5 Ways to Build a Better Business
Masses of online reviews. Streams of ads screaming for attention in our various apps. A growing number of businesses fighting for the same consumers. This is the business world today – it’s loud, unpredictable, and crowded. We’re all left bumping cramped elbows while reaching up to scratch our heads over what good business looks like in 2016.
In spite of this craziness, there’s one constant – one clear picture in your mind that symbolizes honesty, integrity, and quality in the marketplace, and always has: the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Seal.
As a customer encountering a BBB Accredited Business, you know the business won’t let you down. As a representative of a business receiving BBB Accreditation, you know BBB has your back.
BBB Cincinnati – serving Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana – takes the universally recognized symbol of accreditation and makes it personal. Local consumers plug into the BBB Cincinnati website to chat with its Queen City staff, get quotes, and check out charities and businesses. Local business owners rely on the competitive edge BBB Accreditation gives them, the network at their fingertips, and the resources offered them for the sake of better business.
You’re a part of this – play an informed part. It’s time to stop with the head-scratching, and start with the facts:
Fact or Fiction? BBB Accreditation is for sale.
Fiction. BBB Accreditation is not for sale. You can’t buy it. Nobody can give it to you. You have to earn it.
Accredited businesses represent the elite – highly rated movers and shakers at the top of their games and the top of their respective industries. They’ve been invited to apply, and they’ve been approved. Accreditation tells your people that the organization that sets the standard in trust trusts you. It tells your peers that the original marketplace partner wants to partner with you. It gives you the opportunity to grow your business and your network, so that you can both lead and serve your community.
Accreditation with BBB Cincinnati means you’ve earned your place at the top.
Fact or Fiction? BBB is the most trusted name in business.
Fact. BBB is the most trusted name in business. A recent survey reported that 90% of consumers said that positive online reviews influenced their buying decisions – nearly as many valued them as much as personal recommendations. And 81% of consumers prefer the word of BBB over other organizations such as Angie’s List and Yelp.
The online world is oversaturated. Ratings are crowdsourced. Good reviews are paid for. Bad reviews are illegitimate. We all know this, and yet, we stumble through this world before each and every purchase. BBB Cincinnati keeps both customers and business owners on their feet; reviews are always read and verified, and people are always kept notified.
BBB has been the standard for ethics in business since 1912, and BBB Cincinnati has been the standard for excellence in the region since 1926. That’s a lot of years to combine with free reviews, a non-biased rating system, and a rock-solid accreditation program. It makes you feel you’re in good hands – and for good reason. There are more than 400,000 BBB Accredited Businesses nationwide, over 9 million bbb.org visitors monthly, and 4.5 million BBB Business Reviews.
Accreditation with BBB Cincinnati means the most trusted name in business trusts you.
Fact or Fiction? BBB Accredited Businesses are preferred by customers.
Fact. BBB Accredited Businesses are preferred by customers. 83% of consumers familiar with BBB reported they were more likely to work with a BBB Accredited Business. Even more consumers familiar with BBB reported they were more likely to work with a business highly rated by BBB.
People recognize the three best letters of recommendation when they see them: BBB. They communicate a commitment to the BBB Standards of Trust – that is, a commitment to trust, honesty, transparency, and integrity. BBB Accreditation tells your customers that you’re committed to doing right by them.
Accreditation with BBB Cincinnati means your business is preferred on sight.
Fact or Fiction? BBB is there to build up businesses.
Fact. BBB is there to build up businesses. Accreditation provides businesses with weighted recognition and resources to boot.
It’s more than a door sticker on a brick-and-mortar building. Every BBB Accredited Business is described at length in their online BBB Business Review, which gives approximately 1.5 million local visitors yearly all the details they want and need to start doing business with you. BBB is there to build up your presence online and in the marketplace.
It goes beyond accreditation. As a community advocate, BBB Cincinnati offers a huge range of workshops, webinars, and local events to empower Accredited Businesses and their employees as both respected affiliates and local citizens. BBB is there to build up your network and your bank of business tools.
Accreditation with BBB Cincinnati means your business will be bettered.
Fact or Fiction? It doesn’t make a difference.
Fiction. BBB Accreditation does make a difference – a big one. The benefits of BBB Accreditation are measured and significant, with countless examples of local businesses crediting much of their success to support from BBB Cincinnati.
Luke’s Sewing & Vacuum Centers recently celebrated 25 years of BBB Accreditation. General Manager Nick Lucarelli regards BBB’s partnership as instrumental in that milestone, citing “BBB guidelines as a compass for daily operational procedures.”
“There have been a lot of challenges over the years,” Lucarelli goes on to say. “The one thing that has remained constant is that consumers place trust in BBB ratings.” Daniel Kommeth of Performance Lexus echoes this: “BBB Accreditation gives consumers confidence in the company they’re dealing with, whether that’s us or any other business. It’s why we’re proud to be affiliated.”
“Our standards, like BBB’s, are very high,” Daniel explains further with pride. “In everything, second-best is unacceptable.”
Accreditation with BBB Cincinnati makes all the difference in the business world – are you different enough to earn it?
For more information about BBB Cincinnati, visit its website, call 513-421-3015, or reach out at info@cincinnati.bbb.org.