Two business lessons from a local business: You have to be open to make the sale. Pay attention to the customer in front of you. My hometown Alva, Oklahoma, (population 6,200) holds a monthly first Friday Art Walk downtown. It’s primarily about fine arts displays, but a few businesses are starting to be open as…
When your customers want a product or service your carry, is your store the first place they go? People use habits and routines throughout much of their life. Habits and routines make life easier and free up the brain for other decision-making tasks. We operate much of our lives on autopilot. The autopilot mode can…
This article was contributed by Ball State University. When the aisles are packed and checkout lines are long, customers will shop at trusted retailers that place a premium on knowing their needs, says Ramon Avila, a marketing professor and the founding director of the H.H. Gregg Center for Professional Selling at Ball State University. He…
The 7 Most Common Weaknesses of Local Shops And what we’re all going to do about them. As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, we are seeing lots of Shop Local messages working to get customers to think about shifting their shopping more to local stores. I want to add another layer, and…
The 7 Most Common Weaknesses of Local Shops And what we’re all going to do about them. As we head into the busy holiday shopping season, we’ll see lots of Shop Local messages working to get customers to think about shifting their shopping more to local stores. I want to add another layer, and get…
Barry Moltz is my co-author on the book Small Town Rules. He was a great friend to work with and helped me immensely in understanding the book publishing process. Barry knows a lot about small towns. Even though he lives in Chicago, he’s got a strong small town connection. –Becky By Barry Moltz I grew…
1. You are getting reviewed online, right now. Whether you know it or not, people are reviewing your business online. Yes, even your small town business. Especially if you cater to tourists. They might be on Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Local, Urban Spoon, other review sites, their own blogs, Twitter, or a bunch of other…
“What you say before the event is an explanation, after it’s an excuse.” Guest post by Jurek Leon, Perth, Australia Brisbane dentist Paddi Lund makes this point in his fascinating book Training customers to treasure your business. He has a ‘Welcome Book’ which is given to all new patients before their first appointment. This explains…
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