The Thriving Small Business

tips for small business

3 Reasons to Pursue BBB Accreditation

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We are beginning a new year and it is a good time to evaluate our reputation with customers.

We have all heard the horror stories, and even the news documentaries, about businesses that scam the public or fail to follow through on promises made to customers.  

We go to a business for a product or service and have a basic expectation that what was is promised will be delivered. Read the Full Article →

Loyalty Programs – How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life

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Coupons, loyalty programs, and customer incentives seem to be in most establishments these days.

I have to admit I love coupons but I also love reward programs that can utilize my phone number to track visits and rewards.

We used to purchase the Entertainment Book for my kids every year and sneak one in for myself. Read the Full Article →

Say This, Not That – 7 Things Retail Businesses Should Not Say To A Customer

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As I was out and about this holiday season shopping, I made a point of supporting small business retail shops.

What I learned through the experience is that many small retail shops undermine their own success by doing silly things that turn off customers – and most likely costing them sales. Read the Full Article →

7 Steps to Creating a Customer Service Strategy

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Effective managers help employees understand the importance of the customer experience. And, a customer service strategy can help create a service culture.

Organizations should incorporate customer service into their business goals.  As well, those strategies should be incorporated into employee goals to ensure the organization reaches their customer service objectives.

Employees only perform at the level they are managed and it takes great leadership to help employees understand the importance of the customer experience.   Read the Full Article →

Did You Know That There Are 5 Levels of Customer Satisfaction?

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Customer retention is the result of an organization’s ability to create customer loyalty.

This is done by providing the systems, processes and support, to not only keep a customer happy, but to transition them into an advocate for the organization – who is not only loyal but also recruits others. Read the Full Article →

How to Turn Customer Satisfaction into Customer Loyalty

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Organizations that understand the importance of happy customers, need to think strategically in order to build a loyal customer base.

Successful organizations have learned that there is a difference between attracting customers, keeping customers and developing loyal customers.

Devoted customers are not only loyal to the organization, but also serve as advocates and help to solicit new customers by sharing their positive experiences. Read the Full Article →

5 Reasons You Should Welcome Customer Complaints!

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The sad fact is only about 4% of dissatisfied customers complain. If a customer does not complain and has an issue that is not resolved, they are likely to go to the competition.

The worst part about this is that the organization isn’t even aware that there was an issue. The other sad fact is that a dissatisfied customer is more comfortable telling their friends about a bad experience than the organization. Read the Full Article →

Top 10 Customer Service Irritants

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Customer service has come a long way – at least we think. The past century has provided businesses with new technologies that help the business owner to keep in contact with their customers and to modify products based on customer feedback.

We can all remember a time when we had an over the top customer experience. Read the Full Article →

2010 Raises

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As companies rebound from the great recession, they are cautiously going into 2010 with the hope of a slow recovery on the horizon. Budgeting has been difficult at best for many organizations and specifically budgeting staff increases has been even trickier.

There has always been a challenging balance between being competitive in the market and controlling costs when it comes to salary increases. Read the Full Article →