Shift in buyer seller relationship

What every business has to understand in order to survive these days is that there has been a shift in buyer seller relationships. It used to be the business with the most money to pay for advertising got the most customers. Now, the businesses with the best relationships with their customers get the most customers. Customers have grown wary of the large, flashy advertisements, and are no longer as easily "fooled" or drawn in by ads, and instead rely on consumer reports, and online information, often found on blogs, etc. to determine which products and companies they trust and are a good value.

The internet provides information about everything from a company's carbon footprint, to labor practices, fair trade policies, etc. You can't hide, so don't try. Instead, be as transparent as possible, as this will help you to establish a good relationship with consumers, where they feel like they can trust you because what you say and put out there is easily backed up by what they see when they research your company on the internet. Almost everyone uses the internet to search out information on the companies they use, and the people they are willing to do business with. If you want to sell, you have to remember this, and use the internet to get the best possible information out about you, by creating great relationships with customers and potential customers.

Consumers trust other consumers, far more than they do sales people. They often avoid traditional advertising routes, and instead, trust their circle of friends and other consumers, created through social networks, and other networking tools. If you are going to have sales men, they better know their stuff. If you want to sell to a wide group, make sure that you take time to establish a trust, and develop a relationship with people through social media and other outlets, as this can help you to turn your consumer base into marketers that don't expect anything in return.

The web and your consumers have a lot of control over your company image, but this empowers you to become a forerunner by improving consumer relationships. It can be a scary thought that your ability to retain market share is held in the hands of your consumers and what they are posting and saying about you. However, it also means an opportunity to grow, because it means if you can get them saying good things, you have a powerful form of marketing that costs very little. Remember that by nurturing customer relationships, you are also nurturing marketing. The better a person feels about your company, they more likely they are to share it with others.

You are no longer talking to buyers, but rather with them. If you want to stay relevant, you have to accept this, and turn from an advertising focused marketing plan, to a customer relations focused plan.