While you may have a designated office for your business, there may be times where you are not present, but still conducting your work. If this happens frequently, you may need to find other ways to entice buyers and gain payments. These might need to differ from your traditional methods of handling your business. By considering the different types of remote work that you undertake, you can then be better prepared, which can lead to less stress, and greater consumer satisfaction.
Payment Apps
Whether you plan on hosting a stall at a community event, or do work at a client’s personal or business location, you may not be able to take payments in the ways that you would if you were within your own office or store. To avoid issues, and make sure that you can still provide services, this might involve some extra tools. While you could easily take a small cash safe with you in your work vehicle, some customers may prefer to pay by card. If this is the case, making use of a payment app may help to make transactions easier. This will also give you an extra level of freedom as, while you could opt to use hardware, some payment apps could also be installed on a device that you already own, meaning you won’t need to keep track of numerous electrical gadgets just to be able to complete your work.
Check Your Inventory
When working away from your usual base, you probably don’t want to be caught short. Keeping an updated list of stock that you have can help you to see if you have enough for the days spent away from your main building, and also inform you on any products that might need to be ordered or created. This stock list can also be used to see which, if any, of your products are more of a hit when you sell remotely. Keeping tabs on popular items can help you to make sure you have more the next time you visit that specific location, allowing you to increase sales and, therefore, profits. Plus, it helps to avoid any consumer disappointment.
Consider Online Sales
If you consider that around 93% of adults use the internet, you can quickly imagine how much an online store could affect sales. When working remotely, there may be times that you cannot provide an item then and there, especially if a client wants a personalized product, or something that varies from a usual design. Having an online store, with the capability of changes made to the original item, could allow you to signpost the consumer. This will allow them to still peruse your wares, and make a purchase of the thing they want, without having to go without or have their needs met from another company. Online sales can also be a great way of remotely selling products to those who live further afield.
Always Communicate with Clarity
When working away from your usual environment, you may come to rely on other communication tools to converse with your employees and clients alike. Utilising communication software such as Skype or Slack can help keep you and the most important people in your business connected and satisfied. When using written communications and software, it’s vital that you avoid ambiguous phrases or language, especially when conversing with clients.
Be prepared to over communicate and always choose language that is easy to understand and impossible to misinterpret. You should never be afraid of asking for clarification or clarity during any kind of business interaction as this approach leaves little room for error, faux pas or potentially harming the client relationships you’ve worked so hard to develop. When communicating, welcome questions and queries and consider following up your communications with an email that clarifies everything that has been discussed and the actions that are needed next. However, be wary of clogging up your inbox with confusing and complicated email chains, which could result in confusion.
Selling of wares and services doesn’t need to be undertaken in person. If you consider the resources available to you, and the possibility of deliveries or alternative methods, you can sell both when you are away from your workplace, and even outside office hours.
