When you think of good customer service when you have a product issue what comes to mind? To me it starts with fixing the issue. Words like prompt, fair and immediate come to mind along with getting having it happen quickly with the first person I contact. As a business owner, we want to believe…
When working with customers, do you use your language or their language? No, the question isn’t about whether you use English or German or Spanish. The question actually is whether you talk about your product or service in terms of features instead of what the customer wants from the product or service. A simple question…
What a great day. Your business is open. The wait is over. Instead of costs, costs, costs, you can now make some sales. Some time passes and someone walks into your business. It’s the business owner from next door and she just wants to wish you good luck. Some more time passes and some friends…
Last weekend I took our car in for a routine oil change. As expected the staff were friendly, the service quick, and everything was done right. They provided a comfortable lounge area while I waited with a big screen TV, coffee and water. Those were my expectations and they were all met. However, there is…
When asked about marketing, many small-business owners think of a one-word definition: selling. Selling is one part of marketing, and it is a crucial part because it brings in revenues to keep the doors open. But it is only one part. Paraphrasing from Jay Levinson’s classic book, “The Guerilla Marketer,” marketing is defined as “everything you do.” Simply put,…
Market research focuses on understanding your customers. There are a variety of tools to help you do that. Yet one of the most overlooked tools that offers a great deal and costs very little, except for time, is conversation. Conversation is great in terms of getting to know your customers as individuals. What are their…
A common concern among small-business owners is how to increase revenue. Often, they try to do this by finding new customers. That is an expensive way of doing it. On average, it will cost from $20 to $50 to get a new customer. Yet it only costs from $1 to $5 to expand sales to…
People form impressions in the first couple of minutes after entering a new place. Have you ever considered what your business says to them? Businesses offer many types of nonverbal communication, just like people do. It makes no difference if it is a physical place or an online location. Customers look for these same key…
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