What I want to discuss in this article is the basic concept of honesty. The internet is a good place to do business, but due to the ongoing flood of spyware, malware, and spam, it can be very bad and frustrating for the average user. It amazes me, but not surprisingly, the unethical practice of businesses that use criminals and spam to sell products. It is not surprising because the fact is that those business processes work. Any of us who have ever worked in this field know that cars are king.
My experience has been a steady return of honesty when dealing with customers. Maybe it's not quick money, but I can look at myself in the mirror in the morning and know I did the right thing. I would rather have a customer for the rest of my life than sell a fly at night to a customer who tricks me into buying my product. It’s not always about the basics of making money. It should be about service and product value. Over the past few years I have had more business cleaning up computer-infected computers, trojans, and spam than I have ever done building a computer. The first complaint is ‘I just want to be able to use my computer, not worry about viruses and trojans and updates !!!’ Do I benefit from unethical business practices? Yes I do when I spend an hour cleaning the computer. Do I take the time to educate the user? You bet I do! I spend an hour to two hours with a client after cleaning or repairing a computer. Am I losing money on this practice? Yes I do, but I gain respect from the customer and that customer will always come back.
One major challenge with doing business online is that we do not always have face-to-face contact with our customers. However, there are ways around this that will bring value to your customer and value to the recurring business. It is not cheap to drive and thank someone for their business. It is not too expensive to send a thank you card. I think we sometimes forget that email is not the only means of communication. Spam is not always the best way to communicate. The Internet can be a very intuitive place. It is a moral challenge for all of us who are trying to sell a product or business online. Is there a chance to donate more for a small refund? That is always the opportunity we take when we give the customer advice or tips. I can guarantee that over time, the name goes up, and your business will develop a core customer base that informs your service and will tell others.
Being a small business is a challenge in a fast-paced world of chain stores. We may not offer major discounts that supermarkets may offer, but we do offer a range of product features. I challenge anyone in the IT industry to take that little extra time to teach users what to do and what not to do by browsing the web. It will benefit your business and benefit the customer.
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