily understood.  Your return and refund policy needs to be precise and direct.  Keep everything simple and to the point.

When offering online discounts, free shipping, two for one specials, etc, again keep it simple and easy to use and navigate.  There is nothing more frustrating than a website that’s confusing and difficult to use making purchases difficult.  Be user friendly.

4. Offer Free Shipping

Shoppers love free shipping.  It’s a great promotional tool especially when your business is just starting up.  As your business grows, you can still offer free shipping but it is advised to offer it with a set minimum purchase in order to receive it.

5. Ship Internationally

Since you have an online business it may benefit you to ship not just locally but internationally as well.  Being online your store is available world wide; people from all over the globe can view it.  Hopefully, by shipping internationally you will gain recognition, repeat business, and increased revenue.

There are stipulations and additional cost associated with international shipping.  The delivery time and customs often delay the package a bit, but will make it there.  Check with you local post office for rules, regulations, and cost for exact details.

No matter what form your business is, superior customer service and quality products is key to the growth of any business and in getting repeat business.  It’s important to let your customers know you appreciate them and value their business.  Offer the occasional special promotion.  Make them want to purchase again and to spread the word about you.

Cathy West is a freelance writer from California.  She is a domestic diva and a physical fitness enthusiast.

 

The Significance of Lead Scoring in Marketing Automation

Marketing automation platforms – those that allow ‘dripped’ marketing by email, text message or another form of contact – have become incredibly popular as more consumers integrate the internet into their daily lives.

What is ‘Lead Scoring’?

Lead scoring refers to the process of choosing how close a lead is to purchasing based on where they are in the prospect cycle. For instance, if a prospect visits a website and spends two or three minutes browsing around before entering their email address into a form and leaving, they would likely score very low. Conversely, a prospect that has clicked through from a marketing email, browsed an online shop and added items to a shopping cart is likely very close to making a purchase, and would score much higher.

Motivating the Prospect to Take Action

Lead scoring is the best way to make marketing automation software work with high efficiency. Leads that are already close to purchasing or have made a purchase in the past are going to be turned off if they receive marketing material directed at cold prospects and brand new leads. By using a multi-step marketing campaign, leads can be coaxed to higher and higher scores and eventually converted when they are ready to purchase or end up making an impulse buy. Leverage marketing automation software to continually provide more and more motivation for the prospect to respond, and they will take action accordingly.

Creating a Long-Term Conversion Plan

The vast majority of prospects won’t convert the first or second time they are contacted. As a matter of fact, research suggests that prospects – especially those being contacted via email – may take up to ten or more contact points before they are converted into paying customers. This is where marketing automation software comes in handy; these automation platforms never forget about a prospect, and can be set to contact them with new content indefinitely. Invest the time and resources in creating a long-term contact and conversion plan for your prospects and with a few tweaks along the way it is sure to pay off.

Without a doubt, modern marketing automation software platforms offer marketers the ability to connect with leads and prospective customers far better than has been possible in the past. As long as campaigns are planned, executed, analyzed and optimized for improvement, there are few better ways to market to leads generated online.

John is a small business owner, and contributing writer for Aprimo marketing software.

 

Difficulties of Succeeding in Online Retail

Retail in the real world is a tough place. As an independent retailer, there will no doubt be some big competition sitting only a few shop doors away, drawing customers away from you. An independent retailer has to be incredibly strong to survive, particularly during a period of recession when customers are already holding back on how much they spend.

And online, things aren’t really that much easier. So a small retailer online needs to ensure they offer a very attractive proposition to online searchers, one that stops them going over to big, trusted names they already know. A smaller retail website needs to stay very niche and choose a large range of products within a small area of trade.

Staying Niche

I see so many independent shops online trying to be an entire department store, selling all sorts of things. It might work in a physical shop if they have one, but rarely translates online unless you’re a well established store. Stick to something you’re really enthusiastic and knowledgeable about. If you have a shop that sells all sorts of gift items, homewares, collectables and trinkets, your website doesn’t have to exactly reflect that, so choose a few, very strong product ranges and have a website tailored around that. For example, if you sell kitchenware in your shop, you don’t need to have a general kichenware shop, joining all the other sheep out there. Be different, be quirky! Have a website tailored to colourful kitchenware, high-end kitchenware, the list goes on!

Strong Products

Another thing independents will rely on is direct product searches. If their website appears high in Google for specific product terms, you’re going to get a lot of quick wins that way, as long as your pricing is right. If you have the right products, ones that are widely sought after, you’re going to find online retailing much easier. But profits are still a worry, particularly if you’re trying to be the very best on price. You’ll be much better off buying a very rich and diverse product range from your supplier if you can afford it, and your while initial costs will be high, you should be able to achieve a better profit margin.

Be Attractive

Once someone has landed on your website, you need to show them exactly why you are trustworthy and just as good as the major retailers. Show them how quickly you dispatch items, whether you have free delivery and what payment methods you offer. Eliminate all the reasons why people might come off your website, to keep them there and buying from you. You have much more powers of persuasion on the internet than in the real world, as you can show something everything they need to know in one go.

So, be niche not broad. Choose a strong selection of products and give people reasons to buy from you rather than elsewhere.

Saswa is an independent jewellery store in Wales, selling niche ranges such as Carrie Elspeth jewellery.

 

Insect in a Web – Always with a Spider

It was five in the morning when I headed on to a town next to our city. As I used the bus for transit, I saw a lot of establishments on the sidewalk. I noticed fast food restaurants, printing shops, banks, convenience stores, internet cafés, coffee shops, bars and many other businesses. Epiphany struck me when I realized that many of these businesses have been around for quite a long time. I remember when I was young, I used to play computer games in some of those internet cafés. I even tried skipping classes in order to ace a game among my friends and classmates. I also remember that I usually bought candy in the convenience stores to feed my sweet tooth.

These businesses have created quite an impression to other people and, personally, to me. I could not really imagine how these establishments went through  the years. I could not comprehend their hardships and sufferings, and the people in charge who made it all happen.

Then I got to the town I was heading for. It was not as urbanized as the city I came from. In comparison, it was a little bit silent and hushed. There were some internet cafés and local pubs around the town. Curious enough, I went to one of their internet shops to figure out how technologically advanced or delayed the people were. When I opened the door, I was greeted with a view of over forty computers.  A piece of mounted paper on the wall said the rental rate was less than a half dollar.

As I passed by some computers, I noticed that the computer renters were blogging. Some are outsourcing and promoting other company through online writing. Some others were doing graphic design and web development. I approached one of them and asked how long he has been doing that and he answered, “For almost a year already.” Despite the town’s quietness, the people are indeed catching up with technological advancements.

That was when I realized how  businesses like these internet shops keep up with the industry. Businesses have sub-businesses regardless of how small they may be. The shops have customers who in turn have personal customers. They interminably work together for good. With the people’s resiliency, each contributes to an indirect assistance of sustenance to every business in the web of establishments.

Your author Chris Marentis writes about what he has learned in over 25 successful years in business, he specializes in local search engine marketing at his local internet marketing company Insect in a Web – Always with a Spider.

 

Are you making something?

the wisdom of Seth Godin

Making something is work. Let’s define work, for a moment, as something you create that has a lasting value in the market.

Twenty years ago, my friend Jill discovered Tetris. Unfortunately, she was working on her Ph.D. thesis at the time. On any given day the attention she spent on the game felt right to her. It was a choice, and she made it. It was more fun to move blocks than it was to write her thesis. Day by day this adds up… she wasted so much time that she had to stay in school and pay for another six months to finish her doctorate.

Two weeks ago, I took a five-hour plane ride. That’s enough time for me to get a huge amount of productive writing done. Instead, I turned on the wifi connection and accomplished precisely no new measurable work between New York and Los Angeles.

More and more, we’re finding it easy to get engaged with activities that feel like work, but aren’t. I can appear just as engaged (and probably enjoy some of the same endorphins) when I beat someone in Words With Friends as I do when I’m writing the chapter for a new book. The challenge is that the pleasure from winning a game fades fast, but writing a book contributes to readers (and to me) for years to come.

One reason for this confusion is that we’re often using precisely the same device to do our work as we are to distract ourselves from our work. The distractions come along with the productivity. The boss (and even our honest selves) would probably freak out if we took hours of ping pong breaks while at the office, but spending the same amount of time engaged with others online is easier to rationalize. Hence this proposal:

The two-device solution

Simple but bold: Only use your computer for work. Real work. The work of making something.

Have a second device, perhaps an iPad, and use it for games, web commenting, online shopping, networking… anything that doesn’t directly create valued output (no need to have an argument here about which is which, which is work and which is not… draw a line, any line, and separate the two of them. If you don’t like the results from that line, draw a new line).

Now, when you pick up the iPad, you can say to yourself, “break time.” And if you find yourself taking a lot of that break time, you’ve just learned something important.

Go, make something. We need it!

 

5 Benefits That Self Storage Can Provide Your Retail Business

by Andrew Jackson  http://www.9xb.com

Surviving in the retail sector is a tough ask for any business at the best of times.  However, in the current economic climate and with the increasing popularity of internet shopping, it is becoming ever more difficult for high street retailers.  Consumers are now being much more frugal with their money and spontaneous purchases are less common.  Instead we are seeing considered purchases and many shoppers are looking online to find the best deal.  In such a climate it is essential for retail businesses to run a tight ship and take advantage of every opportunity.  Here we examine five ways in which self storage can assist.

Increased buying power

The main aim of any retail business is to purchase stock at a good price and then sell it on for a reasonable profit.  When purchasing items in bulk the buyer has more power to demand a better price.  This can of course prove problematic when the business property is not large enough to store large quantities of stock.  Utilising self storage means you have enough space to keep larger quantities of stock and can therefore secure a better price and maximise your profit margin.

Stock replenishment

In order to ensure repeat business it is important to provide a pleasant experience to your customers.  A key element of this is having all of your product lines in stock to avoid customers from being disappointed. Achieving this goal isn’t always possible when you are relying on suppliers to deliver on time or you are trying to factor in a trip to the wholesalers.  Having additional stock situated at a nearby self storage facility means you can fill the shelves up on a regular basis as and when required; improving both turnover and customer satisfaction.

A wider range

As a result of saving money through lower purchasing prices you will eventually have more capital to invest back into the business; which means you can begin branching out into new product lines.  The ability to restock your shelves on demand also means that you can keep lower numbers of each item onsite and thus have room to display your additional lines.

Seasonal items

Many retail outlets stock items that will sell well during the summer months then drop off during the winter, or vice versa.  This most commonly occurs in the clothing sector, but there are others areas where this is typical.  Often retailers are left with no option but to sell off items at a loss in order to make room for new stock as the seasons change.  If you have some storage space you can keep your seasonal items safe until the right time of year comes back around.

Considering Health & Safety

The final benefit that storage can provide is improving health and safety within the workplace.  Having the extra space should mean that there is no need to store your items in corridors and walkways or stack boxes too high in the storeroom; greatly reducing the likelihood of injuries sustained by tripping or falling items.  The ability for staff to safely negotiate their way around the property also reduces risk in the event that a fire does occur.