small business

Small Business Help Marketing Tips

When I started to read the article below, the word innovation turned me off, I didn’t associate the headline that was given with small business help marketing tips. It’s funny that a single word can do that, sometimes it all depends on your definition of the word and how it has been used to and by you in the past. In the English language so many words can mean the same thing & also one word can have various meanings. So when I discovered that Steve Strauss was referring to innovating marketing practices I took notice. Here’s the small business help, marketing tips he shared:

Small Business Help – Marketing Tips

Right, and wrong. It is a correct assumption in that innovation is indeed too much work for some small businesses. That’s fine, understandable even. Innovation takes time and money, and those things are sometimes in short supply. So yes, if you don’t want to innovate, we can relate.

But it is equally true that being innovative in your business and with your products can be the secret sauce that allows you to stand out in the vast sea that is capitalism. There is no shortage of competitors who want to steal your clients, and if they innovate and you don’t, they just may. Moreover, innovation fires up the team, invigorates the entrepreneur, wows customers, impresses potential clients, and, when done right, grows your business.

Let me give you an example: A few weeks ago I was invited by Symantec (a company I previously did some work with) to a product launch at the world headquarters of Tesla Motors in Palo Alto, Calif. Let’s just start there. That’s an innovative way to launch a product, is it not? Rather than sending out a boring press release, showcasing their products against the backdrop of some incredibly cool $100,000 sports cars captured one’s attention. [Read more…]

Good Customer Service Skills – Training is key

For those in the front line of a business, good customer service skills are key

good customer service skills can be like a band aid

when faced with irate and disgruntled customers . It could be as a simple as a customer having a bad day, health or family issues. An easy turn of phrase can totally change the mood of the customer and in this respect front line staff could be seen as therapists or nurses dispensing band aids. The actions and reactions of the employees really can make a difference, and one of the key things in my opinion, is for the staff to realise and keep in mind that it’s not personal. Here are some examples of how training in good customer service skills can help your business.

Good Customer Service Skills – Training is key

A masseuse working in a resort spa will have more pleasant customers than a lost luggage agent at a busy airport. If your customers are sitting in a chair at your hair salon, they’re likely to be more relaxed than if they were sitting in an examination chair in a dental office.

That’s why so many customer service training programs fall short of desired results. Over the last decade there’s been a dearth of frontline training that focuses on enhancing customer experience. The premise is that we are now in the experience economy. [Read more…]