Exporters in the services sector are trying to sell something invisible to the buyer, in fact they are selling a promise. It is much easier to market products becuase they can be inspected and tried out. Services are usually not delivered on the spot and the buyer does not see an immediate benefit.
Our Chief trade officer Service section explains; 'When a service provider has credibility it encourages buyers to cross that imaginary line and take a chance that they will deliver what was promised.
BUILD and MANAGE REPUTATION
Becuase service exporters are trying to convince someone to buy something they cannot see to test. it is essental that they appear to be as credible as possible. Credibility can be established through strategically building and managing your company's reputation.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PAST CLIENTS, Mostpeople use recommendations and referrals when selecting a
service provider unless the service is low risk and inexpensive One of the reasons why people use word-of-mouth refereals is to manage risk. If someone they trust is satisfied with a particular service, it reduces the perceived risk.
In addition, serching for and evaluating potential service providers is time -consuming. For those reasons, exporters need to get as many people as possible to give them recommendations and referrals. Written testimonials from stisfied customers are also highly effective credibility-building tools.
Objective evidence of ability. Recommendations referrals and testimonial are just one way to build credibility.
Buyers also look for objective verification of a service provider's capabilities, that is validation that comes from-or appears to come from-an external objective source. this is a cornerstone of public relations, or reputation management.
For example, if an exporter is invited to give a presentation, it implies a stamp of credibility becuase it appears to the public that the sponsor belieeve them to be competent. Showcasing awards in industry newsletters or in mainstream media through press releases is more effective messaging than paid advertising.
Successful exporters seek many ways of presenting their services in public, such as hosting an information seminar, speaking at conferences and writing articles for trade or business media.This can esterblish exporters as experts in their field.
Benchmarking against international standards; Another way is to become certified to an international quality standard such as ISO 9001.(ISO9001) is a set of standards for quality management systems that is accepted around the world0 Such certification could make the difference for a firm being taken seriously in a bidding process.
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