The home-based entrepreneur is a growing trend, and many home businesses are popping up all over the country. You may have been thinking about starting a home business for some time now, but you’re not sure if it’s a good idea. This article will look at what it takes to be successful as a home-based business owner and how to build trust with clients to maintain long-term relationships.
Don’t be afraid to turn on your webcam
Authenticity matters, especially now when people struggle to make real connections. But it’s hard to showcase your personality when you’re working remotely and don’t meet people face-to-face.
Video meetings are the next best thing to meeting in person. By turning on your camera to allow the person you’re talking to see your face, conversations are not only more efficient but more engaging. When clients can see your facial expression, they’ll be able to read you better. And this ability to pick up on your reactions and body language will allow them to assess your personality better.
Turning on your webcam, even if your client chooses not to, also makes you more accountable for participating in the conversation. Knowing the camera is on you makes you less likely to be distracted and tempted to multi-task.
Engage in small talk
Being professional is important; however, it’s also helpful to be relatable when building trust. That’s why engaging in small talk is essential to building rapport. Actively listen for common ground that you may use later to talk about when you’ve finished talking about business matters. Bringing up small things casually brought up in conversation also shows that you’re paying attention.
If your client has their camera on, it may help to observe their surroundings. Typically, clients won’t mind this since, like you, they’ve probably carefully chosen a spot in their home to hold business meetings. Their background may hold clues to what they’re reading these days or even include photos of their family or pets. These are all great conversation starters.
Communicate regularly
You don’t have to wait until you have important information to share to contact your client. Most clients appreciate regular updates on progress, which also helps them with their timelines. Of course, this depends on the nature of your business. But in general, clients and customers like to know the status of their orders.
Be reliable
Reliability and predictability are excellent traits for building trust. Missing deadlines or not sending an update when you say you will are the fastest ways for a client to lose faith in your capabilities. It’s even more frustrating when you don’t deliver on time and then become hard to reach. Clients will panic when you have delivered on your promise and suddenly go offline. Therefore, if you already know there will be delays, communicate this with your client immediately.
At Profit Online, I know how valuable it is to have the right connections when entering a new business venture. Here, you’ll be working with other entrepreneurs just like yourself: People who have the same thoughts, desires, hopes, and dreams of financial success and personal freedom. When everyone works together, everyone profits!
