Now that QR codes are appearing in my local small town paper, on bags at the trade show last week, and everywhere else, it’s time to look at what works and what does not work. Because your QR codes are either boosting your engagement with potential customers and visitors, or really ticking them off. Mistake…
By Jon Swanson On Wednesday night we picked up supper. On Wednesday night we got a call from the dishwasher installer. The carryout was cold. The dishwasher was a week late. I went to the website for the local restaurant (a four location local group). I went to the website for the national appliance chain.I…
If you like using online tools to better get to know your customers, Noteleaf is another tool that can help. Here’s some of the explanation from their website: You schedule meetings in Google Calendar, Noteleaf gives you information about who you’re meeting on your phone. Noteleaf sends you a text message right before your meeting with…
We all know small town businesses like this: the whole place says, “go away!” Customers walk in and feel like they are an interruption, an annoyance. Here’s my question:Is this your business? Are you sure? You might be the offender, and not even realize it. Put in some extra effort today to make your customers…
Occasionally, we profile small business mistakes, so we can all learn and improve our businesses. I called a local plumber and left a voicemail explaining what I needed done. Two days later, he called me back, and left me a voicemail. He said if I would call him back, we could talk about it. I…
I love it when a small business tells their story in a compelling way. Here is one terrific example. (If you can’t see the video below, click to open the original post.) I recently ordered from NutsOnline.com [UPDATE: Now they’re Nuts.com] because I loved the way they presented their family history all over their website. Their…
Knowing each customer as a real person is a strength of the best small town businesses. New tools allow you to keep that kind of small town connection even as your business grows or moves online. How well does the College Street Pubknow these customers? You probably keep an email address list of customers, right?…
By Erin Verbeck Recently my husband and I experienced the epitome of poor customer service during an already stressful time when we were moving, selling one home and purchasing two others. This story is too good not to share as it has such a great lesson for small business owners. We had been scheduled to…
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