By creating a transparent experience for your customers, you can win more new business and repeat customers. At GlassHouse, we are all about transparency (as our name would imply). Read on for five best practices to build transparency into your customer engagements.
Tell them the good AND the bad
No one expects you to be perfect (b/c no one is) and that goes for your business and product offerings. Studies have actually shown that a 4.5 - 4.6 star rating will outperform a ‘perfect 5 star’ review for a company. People are built to expect at least SOME issues and when things look ‘too good to be true’ they start to poke holes.
Also, by being proactive around addressing any bad news to the buyer right away, you can avoid surprises later and demonstrate that you are not hiding things form them (building more trust!).
Give them your ‘why’ on pricing
“We charge this rate b/c we use quality materials and supplies. We also include a 10% expectation for potential cost over runs to avoid surprises later. Many vendors will try to under-quote home owners and then sneak additional charges for over runs or things like material disposal. So we have our pricing outlined clearly and broken down to make sure we minimize surprises. Hiding these things can end up actually costing you way over what others might be quoting you up front.”
This is an example of an explanation of WHY you are presenting a quote the way you are. If you can clearly outline your pricing, why you charge the way you do and what they benefit from your method, you can easily push back on price comparisons with other vendors who may be quoting pricing that is unrealistic or below market rates.
Admit that competitors exist
With all the options consumers have to research vendors, it’s almost certain that they have looked at your competitors. Pretending that this isn’t true, is probably not going to help you win business. Instead of ignoring this fact, lean into it. Use this position of acknowledgement to tell your own story and position your business the way you want to be seen. By bringing up other options/methods or competitors you can position your business or offering in contrast to what other companies are presenting.
An example would be to bring up alternative offerings that a consumer might choose instead of your product (roofing materials, pool construction methods, baiting vs barriers, etc…) and why those are good choices for some customers and then highlight what type of customer generally benefits from your offering over these other alternatives. You can build trust with the buyer by acknowledging that there are options in the market and how your solutions stack up and are unique.
Set clear and realistic expectations (and deliver on them)
Be upfront with your customers about what your business offers and set clear expectations about what they should expect from working with you. If the best outcome you can offer a buyer will include some compromises, let them know. If there are potential risks involved in the job (like cost over runs, or potential project scope increase that you cannot guarantee) make sure to be up front about those risks. Most people will be more upset about unexplained and unforeseen issues than they will if you outline these risks ahead of time. Also, by outlining any potential issues ahead of time, you are demonstrating your expertise in your trade and differentiating from your competitors who may be glossing over or ignoring potential issues.
Follow up for feedback
First make sure you are collecting feedback from clients. There are lots of tools on the market to assist you with requesting customer feedback and reviews (Check out our blog about review tools here).
Collecting feedback is only step 1 in the process. Once you have your customer feedback, you need to do something with it.
Make sure your team can see this feedback and it is used constructively for training and improvement.
If you can identify the client, follow up with them on their feedback. If mistakes were made, own them. If there were suggestions for improvement, dig into them. Asking for feedback and then not acknowledging it is an echo chamber that serves neither you nor your buyer.
Remember, transparency sells! This is a strategy that anyone can implement for free by leaning into their customers experience and being buyer focused. Consider requesting feedback from your buyers on their experience with your team and how transparent the buying process was.