Here’s Reva Reck’s Small Business Success Q&A. I especially find the advice on listening to clients valuable. Don’t we all experience businesses almost daily who fail to hear what their customers are really saying?
Many people might not think of a band as a business, but to stay around this long, the O-Tones definitely have to be thinking of themselves as business people. I hope you enjoy learning about their keys to success.
This week in my second Small Business Q&A, we hear from Al Canali of Canali Designs. Al has 15 years of experience as the head of this small design firm that is dedicated to making a marketing dollar stretch a long way through good design and experienced project management.
Here are three articles I came across last week that talk about important topics for small business owners.
While at times it can seem more like a curse than a blessing, e-mail is an essential business communications tool. Lacking the body language, facial expressions, and voice tone that typically help us figure each other out, e-mail, while useful, is not without hazards.
Clear written communication is a must for good customer service. Sending customers murky messages will lead to higher volumes of calls to your busy customer service staff. The final outcome: frustrated customers and overloaded front-line workers.
So here’s the business lesson in this: Please don’t put a neophyte in charge of your Twitter presence. Since only 70 people are following @fchp_tips, I have to guess that Fallon is very new at this game. But they’d better learn quickly. It takes training and a cool head to respond to unhappy campers like me.
Here’s a quote from yesterday’s Boston Globe article on how Massachusetts was gearing up to dole out its portion of appliance rebate funds provided as an economic stimulus by the Federal government: “We overbuilt the system to accommodate what we believe the demand will be,’’ said Robert Keough, assistant secretary for the MA Office of […]
When was the last time you thanked a customer or client for their business? No, I don’t mean saying a perfunctory thank you at the end of a meeting or phone call. I mean really thanking someone for continuing to choose your company to do business with out of all the other possibilities out there? […]
As your small business pursues growth, do not lose sight of what makes your company special to its customers. Don’t be guilty, as MLB and Toyota have been, of slowly stripping away bits and pieces of what makes your company special. Little decisions can slowly add up over time, leaving your most loyal customers puzzled as to why the company they adored years ago no longer is that great. Don’t become Bud Selig. Know what your brand stands for and honor it, always.
Author Jeanne Yocum, creator of SucceedinginSmallBusiness.com, has written an insightful guide to help you succeed at self-employment. Learn more about The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss and download the first chapter for free.
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