What does it mean to build your reputation? We are not talking about your brand recognition, nor are we talking about your ability to provide a product or service to your customers. While these are essential things, reputation is something that means so much more to a customer. In fact, more than 90 percent of customers will research your online reputation before deciding to do business with you. Having an excellent reputation, both on and offline will convey to your customers that you have their best interest in mind. To accomplish this, you have to make sure that you are doing the little things right. They should not be scripted acts of kindness. Customers can see right through a scripted act of kindness. We will give you an example.
Some years ago, there was a special needs person that happened into a McDonald’s. This person was having difficulty eating their food. Unprompted, an employee of the restaurant, was caught on camera helping this person eat. Needless to say, the video went viral and that McDonald’s and possibly the entire company reaped the benefits of this selfless act.
Regardless if you are here to learn how to make yourself or your company have a better reputation, you will find something for both. Let’s dive right in and look at some of the ways that you can build your reputation by being kind to others.
Lasting Impression
Much like the example provided above, you, too, are going to want to have those memorable moments happen to you or in your store. The key is not to be looking for the camera in order to make this happen. If someone happens to take a video of the incident, that’s great. However, it should not be your reason for doing kind deeds.
When it comes to a business, you need to encourage your employees to do the little things that make the customer’s day. It can be something as simple as greeting them when they pass by. There is a reason that stores like Walmart have people at the front door greeting their customers. Not only are they a great source of information, but having someone welcome you with a smile to the store can make a lasting impression that they are appreciated.
The small acts that we have described are often spontaneous. In fact, it is better when they are. However, that does not mean that you cannot set your employees up for success. The trick is that you need to make sure that the acts are not only accepted but encouraged by all. Many times, employees give a hard time to other employees for going above and beyond. This kind of attitude can be detrimental to your business. One way to discourage such behavior is by rewarding employees that do that little extra.
Below you will find a number of ways to inspire others and employees to accept these random acts of kindness.
- Encourage – We briefly discussed this above. However, we feel that this is the number one way to get others to participate in being kind. Empower your employees or others to tackle a challenge together. This can be anything from unloading a truck to shoveling snow. We heard of a story from one of our clients that he was stuck in the snow during his first winter. Out of nowhere, his neighbors came to help him. This did a lot for the neighborhood. From the second this happened, more and more people started helping each other with odd jobs around their homes. It was not uncommon to see five to ten people working on a project. Most of them had no reason to help other than it was being kind.
- Listen – Perhaps you are not one to donate your time to helping someone. Maybe it is because you can’t. However, there is something that you may have the gift of doing – listening. Sometimes all a person needs is for someone to listen to their problems. This can be applied in both your regular life as well as your business life. When your employees take the time to stop and listen to a customer that is having problems with finding the right part or product, they show they really care.
- Reward – Again, we eluded to this above as well. While this may entice some employees to go the extra mile, it may not do the same to all of them. A reward does not mean that you have to start handing out cash bonuses for acts of kindness. An extra ten or fifteen minutes on lunch and extra break, or the ability to clock out a bit early on Friday might do the trick as well. Explore different ways to reward your employees and figure out which works best for you. On a personal level, the reward should be the smile on the person’s face or the hug you receive for helping them.
- Keep it small – You don’t have to have some grand gesture to make someone feel like you are being kind. In fact, some of the most trivial acts are what convince people to trust you or your company. This can be something as small as remembering their name or wishing them a happy birthday.
More Than a Brand
Realize that if you are representing your brand, these small acts are more than just building your brand. They are creating your trust within the community. You will see how much the little things add up when it comes to impressions on your page, the number of reviews, and with any luck, the reduction in the number of customer complaints. Remember, doing something for someone in person can be just as important as doing something for them on the internet.
Conclusion
When it comes to online reputation, you can never do something that is too small to garner support from your followers. In today’s age, people notice minor things, and they will write about it. So, take the time to encourage yourself and others to do small things to make life better for those around them.