The idea that providing good customer service is important to your business should come as no surprise. But can that be translated into dollars and cents? The value of customer service is hard to quantify because it is part of a store’s brand and reputation. There are, though, some indications of what it can mean…
I talked to a small town Chamber of Commerce director. She told me how much she hated their current website. She was eager to get a new one, but replacing it would involve a committee, and bids, and approvals, and a long and expensive process. You don’t have to be a Chamber of Commerce to…
A great deal of information about starting a business is available. Some of the information is accurate and helpful. Other information is best called a myth, although it may hold a grain of truth. Probably the biggest myth is that of “free money” available for starting a business. The reality is that there is little…
We mortgage our time when we say yes to a project. If we say yes to too many projects, we can create a huge debt, more than we could ever get done with the new time we get. There are catastrophic strategies. We may have a breakdown. We may declare time bankruptcy and walk away…
QR codes continue to expand in popularity, but most still suffer from fatal mistakes. Here’s one that get close, at least with its description. This is a retail package that includes barbecue accessories including a bag of wood chips. Some customers who use gas grills may not be sure how to use those special wood…
A friend and small town resident, Ken Girty was taking a woodcarving class. The teacher sells rough outs (pre-shaped wood blocks to get your carving started) at his class. Ken bought one to work with in class. As the teacher came around to work one-on-one with Ken, he looked at the rough out Ken was…
James Dalman is another of my Oklahoma friends. He does terrific web design, and he designed my personal site at BeckyMcCray.com. I’ve seen his love for small towns. When he told me this story, I begged him to write it up. He’s describing the number one complaint I hear about small town businesses over and…
It shouldn’t be hard work for your customers to complain. They are helping you to improve, so make it easy for them to get a message to you. Contributor Jon Swanson. Contributor Jon Swanson worked hard to complain constructively to two companies. He heard back from one, but not the other. He finally wrote about…
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