How to sell reputation management to merchants.

Show your clients what their customers are saying about them and show them how to get that visibility easily at all times. 

The adage, “You only have one chance to make a first impression” is especially true when it comes to business. Customers engage with companies they trust, but if they’ve never made a purchase or contracted services from a business before they’ll look for advice from other consumers. In fact, a whopping 90% of consumers say good online reviews impact their buying decisions. They’ll purposely look up review sites to see how others fared when they dealt with a business. That’s why merchants must monitor what people are saying about their brands, both to understand what customers like about a brand and to address bad reviews. 

The benefits of effective reputation management. 

When a merchant does it right, a reputation management strategy provides major benefits. A reputation management strategy that works allows businesses to do the following. 

• Attract and retain customers. When consumers can easily access a long list of favorable reviews about a brand, they’re more likely to purchase products from and become loyal customers of that brand. 
• Increase revenue. Businesses with solid reputations can also build a better bottom line. Research shows that 90% of consumers are willing to pay more for items from brands they trust. 
• Attract dependable employees. In sectors that experience high turnover, reputation management empowers businesses to build a better workforce. Businesses with good reputations will attract quality applicants. 

Conversely, a merchant who doesn’t address negative reviews online can see low customer retention, a drop in revenue, and trouble recruiting new employees. Monitoring what people say about a brand online can enable merchants to address issues before they adversely affect their businesses. 

How can merchants monitor their reputations? 

To understand what consumers say about them, businesses need a way to see what people say about their brands online — wherever they’re saying it. That includes online review sites and social media, customer feedback, and comments in the press or media. Merchants can Google their businesses’ names, search social media platforms, check in with online review sites, and read and respond to each one about their businesses. 

Manual reputation management processes can be a full-time job and take time away from other responsibilities.  

The advantages of selling a solution with reputation management features. 

A better option is to use an application with reputation-monitoring features. As a North Sales Partner, you can give your clients the advantages of automating reputation management and protecting their brands. You can even empower them to see what consumers are saying about their competitors so they can focus on outperforming them and winning their customers. 

If your clients need more convincing about the value of reputation management, run a sample personalized report for them. Seeing what consumers are saying about their businesses can be eye-opening.

Take the opportunity to help your merchants build their businesses. 

Selling reputation management adds another dimension to the value you offer. You already provide the solutions your clients need for digital payments and good customer experiences at the checkout. Now you can build stronger relationships with them by offering a reputation management solution that provides transparency into what people say about their businesses. 

You’ll help them protect their reputations and their businesses and grow your portfolio in the process with new stickier client relationships. Contact North to learn more!