Time is money. It’s a suitable mantra for any business professionals but its even more critical for the small office – home office entrepreneur.
Small Business Advice on Time Saving Technology
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia
Cash Flow – Want Some Tips?
By Joy Montgomery You’re up and running but projects are taking longer than you expected. You’re running into problems that are chipping away at your finances. Customers aren’t paying as quickly as you thought they would. Expenses don’t stop and wait for you to have money. Opportunities to buy materials at an attractive price don’t … Read more
Where Will Your Business Grow?
I recently saw a question on Linkedin that got me thinking of business growth. (Have you achieved any notable business growth in the recent few years?) In this economy, business growth is on everyone’s mind. Although the economy remains uncertain, growth opportunities exist as evidenced by our own clients and their success. As 2011 draws to a close, its time to think about how you’ll grow your business in 2012.
Don’t Grow Your Business Alone: Enlist Your Vendors
Growing your business in any economy has its challenges but during times of economic uncertainty, it requires the best from everyone on the team. Although you feel like a team of “one”, you may discover that you have more brain power and skill at your disposal by learning to enlist, engage, and involve vendors or suppliers to help grow your business.
Business Entity Basics: A Quick and Dirty Guide
There comes a time in the life cycle of your business when you need to consider the type of entity you want it to be.
Growth Strategies for Business: Improve Your Believability
Only 8% of people trust what companies say about themselves. That’s right. You read it correctly. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, when companies talk about themselves, they are believed by only 8% of those listening. That means 92% of those listening to you, don’t believe a word you say!
Hire the Right Accountant With Strategic Coaching Questions
Nothing is more frustrating, especially for a small business owner or entrpreneur with limited time and money, to have a vendor that isn’t a good fit. Has that ever happend to you? It’s frustrating, isn’t it. Time, money, and a few brain cells, are lost as a result of the incompatibilities….not to mention all the energy lost from tolerating a poor fit (but that’s for another blog post).
Better Serve Your Clients to Generate Referrals
In today’s competitive marketplace, 92% of all products and services are bought, not sold. Being visible to your future clients is a marketing priority. Who better to sing your praises and draw attention to your services than happy, satisfied clients? Happy clients don’t just happen, however. Happy clients come from satisfying customers experiences.
How can you create a pleasing experience for your customers with each encounter? According to Colin Shaw, author of The DNA of Customer Experience: How Emotions Drive Value, 50% of the customer experience is driven by emotion. Equipped with this reality, you can elevate your customer service by tapping into these customer-experience building tactics to develop long-lasting, happy, satisfied clients that ultimately lead to referrals:
Establish a Voice of the Customer (VOC) Program. Why not engage customers in co-creating their own experience? A VOC program is a cost-effective approach for capturing critical customer insights. It helps better understand the needs, expectations, and desires of your customers. In addition to helping create the ultimate customer experience, it also increases customer loyalty, satisfaction, and generates more positive word of mouth. In truth, VOC programs are the growing trend for 2011.
Build Customer Communities. Social media has expanded the depth and breadth of one’s personal and professional network. According to the Pew Research Center, the average American has 634 ties in their network of friends, families, co-workers, and acquaintances. The power of their influence is palpable. In fact, 24% of American adults say they have posted comments or reviews online about products or services they purchased. Your future clients are tapping into their network for reviews, recommendations, and opinions. And, they’re more apt to believe what their peers say about your business! Why not build a customer community as your voice to the marketplace.
Strengthen Your Moments of Truth. It only takes seconds to sell or sour a client on your product or service regardless of the length of time the client has been associated with your business. A moment of truth is a sliver of time when clients or prospects interact with you and your business, then decide whether or not to do business with you, to share you with their network, or to use your products/services again. Although moments of truth may seem insignificant when they’re happening, clients may have an entirely different reaction. Strengthening the moments of truth in your business accelerates your business’ growth by ensuring your clients remain on the continuum of the “Nine Steps for Building Virtual Trust.”
It’s often said, “Customers go where they are wanted and stay where they are appreciated.” From requests for service that go unanswered to being ignored while waiting in line, customers are less forgiving and tolerant of companies that fail to step up and deliver good customer service. This presents an exceptional opportunity for you as a small business entrepreneur to differentiate yourself from larger companies – and your smaller competitors. By tapping into the brilliance of your clients, you’ll deliver exactly what your clients want with every interaction. And, who wouldn’t want to enthusiastically share you with their friends and colleagues.
Customer experience – it’s the new lead-generating referral marketing.