Safe And Stress-free Shopping! Building Customer Trust

As more and more merchants move online, it becomes an increasing challenge to stand out from the pack. While price may influence a shopper’s choice, it’s usually not the deciding factor: most buyers would prefer to pay a bit more for an item they feel safe buying, than to spend less and worry they’re throwing their money away.

That’s why, as an online retailer, creating a safe and stress-free environment for your shoppers should be a top priority. With internet scams and identity fraud to worry about, most online buyers turn to merchants they recognize and trust. If customers don’t feel secure spending their money with you, they’ll move on to another auction or website where they do feel comfortable.

Suspicious Minds

According to Steve Woda, of http://BuySafe.com, “About fifty percent of people who surf online don’t buy online, and the number one reason is because they don’t trust something about the transaction-the merchant, the process, the payment method. Whatever it is, it’s always about trust.” There are numerous steps you can take to convey credibility to buyers and build their confidence in you:

? Professional Image. Your website or auction listing’s appearance creates a strong impression before customers read a single word. Make sure the message you’re sending is the one you want to be sending. Sloppy errors and misspelled words signal customers they aren’t dealing with a serious businessperson.

? Build Your Ratings. Your merchant ratings and feedback ratings go a long way towards assuring shoppers that, should they purchase from you, their products will arrive and be in good condition.

? Good Customer Service. Promptly returned phone calls and email inquiries, and thorough, courteous communications demonstrate to buyers that you’re a genuine, reliable merchant who will provide them good service.

? Third-party Solutions. This is one of the strongest signals you can send that your business is legitimate and trustworthy.

o Seals from companies like the Better Business Bureau, SquareTrade, and BuySafe tell customers your business has passed inspection and been approved by trusted third parties. BuySafe will even guarantee your transactions, so your buyers can shop risk-free.

o Verisign and GeoTrust SSL certificates let your buyers know their personal information is encrypted. Other third-party solutions are available, like HackerSafe which scans your site for vulnerabilities, and TRUSTe which examines your privacy policies. Making PayPal available as a payment option also tells buyers you’ve been through a very thorough verification process.

There’s more than enough data to prove that employing any of these solutions can significantly increase your conversion rate. When buyers trust you, they’re much quicker to spend money with you. Says Woda, “I do recommend merchants… deal with buyer uncertainties by leveraging as many of these things as they possibly can. It’s all about distinguishing [yourself] as professional, legitimate, and credible.”

By Chris Malta
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/safe-and-stressfree-shopping-building-customer-trust-104464.html

can’t secure certificate of eligibility prior to close + va loan?

My broker waited till the last minute to get on ACE to obtain my certificate of eligibility through the VA. My new home closes in two days and he wants to delay the close by two weeks.

I read somewhere online that a VA loan can still be processed without the certificate. Does anyone have experience with this?
My information wasn’t available through ACE. My mortgage broker has to request it manually.
I know….I know. When we went with this builder, we agreed to use one of their lenders. If we couldn’t get approved through them then we could utilize our own.
Prior to the pre-approval I told the mortgage broker that I was going VA. He sent the pre-approval to the builder FHA. I rejected it, delaying the ground breaking for another two weeks until the new pre-approval for VA arrived.
I sent him a copy of my DD-214 immediately after the pre-approval because I knew he would need it. One week before the scheduled close he calls me to come down to his office to sign the VA forms, which rightfully we should have been doing at least two months prior to close. He didn’t even call. He sent an email to myself and CC’d the builder that he needed to manually get the certificate and would need to delay the close.
The builder is not happy at all as this broker was trying to be their "preferred lender".
He’s very unorganized. He had Rubbermaid tubes in his office Vs. filing cabinets.

what’s really odd about that is most lenders will not even underwrite a file without the COE so why did your broker wait so long to get your file submitted?

Edit: If he is going to delay things you may want to start the process with a different broker/lender. There is no reason to reward this guys incompetence by staying with him.