Archive for December, 2007

 

Do you ring in your customer’s mind? Or even exist? – 26. December, 2007

During a recent run through my Google Reader feeds, I read a very interesting post by the folks over at Bruce Clay. It really makes you think about some of the sites or businesses that you run across that you have never heard of. I just met one of my friend’s downtown for lunch and noticed a whole slew of businesses on Main Street that neither of us knew were even there. We had a great pizza and a good experience at the restaurant we ate yet, however, we wondered why we had never heard of it prior to that day we drove by and decided to swing in for a slice.

Take a step back and ask yourself: Do your customer’s even know that you show up every day to pour your life into your business? If not, how can you change that and prove that your business if going to be a hit? Maybe it is time to quit running that TV campaign and try a grassroots type of campaign. Or it could be time to quit all together and get out of the Dip.

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Posted in Business, Marketing, Shopping

The Power of Follow Up – 25. December, 2007

Over that past several months, I have made some purchases of drastically different products and both came with an amazing customer experience. The two purchases were a Coach wallet at the Forum Shop in Las Vegas and a 2005 Nissan Maxima from a Lexus Dealership in my area. The first post will be about the Coach wallet and a watch for a follow up post about the car.

Going to make both of these purchases I had a preconceived notion of how I would be treated at both stores. During my trip with the guys in Las Vegas, I decided it’d be nice to get something for my wife. I ended up at Coach and had a great experience with the saleswoman. I told her exactly what I was looking for, a simple black wallet, and she gave me some options and helped me check out and gift wrap it. She did this all without being pushy or trying to up sell me on extras. While this was a great shopping experience, it was became remarkable (i.e. Purple Cow) a few days after I got home. A few days later I received an envelope in the mail from Coach. To my surprise it was a HANDWRITTEN thank you note from my saleswoman (scanned image to come soon). I think my jaw hit the floor.

The experience was great, it left me wanting to tell all my friends and tell them about how great it is to be a Coach customer. Now that I’m a customer, they also send me "customer loyalty specials." It is amazing how something so simple has turned me into a repeat customer. Because of my experience, I found myself waiting in line during this holiday season to make another over-priced purchase for my wife. Between the experience and loyalty specials, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try it again.

Nice job Coach! Keep up the great follow up, this is what great marketable customer service is all about.

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Posted in Business, Marketing, Sales, Shopping

New ebook – Unique, Useful and Updated by Seth Godin – 20. December, 2007

This new ebook is a great read that helps education people that are looking to get rich on the Internet. I work with people that read junk about making millions in no time and drinking pina coladas on a white sand beach in the Caribbean. Seth’s book helps dispel those myths and establish a way for you to truly earn free, honest, and valuable traffic to your site. Link to Seth’s blog post about the ebook, with link to download: Click Here.

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Posted in Business, Marketing

Should you hire within? – 19. December, 2007

When looking to fill a void within your firm, what is your first instinct? Do you instantly look to hire from outside your organization? Post the position on craigslist, monster, and the like? Consider looking within your organization for someone that may have the skill set that you need for the position. There is a great benefit and feeling of finding someone within your group that is qualified for the position. This often increases morale and shows opportunity within your organization. Although you may often need to look outside to find the best candidate for the job, consider looking inside first. Your employees will appreciate it, especially during the holidays. ;)

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Posted in Business, Interviewing

37 Signals and Everything Else… – 5. December, 2007

Looking around for a CRM or Project Management tool can be a complicated process in a space with so much competition. I use Highrise to manage most of my contacts and find it to be a great tool for keeping track of all my relationships. 37 Signals, the company behind Highrise, is also the creator of the great project management system called Basecamp. The inspiration behind this post is the entire economy of applications and add-on’s that these systems have spawned. It is amazing to see all the different things you can integrate with Basecamp and how these application companies have come to rely on this technology. From a user standpoint, all of these different bolt-on’s seem like a great idea and a way to simplify small business management. While many of these applications have a level of service that is free, many require some monthly fee to reach the level of effectiveness that most people will need. Take a look at the following applications and how they could help integrate your small business financials, contacts, billing and project management.

37 Signals
Basecamp
Highrise
Campfire

Great Additions
Pulse Cash Flow Management
Blinksale – Basecamp Invoice Integration
SproutIt Mailroom
CashBoard

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Posted in Business, Web Apps

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