What is the greatest business secret in the world?

The simplest business secret would be to keep your customers happy, no matter what. This is because the consumer is the driving force of any business without whom there would be no need to start a business in the first place.

It may sound simple to you, but it is difficult to keep customers satisfied in a constantly evolving consumerist world due to new marketing gimmicks, ideas, and strategies. Your customers might not complain every time, but they will surely remember the kind of service you provided.

Therefore, before grasping any other secrets, keep your customers in mind. Let me start shelling down some kickass business secrets, and I'm sure they will help grow your business in one way or the other:

Don't force your products on your customers.

Customers love to buy the things they find attractive, useful, futuristic, or simply because they are getting a good deal. Therefore, forcing your products on your customers will not help you at all.

You will have to take the role of a guide, assistant, or advisor who gives advice only when asked to lure your customers into buying your products. Let the customer march down the path of his needs to find your product because he will be overjoyed if he discovers your product on his own, and this sense will encourage him to keep coming back to your store again and again. In short, you simply have to play the role of a smart doorkeeper who entices the onlookers to peep into what's hidden inside and when they are in awe of what they are seeing, you need to give a little push, and the customer is yours!

Make them buy your products

People will not take an interest in your products because you are selling them. They will order a product only if it makes them feel good about themselves or are of some use to them. In either case, you will have to work very hard while ideating, designing, and developing a product.

Let's understand this better with the help of some examples:

If you are selling watches, you don't have to focus on making efficient time-keeping machines that will last forever, but you will have to sell the ideas that make the customers feel that your watches are durable and stylish.

We are not telling you to focus only on the appearance and not on how good the product is, but we tell you to balance them both. This is because the customer will not care to wear your watch for more than a couple of years. Therefore, he will return to your store only if he finds your watches attractive or feature-packed.

Similarly, if you manufacture clothes, you must focus on redefining the existing fashion trends or making something that is eye-catchy or elegant.

While understanding this, you must also remember that a person will not buy everything because of its face value. For example, while selling trekking shoes or hiking backpacks, you must sell the specifications that the hikers or trekkers are looking for.

Marketing your product's features will make a big impact on your customers, but if that feature isn't simply there, the customers will not need much time to expose your brand. By saying this, we want you to understand that your brand's reputation is as important as your profit. Profit can be earned in a day, but to make a reputation, you may need decades!

If your products manage to make people feel good about their choice, your business will surely be successful. Make your customers feel good about themselves by striking an emotional chord with them.

For example, if you are running a hotel, then it won't be a bad idea to wish your customers a happy weekend once in a while.

Make your products a problem-solver

The world is ridden with issues and problems. Who could have invented the power bank if the customers did not find the need to charge their mobiles on the go? Similarly, your potential customers are dealing with lots of problems in their everyday, personal lives. You just have to be the problem-solver and introduce a product that they feel is designed just for them.

Firstly, you must think of what their real problem is because you cannot design a sweater to protect your customers from rain. You will have to focus on the real problem and only then you will be able to provide the right solution or your product might create a new problem for the customer. It might be a good thing unless your customer notices it as you can come up with another product to solve the new problem. Just joking here! Customers aren't fools but thinking machines who can think of a thousand excuses to not buy your product unless they find the right reason for buying it!

Now that I have disclosed some heavy secrets, let them give some smart pointers that will help you to implement these ideas in the practical world:

Never look worried, tensed, or confused in front of a customer even if you are perplexed and surrounded by questions. If the customer senses any panic in you, then your chance of selling your product gets instantly minimized.

Tackle the queries of your customer with logic. If a customer asks you to give a reason for buying your smartphone when there are other models in the market, then say because he has given it a thought and has come all the way to purchase the product, then it must have made some sense to them.

Tell him that your phone has a thousand virtues, and you cannot identify which one has impressed them. By saying this, I'm asking you to be confident about your product but don't get too optimistic because the person might think that you are rude.

Take ownership of your brand when the situation demands. It means that you should own up to your product's shortcomings instead of creating a scene in front of other customers. Assure your customer that you will come up with a proper solution for the same and work on the issue unless you manage to find a solution for it. This has to be our last and most important secret! Yes, you have guessed it right. Hard work and dedication are the greatest secrets for making your business successful!

Also read:

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FAQs

Q. What is the key mantra for success?

Ans: 'Work hard, work smart, and taking ownership of your brand' is the key mantra for success.

Q. Why does a product fail even after giving 100% effort?

Ans: If your product is not the right solution to a customer's problem, it will fail even if you give more than 100% effort.

Q. What must be your center of focus while developing a product?

Ans: Customer's needs, satisfaction, and happiness should be at the centre of your focus while developing a product.

Q. Is taking a risk necessary to make my business successful?

Ans: Taking risks isn't always necessary, but if you are taking a chance for the right reason, it might work wonders. What matters more than taking risks is your risk-appetite, i.e., the limit to which you can handle risk.

Q. Can I win back a sad or angry customer?

Ans: The very reason why a customer is sad is that he is emotional. It means that you can win him back by making him happy or satisfied again with your products or services.

Q. Is an excellent product answer to every problem?

Ans: No, it makes your task convincing the customer easy, but if you do not provide good services along with it, then even an excellent product might not do so well.

Q. Can I learn from the mistakes of others?

Ans: Yes, you can, but it will be hard to succeed unless you make your own mistakes.

Q. Is dreaming important to be successful?

Ans: Yes, dreaming is important, but it will be worthless if you don't work hard to achieve your dreams. While dreaming big, you must also understand the difference between imagination and reality because businesses don't run in an imaginary world.