For many small business owners their brand is not primarily their logo, their font or their website, but they themselves. Although it is important to be visible to be viable in running a small business, that lone is not enough. Your face is your brand & by default you are your reputation. To be successful building a reputation is an investment not only in time, but often in money too. 

Building & maintaining a strong business reputation isn’t just about delivering a great product or service; it’s about creating trust, demonstrating reliability, & consistently meeting the expectations of your customers & partners. A reputation built on a steady footing can advance your business to new heights. The thing is, that once your reputation is established you have to maintain it. It can be very easy for your trust factor to slip & without realising it, your reputation too; squandering your hard-work. Once your reputation starts on a downward spiral it is nearly impossible to recover it.

In this blog we are going to take a look at how you can build an enviable reputation & also consider some of the things that can diminish your credibility. 

Let’s Look At Some Statistics

When someone has a poor experience with a small business or the owner, then that person is more likely to share how they feel with other people. Research suggests that, on average, people will tell 9 to 15 others about a negative experience. Some studies suggest that it can be as high as 20 people that could hear about a particularly bad incident​.

In contrast, positive experiences are shared less frequently, with customers typically telling fewer people. This highlights the importance of creating positive experiences, as negative word-of-mouth can spread quickly & impact your personal & your business's reputation significantly

Statistics reveal there is a significant impact of poor customer experiences on businesses. Surprisingly, only 4% of dissatisfied customers express their complaints directly to businesses, meaning many negative encounters go unreported, leaving businesses unaware of potential issues​. This lack of feedback can be detrimental, as 90% of consumers indicate they would switch to a competitor if they believed they would receive better service​, meaning they will vote with their feet & go elsewhere.

In addition, businesses that excel in customer experience often see higher returns. Studies show that 75% of consumers are willing to spend more with companies that offer positive customer experiences​.

On the flip side, poor service can lead to significant financial losses, with research indicating that just a 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by over 25%​.

These statistics highlight the importance of addressing customer complaints & improving experiences to retain loyalty and drive growth, but also how important it is to manage partnership relationships with the same effectiveness.

If networking is a core part of your marketing strategy remember that the fundamental principle here is to talk to other people. Ideally you want people you meet regularly to advocate for you & therefore enhancing your reputation. If you have let someone down or been shoddy in delivering then, in their conversations with others they may not be able  to contain their frustration meaning they will not give you a positive recommendation. 

Stop Ghosting

According to recent research more than nine in ten people (92%) who sell either products or services say they sometimes get ghosted for no apparent reason, & on average get ghosted by around one in five prospects (18%).

When starting out as a small business owner there is so much pressure to be everywhere, that it can become overwhelming. You have to choose where to be found. If you have a business plan & a marketing strategy this should help you know where your customers hang-out. You still have to consider building a website. Do you want to be on page one of Google? Do you need to employ an SEO expert to achieve this? What about my Google Business Profile? Which social media channels to focus on; Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Eventbrite, Vimeo, WhatsApp, TikTok or X ? You will need an email & a mobile phone which lets texts & phone calls into the equation. If you have a Facebook profile for business, then you’ll, possibly have Messenger too. The places to be contacted by clients & other people seems endless. You need to make some tough decisions on where to be found. If you are not aware of where your customers hang-out, then all of these options may need to be trialled at some point. 

Potentially being in so many places all at once can present its own problems, in the volume of communication that can arrive in a very short space of time. Much of which is probably not relevant. Make sure you use your spam filters on your email account, but check the spam or junk folder regularly to make sure that real contacts have not dropped in there by mistake. With so many messages coming at you from all angles it is easy to stop responding to people & connection requests. 

You should always reply to legitimate messages & emails promptly. However, not doing so will have a negative impact on your reputation. In general people remember when they are ignored because it is super frustrating to not know where one stands & to be left in limbo.

You cannot simply focus on messages that lead directly to work, because if you are networking then 1-2-1 meetings & the events themselves will create opportunities, but only if you are proactive. We all know there is nothing worse than calling someone, leaving a voicemail, & then never hearing from that person again. This leaves the caller with a negative impression; If you cannot call back why would I make an introduction to you or choose to work with you? If you are likely to ignore me, then you will ignore others too. Making a recommendation to another business owner is a very trusting action, so much so that if as a small business owner, you don’t treat the new contact with respect It can have a negative impact not only on your reputation, but also on the person who made the introduction.

So, limit the number of ways people can interact with you to places that will give you genuine value. Don’t ghost anyone. By having fewer channels it allows you to manage your interactions more professionally. It is also OK to say “no” to sales conversations where you are not interested. In fact, by saying “no” you can prevent time wasting for everyone involved. It is more efficient to be honest & say “no” especially when it is not the right time for you to buy or it is just not a product or service you want.

Effective Delivery

The foundation of any strong reputation is delivering consistent value to customers & business partners, which will probably look different for different business owners. This means ensuring that your product or service is high-quality & meets or exceeds customer expectations. It's not enough to deliver excellence once. You need to do it repeatedly over time. Reliability & quality are the cornerstone of a strong reputation.

Deliver what you promise. Set reasonable expectations & build in contingency. Under-promise & over-deliver is a business strategy that involves setting reasonable expectations for customers or clients & then exceeding those expectations through performance or delivery. The idea is to pleasantly surprise customers by delivering more than what was initially promised, which could simply be doing so ahead of schedule, thereby creating a positive impression & enhancing your reputation. Never leave anything to the last minute as by cutting it fine on a deadline creates anxiety all round, for yourself & for your customers. If something does go wrong then you have no wriggle room to recover. The anxiety that you pass on to your customers through poor time management will have a negative impact. Do you want to be known as the last-minute dot com gal or guy?  

Provide Exceptional Customer Service

Great customer service is one of the most effective ways to build a strong business reputation. How you handle inquiries, complaints, & feedback can significantly impact how people perceive you, your business & your product or service. Prompt, respectful, & solution-oriented responses show customers & partners that their satisfaction is your priority. Going above & beyond for your clients demonstrates your commitment to their experience, turning one-time customers into loyal advocates for your brand. 

It is important to understand that your communications whether verbal or written should be clear, concise & making the people you work with & your customers feel special. Being curt, incomplete, unclear or not finishing what you promised or allowing the conversations to drift into a void of uncompletedness alienates customers & partners. If you cannot be bothered then you cannot expect them to bother with you. You drop down their list of priorities.

At the heart of your reputation is your ability to deliver. Remember that in business your customer’s needs come before those of yourself. It’s really easy to be so engrossed in what you do & have an opinion about how great you are, that you forget you’re only as good as your last customer’s experience. So, it’s important to understand what your customer wants & needs. Don’t deliver the outcome you want! If a customer asks you to do some work that is outside your wheelhouse, you need to be certain that you can deliver to a standard that doesn’t compromise your reputation, Don’t come up short! 

Always prepare a detailed quotation based on the brief from the customer. Include all their points & if you feel there is some crucial elements missing, have a conversation & document the changes from the original brief. Make your finalised quote part of your contract. Be super clear about exactly what work you will be undertaking, what deviations from the original request are included, how you plan to deliver & on what timescale. Be thorough from the outset, so that everyone is on the same hymn sheet. 

If a customer asks for a quote for work, even if it appears to you as a passing comment. Always follow-up to establish if they have a genuine need. What may seem an off the cuff remark to you may have been a genuine enquiry. You might miss an opportunity, that someone else who is a bit more savvy will pick up. From a reputational perspective do you want to be known as the person who isn’t interested in quoting for work. Once again why would that person make a referral to you when you could not even do the simplest thing in providing a quote?

As a small business owner there will always be times when we are asked undertake work that is outside of our core offering. If you are not an expert in this particular scope of work, it is wise to be honest & admit this. Doing something half-cocked will leave a bad taste in the mouth of your customer, which in turn could leave your reputation in tatters. Yes, by being honest your client maybe disappointed but be prepared to support them by having someone else in your core community who is able to provide the product or service your customer requires. There is no loss of face or reputation in this scenario. By referring work to a trusted colleague or partner, It’s a bit of a win win for everyone concerned.

Never Say You Are Too Busy

It is all too easy to make the comment “I am just too busy”. As small business owners we are all busy in our own ways & for our own reasons. 

The implication in this statement is that because I have found the time to create or make something happen you are suggesting that I am not busy, when in fact I am probably busier than you. Have you heard the adage that "if you want a job done then you give it to someone who is already busy, because busy people make things happen". Never assume you are busier than the next person!

In reality it is easy to use the term "being busy" as an excuse for being ineffectual. This happens because there is a lack of organisational skills or for being overwhelmed. Dragging your feet & procrastinating forms part of the downward spiral I mention earlier. If you tell a customer that you are too busy to deliver a quote or to deliver on agreed work. Then, that customer will most likely look elsewhere.

It is OK to let a potential customer know that you are not taking on additional work at this time because you are running at full capacity. It’s a positive spin on being genuinely busy & will leave a potential customer feeling satisfied. They may be prepared to wait until you are able to take on more work or comeback to you in the future for something else. This approach limits the impact of being busy, so your potential customers do not feel dissatisfied & they are less vocal about their experience because it has not been negative. 

Lastly, Enhancing Your Reputation

Be the best version of yourself that you can. What you are ideally looking for is for other people, whether customers, colleagues or partners to have positive things to say about you. How do you make this happen? 

With reputation perception is the whole enchilada. How you see yourself is not your reputation. Your reputation manifests based on the views, & experiences of other people. So, you need to impress other to create an enviable reputation & that should happen at every opportunity.

Listen to feedback & take action. Not everyone is self-aware & does not see when things do not go to plan or have got themselves into a cycle of being a bit rubbish at delivering. So, when someone is brave enough to  tell you that “this did not go so well” Irrespective of whether you agree or not, you should STOP & take stock, because if they believe that is what happened then it did happen. This is chance to recover the situation & prevent it from happening again.

None of us like to receive negative comments about our business or our performance, but it is better to know where you fallen short than not. From this point you can choose to rectify the issue. However, if you continue to simply plough the same furrow then other people’s opinion of you will dip & continue to do so until your reputation falters & repeat business dries up. In business, the concept of "insanity" is often associated with a popular saying attributed to Albert Einstein: "Insanity is doing the same thing over & over again & expecting different results." So, by not changing your approach to your delivery, when something has gone wrong you will work to erode your reputation. Are you that mad-person who is too proud to listen & change?

In conclusion, building a great reputation is a long-term investment that requires consistency, integrity, & a genuine commitment to excellence. Whether for an individual or a business, the foundation of a strong reputation lies in the quality of relationships, the value provided, & how challenges are navigated with transparency. By consistently aligning actions with values, delivering on promises, & being open to feedback, you can create a lasting & positive reputation that not only elevates your personal brand but also fosters trust, loyalty, & growth in all your endeavours.

https://www.businessleader.co.uk/92-sellers-ghosted-no-reason-research-reveals/