Ballerific Business: Know Your Product (Research Research Research)

Whether you sell weave, make-up or Herbal Life, potential customer’s will have lots of questions and they’re expecting you to have the answers. There’s nothing more off putting than a business owner not knowing about their product or service when asked a simple question. I actually experienced something very similar recently that led me to completely refuse giving a certain company repeated business. 

Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and these days we find more and more people getting in business just to say they have a business, instead of doing something they are passionate about. Many business owners do not educate themselves on their product, it’s material, they just buy from wholesale and resell it none the wiser. That is what sets a great business apart from a fake business.

Story Time – I was on the quest to purchase some new extensions & if you’re familiar with me, you know that I love to color my hair on my own. The process is kind of therapeutic for me, and I thoroughly enjoy being able to achieve different looks. I’ve purchased from a local distributor once before, but noticed they were selling blonde hair now. This actually was great, given that you have to bleach hair blond before dying it — it just seems to be one less step. Plus this company advertises 100% virgin hair, so I figured if all their hair is virgin why wouldn’t the blonde be? That’s when I asked the business owner, before making my big purchase, “Can the hair be bleached further?” . That was my little way of asking if this was truly virgin hair or had it already been processed with chemicals. That is when I was met with an attitude, told that if I bleached it and it messed up I would have wasted my money, and that if I have coloring questions I need to consult my stylist — not them. Here’s my thing, what does my stylist know about the hair YOU sell? Isn’t it your responsibility to answer questions about your product? If you advertise all of your hair is 100% Virgin, when you sell NON-VIRGIN hair, shouldn’t you notate that somewhere? Lastly, was the attitude necessary? 

This is when it’s apparent who’s in the wrong business.You don’t have to be a hair stylist to know the ins and outs of your product. A good business person researches everything about their product before they sell it to potential customers. If you sell t-shirts, I should be able to ask you about cleaning instructions. If you sell herbal life, I’m assuming you’ve at least been on the diet before and can provide a few pointers. People ask questions before they spend their hard earned money, this shouldn’t come as an annoyance to you. If it does, I suggest you invest in customer service representatives.

So here’s my advice for starting a prospering business. Before you get started, make sure that the business you are starting is something you are passionate about. Something your heart is in. Don’t just do something because you see other people making money doing it. The same won’t work for you. Get into something you can see your entire life revolving around. Secondly, research, research, research! If you plan on re-selling a product, buy a few pieces yourself. Wear it, wash it, experience it. If you manufacture, research the materials and don’t always settle for what’s cheapest. Providing a service? Research others around you who are providing the same service. What can you do differently? What can you improve? 

Once you’ve established what you are going to do and how you’re going to do it, the key is to never stop educating yourself and never stop looking for better ways to run your business. If you’re going to sell hair, it wouldn’t hurt to know whether the hair you sell is truly virgin or processed. It surely wouldn’t hurt to be able to TELL the difference so that you can pass that on to your customers. Never stop educating yourself on your services or the products you sell. Knowledge truly is power & we can all stand to know more. You never know, you may find a vendor that’s cheaper and more efficient than who you are currently using. Never be set in your ways.

Lastly, customer service is key. Good customer service is hard work. Answering emails and phone calls from inquisitive (sometimes angry) customers can be draining. But know that it really sets you apart from the rest. Establish a set customer service method. Maybe certain business hours/days, to maintain your sanity. Use a third party service. Have all inquiries only go to a certain email on a certain cell phone. These are all great ways to stay sane and still cater to your customer. Oh, and remember smile. Smile on the phone, smile in your emails, people can always tell when you smile (old customer service trick I learned back in the day).