Hi, I'm humbly asking you for your expert opinion, since there are many people here with lots of experience. Anyway what I'm selling is a camera dolly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_dolly). I'm not just reselling this I'm actually producing this. The price for my product is just under $2000. I am based in European Union – Slovenia to be exact. I have a credibility issue on many levels: -first of all since I am not from Germany which everybody knows, but a country called Slovenia (which borders Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia,... and is just a few hours drive away from Germany) I have a problem. Mostly all of the people do not know my country and they probably think that we are some Third World country and if they ordered such an expensive product,... they might be scammed. -since I'm just starting out,... of course I'm (and my company) somebody nobody knows so I have no credibility in that regard. What do you think I should do? Should I perhaps open a US-based company? Should I add a 1 800-number and have calls forwarded to me? Your help will be much much appreciated! Thanks, Met
1) Make sure your site is perfect with regards to your spelling, grammar and general readability - bad wording always makes people wary 2) A 1-800 number forwarded to you will take the need away from opening an American company 3) Offer credit card as payment so people will be more likely to order - if it's a scam, they can get a refund from the card issuer 4) Best of luck
Make sure you hire a professional Web Designer that knows SEO and is willing to take the time giving you ideas on the layout, images, and videos. Your website can make or break your credibility.
Who has brought your product before? (do you have more than one?) Who has done business with you before? Other than the other stuff people have already mentioned, if you have a past, then leverage that for credibility. If not, see if you can get some kind of reference from someone.
In addition to the excellent points above, you might also get out there and "meet" your buying public. Where are they coming together online? What are they discussing? What problems are they finding that your product can solve? How can you set yourself apart from the competition? By visiting forums frequented by your customers, and just interacting with them, the credibility will come. Credibility is a measure of trust. If you show that you aren't just wanting to make a sale, but that you actually care about providing just what the customer wants, then you are on your way. Social media is another way to gain trust and open up to your customer base. In this day and age, the successful marketers and business owners are on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and any myriad of other similar sites. Maybe visit Ning to see if your customers have some groups over there where you can hang out and meet some. Any group that has over a 1000 active participants is a good place for you to see and be seen. Hope my rambling helps Good Luck, Dennis
Hi, I know exactly how you feel.. I'm for Slovakia and experienced the same thing. To gain credibility if you're not from a big European country is very difficult. What I would suggest you to do is to gain some kind of testimonials from people you've sold these products before. The next crucial thing is amazing web design. If your site has amazing design that only can improve your credibility. If I were you, I would pay a bid more for a web design. it'll be worth it. If you connect amazing design, testimonials (references), Social media (twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook), History of the company or camera dolly (I mean how many of these you've sold in Europe (I would name every country) and how long you've been doing this), and your interest in this field, I don't thing it'll be that difficult. Try to look like a professional even if you might not be. Hope this helps..
A 1-800 number is less hassle than starting a new American company. You can always start the actual company in a close, well-known country. Sell your product to credible people (i.e. famous or well known individuals within a certain niche) and grab testimonials. Sponsor something-- lend a dolly for an event or charity and publicize the fact. One of the most important things is your grammar-- proofread and proofread again for impeccable text-- it will pay off.
Make sure your site is perfect in every regard with respect to search engines and well as human visitors. That will really help.