Starting a new business may be very tricky and especially risky. Typically statistics are not in your favor if you decide to start a new business but if you came to that conclusion than you better do it right. There is no step by step instructional book of how to establish a successful business although there are plenty of books that may give great advice on how to do so. Every business is different and so are companies’ missions and goals. In this article we’ll discuss five easy ways of increasing consumer confidence and building trust among new customers in your brand or company. Incorporate Yourself Whether you decide to become a corporation (Inc.) or a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), it would help your image as it will prove your clients that the state knows who you are and you have some sort of documentation to prove that. Accept Credit Cards Aside from the fact that accepting credit cards as a form of payment may increase your revenue it also provides a great way to build trust among consumers. It has been proven that businesses that show Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express logos on their store front get more clients as consumers feel confident in their product. They will always believe that the credit card company backs them up if you do not deliver the right product or service unlike when paying wish cash or check which will make it difficult in a case of a problem. That’s why credit card processing and other merchant services firms have went beyond the retail store point and developed the capability to accept credit cards on iPhone or Android devices and allow mobile merchants to accept mobile payments as well. Get an 800 Number By purchasing an 800 number for your business you prove your clients that you are investing in your business and your client may believe that your company is bigger than it actually is, in other words, in shows professionalism. By operating an 800 number you show that you care about your customers and at a time when customer service is an important competitive advantage, an 800 number may give you the advantage you need. One of the more important things I believe an 800 number should really be considered for is the fact that consumers see it as easy to remember, and which company does not want its clients to remember it? Verification / Security Seal (for Online Businesses) The internet is a powerful tool for business and although there is a lot of important and useful information on it there are also some harmful and scam websites that do not look in the benefit of the consumer. In order to enhance consumer confidence in your website you may purchase a verification and / or a security seal that will prove your legitimacy and security level of your site by a third party. GoDaddy for example offer “Website Protection” seal and “Verified & Secured” seal for increasing consumer confidence and security of your site. Other companies such as McAfee, Symantec and TRUSTe offer similar products. Online Business Directory Verification Whether you are an online business or not you may want to consider becoming verified by online business directories for free. Directories like Manta offer a free verification tool and then they will post your listing for free with a seal that says “verified” on it. Another example may include Google Maps and Nokia Here which require free address verification. Conclusion Although consumer confidence goes beyond these five points I believe these points are a great way of starting to build confidence and trust for your brand among consumers. PermalinkPosted: April 20, 2013
