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As a business owner, reading the right books can help take you from struggling to thriving. There are books about everything to help your business grow, including marketing, biz development, and self-help.
And if you’ve read a book about personal development where you can apply it to your professional life, you’ve hit the jackpot!
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is that book. In case you’ve never read it…
“In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. ”
The Four Agreements 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don’t take anything personally. 3. Don’t make assumptions. 4. Always do your best.
If you’ve read it and you’re not sure how this will improve your customer experience (CX), that’s what I’m here to tell you, so keep reading!
Your #1 priority, if you want to succeed, is providing a positive customer experience. By using The Four Agreements as your roadmap or guide (and have a user-friendly website), you’ll be able to turn a lead to a customer who wants to buy from you and tell their fam + friends all about you – which means more leads from referrals.. and the cycle continues.
Use the following tips to help you create and implement a great end-to-end CX.
Do what you say you will and when you say you will.
Provide great service from beginning to post-purchase.
Be transparent. Honest is the best policy.
Listen to your audience. Learn how to handle good and bad reviews.
Be consistent. Be on time.
Learn how to handle complaints – step back, listen, learn, thank them for feedback, find a solution, take action, and follow up.
Always say thanks!
Keep it friendly and professional – remember potential customers are watching.
Show up and add value to everything you do.
Make it easy for them with the right tools and resources. No reason to mess up in 2020 with all the resources available, like live chat and help desk software.
Don’t rely on OPP as your main source. Think about what happens if that platform changes or shuts down.
Make sure your website is user-friendly and has all the info they need to get in touch – email, number, hours available and when you’ll reach out. Add your footer and contact page. Add a link to your contact page in the menu.
Create a FAQ page or a knowledge base/help center. Add video with Loom. (Keep it simple and say no to tech jargon.)
Help them be great. Schedule time to walk them through your proposal or contract so there won’t be any surprises.
Ask the right questions to get a clear understanding of their needs/wants and likes/dislikes.
Know how they feel about their experience with your product or service. Use surveys and emails to learn more.
If you have a service-based business, create an intro packet/page to explain your onboarding process. You can also create a welcome packet so they’ll know what to expect and when.
Go through the buying process as a customer. Test on mobile and on another browser. Pay attention to roadblocks. Simplify where you can and create a customer-focused process. Improve it as you go.
Set up email autoresponders – don’t keep them waiting.
Engage with your audience – from social media and email.
Research and learn the basics from the pros about marketing, sales, customer service. Plenty of resources on Hubspot, Linkedin Learning, Google Digital, and Help Scout.
Create a strategy. Set goals and track results daily/weekly/monthly.
Get organized. Start using a CRM like Salesforce, Honeybook, 17Hats. Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), templates, and scripts. This will make it easier for your new employee to get on board.
Don’t do it all. Get the help you need by hiring a team, virtual assistant or specialist. Treat them with respect. Train and teach them the ropes.
Make sure you take care of yourself.
Ever thought about switching up your style and adding a little “je ne sais quoi” to freshen up your site?
Maybe you’re promoting the hell out of your content but you’re still not getting any love.
You could be just starting out and have no clue what to add to your pages and posts to attract the right folks.
Instead of having you in these biz streets wondering what to do or where’s the love, keep reading to find out how you can improve your customer experience on your WordPress website. Then you can start swimming in Scrooge McDuck money. (Maybe not that much but anything is possible, yeah?)
Make sure to download your freebie and Treelo board below to get started tout de suite.
This post contains affiliate links. That means I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase or sign up using one of my links. Thanks so much for your support!
Ask yourself a few questions before you get started:
What are the top 3 main goals for your website?
Do you want visitors to view your sales page and schedule a call? Show off your portfolio so visitors can see what kind of work you’ve done? Want your audience to sign up and download a lead magnet that gives them a taste test of what you have to offer? Donate to your non-profit organization? Or maybe you want to sell info products or courses that teach folks how to DIY what you do?
What problems are you solving and who should stick around?
Who are you helping? And how can you help them go from point A to Z? What’s in it for them when they call/buy/sign up? Is it related to your products and services? Will your blog, brand, and business help them do/make/achieve better things for their biz?
After you answer those questions, you’ll pick one goal and add it to each page on your website. Let’s get started!
Better Copy + Content
Know what to write on your essential page and all you’ll have to do is add your voice to it. Whether it’s class clown, corporate-y, or cussing, be yourself!
Home
What do you love to do? Who do you want to work with? Why should they work with you? How can you help them achieve their goals? What’s the next step they should take?
“I’m [name] and I help [audience] with [their goals or struggles] by [your solutions]. Read more about how I can help you achieve your goals [linking them to your about page, services page, or portfolio].”
About
Same as the Home page but also tell them about the person behind the brand.
Who are you? Where you’re from? What’s your struggle story? How you got started in your field? What are your skills and experience? What do you love about what you do? Who do you want to help? What are your beliefs/values/passions?
Add a picture of your gorgeous face and workspace. Add some fun facts about you and then tell them what to do next (aka your CTA – call-to-action).
Blog
Make sure your posts are useful + relevant to your audience.
Did you answer the most frequently asked questions on that topic you’re writing about? Are you using graphics (screenshots, GIFs, stock photos) to break up your content? How about adding bold or emphasis tags to highlight the important deets? Can you make it Google-ready and SEO-friendly by adding important keywords in your post, URL, and alt text for your graphics? What content upgrade can you add to make it an even better blog post? Can you add click to tweet quotes to make it shareable? Did you add opt-in forms throughout the post? (Don’t forget to test the forms!)
Tip: Become an opt-in beast: add one to your home page, about page, footer, end of every blog post, and sidebar. Add a link to the Subscribe page on your menu or use Hellobar to add one to your header. You can even add a checkbox on your contact form like I did on my 17 Hats contact form:
Services
What do you enjoy doing? What problems do you solve? Who do you want to work with? What’s your process like? How do you take them from point A to B then C? How long does it take? What are the benefits of working with you? What do they get after working with you? Did you add “starting at..” prices? How can they get started? Did you answer the FAQ? Any myths/assumptions people have about your industry?
Sprinkle some results-focused testimonials. Add a link to your portfolio. Make it easy to contact you by adding a link to your “Hire Me” form or add it to the bottom of the page.
On your hire me form, ask for their name, email, link to your website, budget. Leave a text area so they can ask questions or give you details about their project.
Contact
Tell folks who you are, what you do, and who you want to work with. How long does it take to respond to their message? What are your business hours?
Add a link to the FAQ page (or add FAQ on the same page). Add a link to “Hire Me” form. Add your business email and links to active social media accounts. Add a quick form to fill out (first name, email address, message). Make sure your form works by sending a test email.
Portfolio
Add the work you love and want to do more of. You can keep it simple by adding a screenshot or mockup with a link to the project. Or you can keep it fancy and use a method mostly used for job interviews: STAR method. You can also use it for your next blog post, proposal, or your portfolio:
Situation: details about the project – who’s the client, what they do, what goals and struggles they had before working with you Task: what was your job, what’s the solution/service you provided Action: how you handled it – your process to solve their problem (no tech talk, speak their language) Result: what was the result – link to demo site or project, show the finished product (before and after screenshots or mockups – Smartmockups or take a screenshot on Am I Responsive)
Don’t forget to add their testimonial. And then end with a call to action – “Now accepting clients for March 2019. Get Started on Your Project” or “Let’s Work Together” linking to your services page or Hire Me form.
Tip: If you’re just starting out and don’t have anything to add to your portfolio, get started with these projects:
your very first client is you, so any work you did for yourself, add it!
rebrand/refresh/redesign your favorite shop’s logo/website/design
create a sample project for your dream client (and turn that into a blog post – “Behind the Scenes: My Web Design Workflow” or “Beginner’s Guide: What I Need From You Before We Work Together”)
Subscribe
Who should sign up for your email list and why? What will they get for signing up? How many times will you be in their inbox? (Monthly or weekly.)
Add an opt-in form and give them a preview of what you’ll send – maybe a link or screenshot of the last email you sent to your subscribers.
FAQ
Answer the who, what, when, where, and whys. How can they get in touch for more questions? Add the same questions from sales page and a contact form on the bottom. Make sure you answer these 4 questions on your FAQ page.
404
Add links to popular posts, a search bar, and an opt-in form. You can also add a general freebie where no signup is required. (Like a list of your favorite tools.)
Start Here
If you’ve done this for a while, round-up your popular posts. You can find out from Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/source/yoursite.com, Google Analytics, or your WordPress dashboard. Share your latest posts and what topics you’ll talk about. Add a mini-bio with a link to your about page and how to get in touch with you.
Privacy Policy and Terms + Conditions pages
Make sure you add those 2 pages to your site. Use free generators like Terms Feed and Iubenda.
Your Website: Beauty and The Brains
Freshen up your website and keep it updated and secure with a few recommended plugins.
Design
Make sure your site is distraction-free by adding more whitespace and fewer ads/badges. If you want to keep the ads, create some graphics to match your brand. Choose between 1-2 font styles and make sure they’re easy to read. Stick to 2-3 colors that aren’t too bright. Add some images or icons to stand out. Make sure your navbar is easy to find and has a path leading them to your main goal (Home -> About -> Blog -> Services -> Contact/Hire Me Form)
Use a mobile-friendly theme. Most themes are viewed on mobile devices, but if your site is a bit outdated, it’s about that time to upgrade since most of your visitors are will be using their phone or tablet to view your site.
Tech
Now you don’t want all that hard work to go to waste so make sure you do the following to speed it up and keep it up to date:
First, backup your site. If your username is “admin”, “test”, or the name of your site, it’s time to change it. Update your theme and plugins. Delete any unused + outdated plugins. Delete any graphics, drafts, or files you’re not using. Use tools like LastPass to create stronger passwords or use a password-free login like Google Authenticator – Two Factor Authentication.
Update WordPress core as soon as possible or find a great web host to keep your site up and running with the latest version of WordPress. Or skip the boring tech stuff and get a developer to handle it for you.
Recommended Plugins
Download Jetpack – “The one plugin you need for stats, related posts, search engine optimization, social sharing, protection, backups, speed, and email list management.” And then try one of these plugins to make your site better:
Social Media
Time to update your social media accounts. Add info about what you do and who you work with, plus a link to your freebie, subscribe or sales page on all of your profiles.
Pinterest – edit your showcase and highlight your boards (latest blog posts, your portfolio, group board)
Twitter – pin your latest post or subscribe page, share your posts and follow-up by posting it the next day, next week, and month
Facebook – add your business page to your personal profile (when you’re connecting and engaging in Facebook groups, folks can check out your page), pin your latest post to your business page, and use the button to link to your subscribe or services page
Linkedin – You have a lot more space on Linkedin so you can add that same formula on your home page here. Don’t forget to add a call to action.
Workflow
After your website and social media revamp, it’s now time to organize your process. You’ve made changes to your website (and maybe your offerings), so it may be time to refresh your process also.
Before your clients start rolling in, think about ways to make your workflow easier for you and your clients. It doesn’t have to be a perfect system since you’ll make some changes as you grow, but planning your process will save you time and headaches so you don’t have to do all the things at the last-minute. The first step is to learn how to onboard new clients faster with 6 free tools.
For my TL;DR peeps, following these tips can help you grow your audience and your business:
Download your checklist, copy the Trello board that comes with it, and use them as your launch guide to revamp your WordPress site.
Figure out your main goal for your site and point your visitors in that direction.
Opt-in here. Opt-in there. Opt-in everywhere!
All social media roads lead to your website.
Create dope and valuable/helpful/relevant content and share with your followers on social media
Do the same for your email list and remember to educate and share what you have to offer
Keep up the good work and then bada bing.. bada boom – notifications from PayPal singing “Just Got Paid“.
Have some tips you want to add? Tell me in the comments below. And don’t forget to share this post with your folks.
