Managing Relationships in Business
All businesses, large and small, at their core are really built around relationships. Your relationships as a small business owner…
Laying the Foundation for Value, Part 2
This is the second in a series devoted to building business on value and redesigning your business to maximize customer perceived value.
Inspiring Confidence
Inspiring confidence is a key attribute of a successful small business owner or entrepreneur. Confidence from whom?
Referral Marketing: Take Care of Your Referrals
From that quote, you can probably tell that a key part of your referral marketing strategy is to take…
Referrals Do The Marketing For You
In this multi-post series, we're going to take a closer look at referral marketing.
Who's Your Banker?
Watching the banking industry over the last 20 years is a bit like watching Pac-Man. One big bank eats another bank and is then eaten by a larger bank.
Customer Service & HR Lessons via Zappos.com
This weekend I watched a piece on Zappos.com on CBS Sunday Morning. For anyone unfamiliar with Zappos…
In Your Small Business, It's All About Sales
When you are in business for yourself, either with a brick and mortar store, e-commerce or as a solo proprietor…
Re-activating Old Customers
Most businesses have a customer database. Are you tapping this gold mine of a resource for "new" business?
When You've Failed a Customer
Businesses, small and large, are run by people and people are prone to mistakes. The mistakes your employees or you make can cause a great deal…
Go for the Small Business GOLD!
The Vancouver Olympics will be ending soon. Steeped in tradition that has lasted thousands of years, the Olympics offer no inherent rewards…
Easy Ways to Build Your Referral Network
These are not the times to be coasting on your past success. Businesses are closing all around you and many of my clients are fearful.
5 EASY Ways to Lose Your Customers
You are a busy, busy small business owner and entrepreneur. You are planning your next big venture, ordering new computers, hiring a new assistant...and not paying attention to the one area you should focus most of your attention on-your existing customers.
Increase Business with Testimonials!
Word of mouth (WOM) advertising is one of the best, and free, forms available to all businesses, from the very large corporation to the solo entrepreneur. All of us, as customers, trust products that others have recommended to us.
Build Relationships to Build Sales
It used to be that advertising a new product or service was enough to attract new or existing customers to buy. Now that all consumers are exposed to advertising at every conceivable place, you must engage consumers and clients at a deeper level.
Building a Loyal Community
The buzz in marketing, whether online or offline, is about building real relationships and a community of loyal followers. You are a bricks and mortar old school type business and you aren't sure what this means for you.