How to Become a Level 2 Seller

[joaniechevalier]

I became a Level 2 Seller this week; it was an exciting moment. Just a week prior to that, I was actually thinking about my customers and why I love doing this so much. I enjoy helping people. I enjoy building them up, coaching them, being a mentor, giving them great and courteous service. To see their passion shine through their messages to me and through their stories is a joy to me. And, let’s face it, when I do a good job, and after I deliver the completed gig, I love that the customer can leave a review, a validation of a job well done. When I read those, I smile and it makes me feel good, like I matter and I’ve done someone a big favor.

I contemplated on my service and wondered how I can keep customers coming back for more and how I can keep up the momentum that I’ve steadily built. Here are five tips that helped me grow my business:

1. Be Polite and Say Thank You. This seems really elementary but I have come across this myself so I make a point to always say thank you. When I receive an email or an order, as soon as I see that message, I immediately respond. I usually say, “Thank you for your message. I am looking forward to working with you!” or “Thank you for your confidence in my gig. I will get started right away.” Don’t take your customers for granted. If you don’t respond or treat them right from the get-go, they most likely will not return. I have used gigs on Fiveer myself. The gigs I do not return to? The people who don’t say thank you. When the job is complete, I receive a canned response like this one (paraphrased of course), “Here is your order, now go and give me a 5-star review.” What? What happened to a simple “Thank you for your order.” We are here to service the customer, not the other way around.

2. Communicate immediately and throughout the process. This goes somewhat with being polite and saying thank you, but you also need to communicate. I bought one gig and I did not receive any acknowledgement other than the canned requirement response. Then, when the job was completed in four days, another canned response, “Consider a tip if I did a good job.” When my own gigs take more than a few days, I usually send the customer an email, “Just wanted to let you know that I’m working on your order and so far I love the story!” It’s nice to let your customer know what is going on and it only has to be a few words. I recently hired someone to do some writing for me and because she didn’t communicate with me, she was late with the project. Three days later, I still didn’t have anything so I finally email her, what’s the deal? She said she was busy and that she’d get to it and deliver it to me within two days. Two more days go by without any communication from her. I email her again. She responds that maybe we should cancel the order because she realized that she can’t get to it. What? So in eight days, she couldn’t have simply emailed me? It is not the customer’s responsibility to communicate with the seller. Communicate!

3. Place value on your work product. I always provide more value to my gigs than less. I always go one step beyond what the customer expects. It doesn’t have to be something big or time-consuming. I’m just talking about something unexpected. It could be an extra free service or a tack-on to the existing gig. For example, I provide beta reading that doesn’t provide proofreading since that’s another gig, but the customer appreciates it when I edit something from the book or when I make a comment on something that can be revised. I hired a proofreader not too long ago and that’s all she did. She didn’t write any encouraging words on the document, or make notes at the end; nothing. All she did was mark it up, and that’s it. Her service seemed cold to me, so sterile, like she was a machine. I think Fiveer works because we are like an owner of a small business. A small business owner is usually personable and friendly. They have to be because there are plenty of competition out there. There are always others waiting in the wings who can offer faster and cheaper service. But the small business owners love their customers because without the customer, where would we be? Sitting at our desk playing solitaire on our computers, that’s what. That’s why I love Fiveer. I can offer a great product and provide a great service.

4. Value your repeat customers. This goes with all of the above. Just because this customer has been here four times doesn’t mean I can forget all my manners. No, it should be the other way around. I should act like it’s the first time he’s been here. I thank him for his order. I communicate. I ask what he needs. I don’t make assumptions of what he needs because maybe this time he needs something different. Having the repeat customer is my goal. That gives me validation of what I am doing. It means that I must be doing something right. I am providing a service that this client likes and needs. I don’t ask for a tip. Sometimes he tips and sometimes he doesn’t. But it doesn’t matter. Because when you have repeat customers, that means they are happy. And happy customers tell other people about your services. Happy customers bring long-term benefits. Although I act professional with all my gigs, with the repeat customer, I can loosen up a bit and not be so formal. It doesn’t need to be a long drawn-out chat. Of course, your customer is busy too. It can be a simple, “So how have you been. How’s business going?”

5. Don’t be afraid to update your gigs as needed. As my Fiveer business grew, I realized that my gigs had to be reconstructed and they had to grow also. As I became more experienced, I was able to determine what worked and what didn’t. I revised the more popular gigs and made them into packages. I also upped my prices. When I was inexperienced, I didn’t know how to price my services. I found that some gigs took longer to complete than others. Time is valuable and “time is money,” they say. Basically, I figured out that I was spending hours working for little to nothing on some gigs. When I first raised my prices, I was afraid that people would be put off and not order. The opposite happened. That’s when my business picked up. I think because I valued myself and what I can offer, and that meant that the customer could value my services too. After I raised my prices, even the regulars didn’t say anything. When I mentioned to one of my regular customers that I was this close to becoming a Level 2 Seller, he said, “Great, you deserve it!” He didn’t even mention the slightly higher prices (he’s a Fiveer seller himself).

Like I said, I love my Fiveer business! I figured It’s not how fast I made it to Level 2, but how I maintain and keep my business steady. I want to keep my customers happy and I want them to keep returning and sharing the love. For my part, I say Thank you!