Actual for You - Business

Who Showed Up At Your Customer Today?
Your customer may be satisfied with your product or service, but are they satisfied with you? Do they see you as a valuable contributor to their success? Do they believe you understand and care about their needs? Do they see that your focus is to make them more successful? Do they turn to you for advice when new challenges and opportunities arise? Do you only talk to your customers when things go wrong, and they call your hotline? If you have a business-to-business company, your customers may not actually touch or experience your product daily. Your customers’ experiences are being driven by many interactions which either were the

if you called and really did follow up by asking how many fish he caught. He would think, wow, that salesperson really did remember me and really did listen!

Next on your list, file your customer. Take note of when they return to your store, what they buy, and any other comments they made. Then, cater to their interests. If your fisherman noted that he would be looking for a part for his boat in the future, keep an eye out for when an appropriate one would come in. If your Tivo buyer mentioned he would have to get a DVD burner to permanently record their favorite shows, give them a call or send them a letter when the item goes on sale. Better yet, give them a discount before you give one to the rest of the general public – and let them know it. After all, wouldn’t you give your brother first crack

Selling Your Business - What Would Sam Zell Do?
If you were thinking of making an investment it might be a good idea to watch how Warren Buffet does it. If you are going to sell your business, maybe you should emulate Sam Zell, multibillionaire founder of Equity Residential (EQR). He is selling his company in one of the largest private equity deals ever.Sam agreed to take an initial offer from Blackrock Private Equity at $48 per share with a break-up fee of $500 million. EQR has 292.13 million shares outstanding, resulting in a total bid of $14.02 billion. This is where most privately held business owners stop. They put the word out through their professional network, get an in

After a careful marketing strategy, your customers are finally pursuing you. They want your goods, they want your services – but how do you know you have a marriage and not just a bad blind date? You want your customers to return in droves, if for no other reason than because, according to the Better Business Bureau, gaining the trust of a new customer is five times more expensive than continuing a relationship with a current one. The best way to maintain a successful relationship is to stop treating your customers like customers and start treating them like…well, like family.

Let’s say your customer walks into the store for the first time. Do you remind them of a shark pursuing its prey? Or are you friendly and helpful? Customers will respond better if you take the time to learn a few things about them – their name is a great start – and create a human connection before moving on to business. Complement their clothes. Ask about the sports team whose logo they boast. Even a note about the weather will help move you out of the rank of the greedy salesperson and make you more of a person. Remember details they mention – their kids, their spouse, their goals. Are they purchasing the product because they are tired of fighting with their teenagers? Can you sympathize with a brief sentence about your own? Make the customer an individual, treat them like someone important. Actually listen to them, the way you listened to your uncle at your last family gathering. Then, when your customer leaves, take a few quick notes for future reference.

Once the transaction is complete, do what any good family member would do after a party – write ‘thank you’ notes. I’m not talking about a bland, one-size-fits-all printout, though this will still outperform most of your competition.. Take a few minutes to scribble a handwritten note, only three to five lines long, thanking them for choosing your business. Remember those personal notes you took? Mention one. For instance, “I hope your children really enjoy your new Tivo, and you finally get to watch your own shows!” Or, “I hope the fishing rod you purchased helps you bag the biggest one on the dock when you go to the lake this weekend.” Individualize it. Ideally, once you have made the sale, you can take a minute or two to scribble the note, while things are still fresh in your mind. Your customer will remember that you went the extra mile, and will most likely feel the thanks are sincere – making them not only more inclined to return, but also more likely to spread that good karma around (read: referrals to friends).

If you really want to take them by surprise, give them a call. I don’t know about your family, but my mother loves to hear from me – and she especially loves to tell me what I did wrong. After a few days, ask them a few brief questions regarding your service. The key phrase: “What could I have done to make you more satisfied?” (Make sure you remember what they said and learn from it, too. If there was a serious complaint, make sure you follow up on it to solve the problem quickly and efficiently, with the ultimate goal of customer satisfaction.) Outsource it to your company care department if you must, but imagine how your customer would feel if you called and really did follow up by asking how many fish he caught. He would think, wow, that salesperson really did remember me and really did listen!

Take Your Curtain Calls Later!
When I was a kid, we used to play a game of stealth around the schoolyard. We called it, “Ditch.”Sometimes, we played in teams, and sometimes, as individual players. It was really hide-and-seek, but a “special forces” version. We tried to find the most obscure holes in which to hide, or the highest perches in trees, and on occasion, we even scaled Spanish tile rooftops, and hid behind chimneys.Anyway, we’d sneak up on each other, and say, gotcha, or you’re dead, or some other delightful thing. There was always a temptation to shout it out, because victory is exhilarating, but if we did, we’d give away our own locations.

them – their name is a great start – and create a human connection before moving on to business. Complement their clothes. Ask about the sports team whose logo they boast. Even a note about the weather will help move you out of the rank of the greedy salesperson and make you more of a person. Remember details they mention – their kids, their spouse, their goals. Are they purchasing the product because they are tired of fighting with their teenagers? Can you sympathize with a brief sentence about your own? Make the customer an individual, treat them like someone important. Actually listen to them, the way you listened to your uncle at your last family gathering. Then, when your customer leaves, take a few quick notes for future reference.

Logo Design
A logo is essentially a visual brand identity of a company. The origins of logos can be traced to the 19th century, when industries added a symbol to represent their companies and to help customers easily identify their products. The trend caught on, and today corporations, services, products, agencies, universities, and colleges all have a specially designed identifying emblem or logo.The idea probably stemmed from royal courts and the nobility, who for centuries had specific coats of arms emblazoned across everything they owned, from saddles to stables, to farms, castles, manors, furniture, jewelry, and dinnerware.Since t

mber would do after a party – write ‘thank you’ notes. I’m not talking about a bland, one-size-fits-all printout, though this will still outperform most of your competition.. Take a few minutes to scribble a handwritten note, only three to five lines long, thanking them for choosing your business. Remember those personal notes you took? Mention one. For instance, “I hope your children really enjoy your new Tivo, and you finally get to watch your own shows!” Or, “I hope the fishing rod you purchased helps you bag the biggest one on the dock when you go to the lake this weekend.” Individualize it. Ideally, once you have made the sale, you can take a minute or two to scribble the note, while things are still fresh in your mind. Your customer will remember that you went the extra mile, and will most likely feel the thanks are sincere – making them not only more inclined to return, but also more likely to spread that good karma around (read: referrals to friends).

Embroidering on Jackets
EMBROIDERING ON JACKETSDigitizing and Embroidery TipsWHEN TO CHOOSE EMBROIDERYJackets are, for the most part, made of sturdy, tightly woven fabric and offer an ideal surface for embroidery. They run the gamut from conservative, ivy-league jackets to “off-the-wall” designer styles available in bright colors and bold geometric shapes. With such a broad range of jacket styles available, embroidery applications are appropriate in a wide variety of styles themselves—from small, signature logos to flashy “billboard” treatments.LOCATIONIn addition to tradition

eel the thanks are sincere – making them not only more inclined to return, but also more likely to spread that good karma around (read: referrals to friends).

Market Direct Advertising: Numbers Count
Ever wonder how to put more jingle in your pockets? Recently I was invited to join the “staff” of a local accounting firm, under the sheer guise of increasing business and profitability to a company with consistent net gains in their profit margin. The owner’s intent is rather clear; he wants more money jingling in his pocket.While this isn’t a bad thing and nobody is condemning him for his intentions, a better objective might be “improving service”, or “broadening the market”. Either of these or more money in your pocket would appeal to most business owners, because the bottom line is simple, more jingle.Improving servi

if you called and really did follow up by asking how many fish he caught. He would think, wow, that salesperson really did remember me and really did listen!

Periodically, send them a letter – again, handwritten is best. Remember all those letters to your grandparents? Enclose a flier with a brief note: “I thought you might be interested in this new kind of bait being developed, since you don’t like the sliminess of the other brands.” Touch base with them once a quarter. In this high tech world, databases abound that will alert you when you haven’t contacted someone in three months. Keep your name and your concern at the front of their mind, and when they shop, you will be at the front of theirs.

People would rather buy from someone they know, someone they believe genuinely cares about them and their needs. I’m not talking about forcing a relationship to increase your profits, although that will certainly happen. Instead, try to genuinely meet the needs of those you come in contact with. Help them solve their problems. Don’t forget about them once you have their money. Foster a good relationship that will actually become a friendship, rather than a sales pitch. You will then have a customer for life.

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