How a small company can survive the presence of large competitors

There is one thing a small business do best — they give better service than their larger competitors.

Actually, they must do this. If they don’t the big companies will roll them flat. But because they are small and probably know many of their customers personally, a small business can give pleasant, personal service that has a real person’s face on the business end of things (the customer is not dealing with a nameless worker somewhere out on the floor, or in another office) and a reassuring, fast way of handling problems.

Here’s two ideas that will help you keep your business right on top of customer service.

First, answer the phone or your e-mail as soon as possible.

In fact, why not drop everything to answer customers when they contact you? They will quickly appreciate you are different, very different, from the big companies in this respect. The mammoths out there find it hard to give quick, personal service like this.

Of course some customers will bombard you with a series of questions and side notes, and suck large amounts of time out of you, if you do this. So there is a risk.

In fact I know small business people who deliberately answer emails later in the day, so their clients never expect an immediate reply.

But because the quick reply is such a powerful, reassuring action (especially with prospects) it is worth doing, even if you just touch base with the caller or customer and say you will get on to their query later in the day.

I’m not talking about setting up an autoresponder that replies to every incoming email with a message saying the message has been received and will be answered quickly. You could have one of those. I’m saying in addition make a personal, quick reply to your callers and those who send an email.

Second suggestion, exceed expectations.

Do more than you promise. Try to do more then the client expects. I’m not suggesting you do more by a large margin. No. Just do small, extra things. But do them, because customers will notice. And it will register with them as a ‘major’. Many of them will want to business with you again.

This is a simple, well-used technique that will almost never fail to impress and assure the customer that you are the best.

So there are two ideas you might be able to use to keep your business ahead of your bigger opposition.