BUSINESS Advice
Breaking Bad Reviews: How to Protect Your Small Business Online
—Tech Experts Offer 4-Step ‘Reputation Marketing’ Solution—
“Anyone can post a bad review online and hurt your business,” says Santoro, who is a managing partner with Rizzo of Globe On-Demand, an internet technology company. “Unfortunately, most business owners are not even aware that these bad reviews are out there.” Seventy-two percent of buyers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 70 percent trust consumer opinions posted online, according to a recent Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey... <+>
Priced to Sell: 10 Tips for Finding the Right Price for Your Goods
—If pricing your products for profit were that easy, everyone would be doing it! Chip Averwater shares his advice to help you avoid costly mistakes and get ahead of the competition.—
There’s no denying how much the Internet has empowered today’s consumers. They can find what they want for the price they want without ever leaving their couches. And today, many of them are entering brick-and-mortar stores wielding another powerful weapon—their smartphones. Now consumers can compare a product’s price while they’re in a store to what it’s going for at other brick-and-mortar and online stores before they even step out of the aisle... <+>
Inside Job: Why Dealing with “Difficult” Colleagues Will Lead to Happier Customers
—When an organization’s employees aren’t happy, it’s unlikely they’ll be providing the kind of quality service that leads to happy customers. One of the fastest ways to create internal strife is to let “difficult” people go unchecked. Ron Kaufman teaches that the best way to handle these personalities is to help resolve the difficult situations they’re experiencing so that everyone at the organization has the positive energy needed to provide uplifting service to customers.—
Too often, organizations promise satisfaction to external customers and then allow internal politics to frustrate their employees’ good intentions to deliver. It’s important to remember that your customers aren’t the only ones who come through your organization’s door every day seeking quality service. Your coworkers and leaders also need to be served. If they’re not happy, it’s not likely they’ll deliver stellar service... <+>
Go Ahead, Tweet It: Seven Ways to Take Advantage of the Social Power of Your Satisfied (and Not-So-Satisfied) Customers
—As individuals, consumers frequently use social media to tell their networks of fans, friends, and followers what products they are using, what businesses they like, and so on. Unfortunately, says Ron Kaufman, few companies are successfully capitalizing on this social behavior. He offers tips on how to make it happen.—
Today, we tweet about the latest books we’ve read. We let our friends know where we’re eating lunch via Facebook. We Instagram pictures of our latest purchases. We post reviews of the businesses we frequent on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Angie’s List. As consumers, many of us have gone social. We love telling people about our latest experiences, and we love hearing about what others have experienced so we know what to do this weekend... <+>
The Summertime Motivation Challenge: Ten Tips to Keep the Season’s Distractions from Lowering Your Employees’ Productivity
—It’s a phenomenon that employers dread: As the temperature rises in the summer, employees’ motivation levels tend to drop. Chip Averwater provides real-world insight on how to keep enthusiasm and productivity high, not only throughout the summer but all year long.—
Most of us love summer and the promise of fun in the sun that it brings with it. But any small business owner knows that summer also brings a season of distractions for employees. Between dreaming of their upcoming beach vacation, dealing with their out-of-school kids, and fighting off the jealousy that comes with serving tanned, relaxed, flip-flop-wearing customers, it can be difficult keeping your employees focused and motivated... <+>
Recharge Your Leadership Mojo: Eight Ways to Reignite Your Passion So You Can Reignite Your Company
—You know your people are struggling and—not coincidentally—so is your company. And if you’re trying to harass them into productivity, you’re fighting a losing battle. If they’re to compete in the global economy, you’ll have to light a fire under them—but first, says Mohan Nair, you must light one under yourself.—
...And let’s be honest: As a leader you’re as burned out as they are. You know in your heart that the only way you’ll ever make it in the global economy is to get people engaged, motivated, and passionate about their work. But trying to do so with your worn-down spirit and kit of blunt leadership tools is a bit like fueling a rocket ship with tepid bath water, says Mohan Nair...“Since our brave new world is dominated by ‘unknown unknowns’— and powered by serving rather than winning... <+>
Can’t Live without ’Em: Seven Truths about Customers No Retailer Wants to Admit
—Every retailer spends a good portion of his day trying to figure out how best to serve his customers. But frankly, customers and their motivations can throw even the best retailers for a loop. Retail expert Chip Averwater lays out a few customer truths that retailers don’t want to admit.—
“The customer is always right” is a mantra that business owners hear over and over again. Of course, anyone who has ever worked in retail knows this way of thinking doesn’t always hold water. In fact, sometimes customers are just plain wrong. They misunderstand products, what a store can do, how business is done, what pricing is realistic, and so on. But, says retail expert and author Chip Averwater, if you don’t want your retail store to join the estimated 95 percent of failed ventures, you’d better figure out quickly... <+>
Serve UP Satisfaction: 10 Tips for Effectively Handling Customer Complaints
—As the Spirit Airlines case has recently shown, sticking to your guns is rarely the best way to handle customer complaints. Ron Kaufman concedes that these situations are difficult to navigate. He offers advice on how to handle complaints so that your unhappy customers become customers for life.—
Kaufman explains that one complaining customer actually represents many other customers who had the same problem, but didn’t complain. And because that’s true, you should try to uplift them every time. “For every person who actually comes to complain to you, there is a quantum number who won’t come to you,” says Kaufman. “They’re the ones who go off and tell somebody else, complain about you online, and take their business elsewhere... <+>
Are Your Customers Always Right?
—Expert Reveals Which Ones Are Right for Your Business—
In business, the squeaky wheel almost always winds up getting the grease. Customers tend to be rewarded for complaining, but that strategy leaves money on the table, according to marketing consultant Betsy Kruger. “No one likes hearing a complaint, so when a customer complains, a business quickly and resoundingly rectifies the complaint,” said Kruger, author of Top Market Strategy: Applying the 80/20 Rule. “The problem with this strategy is that... <+>
Is The Human Spirit Essential in Business Strategic Planning?
—Corporate Coach Reveals How Spirit Drives Creativity, Innovation and Success—
Terry Murray thinks the difference between a company that's surviving to one that's thriving isn't buried in their bottom line, but rather, it's hidden in their hearts. Murray, an executive coach for Fortune 1000 companies, entrepreneurs and startups believes that companies that are driven by inspiration and positive emotions become inherently more successful than companies that focus exclusively on the profit-loss statements. "Business and the human spirit are not mutually... <+>
Plants Register Green at Retail Registers
—by Jon LaDow—
When you walk into an urban or pedestrian mall or retailer, do you notice the plants? What impression do you take away from the establishment if the exterior plants appear poorly maintained or if they are housed in containers overrun with trash? The exterior landscaping in retail environments has become increasingly popular over the last few decades with many architects including plants in their design specifications for new shopping centers and retail establishments... <+>
Not Making Your Sales? Maybe What's Lacking Is Trust
—by Marsha Friedman, CEO of EMSI Public Relations—
In the world of sales, trust is king. You can advertise, promote, tweet, post, blog and sell like Dale Carnegie on steroids, but if you haven't built trust with your potential customer, it's truly a waste of good resources. Regardless of what "behavioral research" professionals tell us is the reason why a consumer takes the leap of faith to make a purchase, I know from my 20-plus years in PR, that trust is one of the most essential ingredients. And, in today's... <+>
Store's Lighting Influences Perceptions of Quality
—Researchers report that different lighting schemes at stores influences consumer perceptions of the outlet's quality and pricing.—
by Sally Augustin
Light is important to us both biologically and psychologically. Indoors, it is also relatively easy to change. At the recent 7th International Design and Emotion Conference in Chicago, Katelijn Quartier — a lecturer and doctoral student in the department of architecture at PHL University in Belgium and a consultant with Retailology—discussed ways stores can use light to influence and brand shopper experience. Quartier and her colleagues... <+>