Casual Articles - Business

Why Is Good Customer Service Essential And Who Is Responsible For It?
Tempers flare and voices rise, but does your good customer service vanish? These are just a part of your day-to-day life in the market place in any business establishment. Customers and consumers are becoming more and more demanding. They get angry and argumentative when they are not served well by whoever is assigned to entertain them. Big and impersonal companies are sometimes finding it difficult to entertain such difficult-to-please customers and offer them good customer service. But for those small companies who have the skill to be more subjective to customers, I say they have found one of the keys to make their businesses a success.How many times have we heard about a customer service attendant with a sour disposition entertaining the customers? And how many times have this happened to you personally? This does happen. But it shouldn’t! I was at a Western Union office recently and was waiting to get my money when I happen to hear the customer service attendant yelling at a customer to fill up a card before waiting in line to get his money. Good customer service? Not a hope! Now is that a g

tion!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x." If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

2. I'm happy to give you 5 minutes or less of free time, however, most issues are more quickly & effectively resolved in an undisturbed session(s). May we schedule a meeting so I can give you my undivided attention?

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on "_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I'll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name the issue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "

Management That Works
One may ask, what makes two work environments so different even though it may be the same company? Most frequently the answer is management. Have you ever wondered why you may walk into a bank for instance and you have been treated so well that you look forward to going back there. On the other hand you may walk into the same bank, but a different branch and you feel as if the employees forced their smile or their thank you. Management is one of the most important factors in good customer service. Any business that has many competitors will try to focus most of their attention on customer service in an attempt to keep their customers or attract new ones. The only downfall to this is that employees will more than likely suffer as a result because all efforts have been poured into making customers happy.For a very competitive business, it is up to the manager to ensure that their employees practice excellent customer service, but it is crucial that the employee feels happy and willing to do it. If an employee feels really pressured at the job, and feels as if he/she is neglected then the ultimate goal will

Many service business owners these days are "giving away" their business services – and then wonder why people aren't hiring them in droves. In the name of "marketing," business owners are providing way too much information for free. Some shifts in thinking are necessary if these business owners expect to be in business years from now. Even trained coaches, I believe, do too much pro-bono work. Why? They say that they need to practice, but the bottom line, IMO, is that they don't value their gifts.

Shifts in thinking and action need to occur. One place to start is by moving yourself from an employee mentality, where you "give information for free because your company is paying you and it's just what you do in your job" to thinking like a business owner who values their gifts and expects to be paid for those gifts.

There's a definite shift in the right direction, thank goodness, taking place on the Internet. I think it started after the dot.com bust settled down. The first site that went from free to paid that I remember was Consumer Reports, a publication I’ve been reading since 1973! I thought, “how could they” and then realized what a novel idea – business web sites actually making money using a subscription based membership site.

Membership sites, for those who – like me - are "informational entrepreneurs," are on the rise, too. In 2001, Infopreneur Terry Dean's site went from "free" to a “paid” membership site, which brought him a minimum of 5k per month. His income is much more than that now, but you get the idea. Just like a toddler, we have learned from our mistakes and are taking the Internet from a place primarily for freebie seekers to a valuable sophisticated, professional marketplace.

The final shift is to always act like a "real" business owner and stop giving away the bank. Being paid for your service is about honoring your business, your talents, your precious time, your gifts and the skills you've developed. Setting boundaries on just how much free information, or free services, you'll give away is not easy to do. Just like pricing services!

However, no one expects to go into a shoe store, ask for free shoes, and walk out of the store! If you don't value your services, no one else will. So if you're holding back information that you rightfully should be paid for, and you believe that you're hoarding or being stingy, please look to see if that belief is based in reality.

VERY big shifts indeed.

Tiffany Bond, principal at BrandBond in Seattle, said it best: "People seldom value an opinion they didn't pay for - but they will sure assess blame to it!" So if you're going to take the blame, at the very least, get paid highly for it!

Yes, providing some limited free advice may be a good marketing strategy. It may assist someone to trust you. On the other hand, it might have the opposite effect, and cause people to wonder why they should pay you when they're getting the information for free. So, just be careful that you're not giving away the shop. As I tell my clients, "learn from my mistakes (and I did give away the shop until I got smart!), and go and make better mistakes!"

And what can you say to people who 1) ask outright for free information, or 2) just start talking to you about something, and you realize that they're trying to "borrow" your valuable resources without becoming a client? Here are some ideas. Try them on to see what "fits" you best.

23 things to say when someone asks you - a service business owner – for free information!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x." If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on "_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I'll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name the issue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "

Computer Service Business Management: Delegating Responsibility
Effective management of a computer service business is incredibly important, and the ability to delegate responsibility is a critical skill for any manager. Good delegation allows a computer service business to run more smoothly. Delegation is more than the simple process of giving an employee a task to complete. It involves putting trust and confidence in an employee and giving him the power to complete a job.There are five different components of good delegation: determining assignments; providing detailed instructions; offering comprehensible instructions; conducting review meetings; and giving employees authority. Before delegating tasks, a computer service business manager needs to know all these components so he can make sure the project is completed in a timely manner and according the all specifications.Determining AssignmentsAs an effective manager of a computer service business, you should know the capabilities of every employee. You should consider training specific team members to handle certain business aspects. That way you can easily match jobs that come up with certain

oodness, taking place on the Internet. I think it started after the dot.com bust settled down. The first site that went from free to paid that I remember was Consumer Reports, a publication I’ve been reading since 1973! I thought, “how could they” and then realized what a novel idea – business web sites actually making money using a subscription based membership site.

VERY big shifts indeed.

23 things to say when someone asks you - a service business owner – for free information!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x." If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on "_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I'll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name the issue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "

Building Loyal Customers
Without clients we have no business. In too many companies however, the goal is grow the client base as fast as possible. Unfortunately, that may not be the smartest or most effective way of increasing the bottom line. A better goal than simply attracting new clients is to attract and then continually deepen client relationships.The more closely we get to know our clients, the better we can serve them. The better we serve them, the more likely they will spend more with us and the more probable it is that they will refer others.It is common knowledge that it is less expensive to sell additional products and services to current clients than to attract and sell to new clients. But how do you do that? The trick is getting to know your clients so well that they begin to share their challenges and long-term goals. When you begin to understand what your clients are trying to accomplish, you can begin to help them come up with solutions. Working jointly with your clients to help them create the future puts you in a different light. As partners it becomes easier to grow together.While it is critical

ke a "real" business owner and stop giving away the bank. Being paid for your service is about honoring your business, your talents, your precious time, your gifts and the skills you've developed. Setting boundaries on just how much free information, or free services, you'll give away is not easy to do. Just like pricing services!

VERY big shifts indeed.

23 things to say when someone asks you - a service business owner – for free information!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x." If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on "_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I'll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name the issue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "

Entry Level Jobs: How To Get Your Foot In The Door
Getting an entry level job can be a difficult task even when you're a recent graduate armed with a diploma or degree and figure that you're ready to take on the corporate world.If only someone in the corporate world would give you a chance to get your foot in the door though…Getting a job isn't necessarily a case of sending off some resumes and waiting for the calls to come in.Too many job searchers fire off a dozen or more resumes to hiring managers and sit back and expect that their door will be broken down by companies begging them to take a job with their company.The Internet has made it very easy for everyone to fire off resumes left, right and centre so hiring managers have had to invent new ways to weed through the hundreds of applications they might receive for each job they advertise.One way to get past finding your resume in the junk folder of the hiring managers you've emailed is to take another approach to try to get your foot in the door.Consider finding some decision makers in your chosen field and contact them to ask for help. Tell them you'r

e the blame, at the very least, get paid highly for it!

23 things to say when someone asks you - a service business owner – for free information!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x." If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on "_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I'll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name the issue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "

Insider's Secret to Selling Mailing Lists
If you've got a mailing list of at least a thousand names or more, you're sitting on a gold mine. All it takes is for you to get the word out that you've got a mailing list for rent, at a competitive price, and you should be home free!First of all, you've got to have a bonafide list of customers - a list of names of people that have responded to an ad or bought from you.You can accumulate such a list simply by noting on 3 by 5 index cards - the names and addresses of each person sending you something in the mail. If it's in response to an ad you've ran, not that on your file card with the date you received the response. If it's an order for something you're selling, note that on your file card with the date, and dollar figure relative to what they bought from you. If it's just an incoming offer for something they're selling, note the date and what they're selling on your index card.Keep your cards filed by zip code, and in alphabetical order within the zip code numbers. When you have a thousand or more of these cards on file, either type or have these names and addre

tion!

1. My charge for an initial consultation is "x." If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I'll apply 1/2 of "x" towards your commitment.

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say "For $2 a minute I'd be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?"

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on "_______."

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I'll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on "name the issue." Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost "x" per hour.

8. There's a lot I can do for you that's similar to the work I did for "xyz" client. Would you like to get together and build a marketing plan? (And then charge for those services.)

9. Well, I'd love to suggest something; however, my fees are "xxx" per hour.

10. Are you looking to hire me?

11. Are you looking to hire _____? Well, I'd love to talk to you about that; my fees are "x" per hour."

12. You may call me for a 15-minute talk, very focused, on that issue.

13. "Well, the answer to that question depends" and then spend a few minutes explaining some of the options and considerations. For example, I may explain that the best way to identify the "solution" is to work backward from the desired end result and process. That provides a natural lead-in to: "If I were to work with you on this project, here's how we would do it..."

14. Sorry, I can't answer that unless you pay my fee (or hire me).

15. A complete answer to your question is going to take more than 15 minutes over the phone. Would you like me to send you a proposal on this?

16. I have really enjoyed talking with you and would like to help more. May I send you one of my brochures and a rate card?

17. Do you have a time line and/or budget in mind for solving this problem?

18. Have you looked at cost estimates from others who would like to help you solve this problem or complete this project?

19. It's not a good time for me to begin a session right this minute. Would you like to briefly discuss session times and fees?

20. Are you seeking generic free information on "the topic" or to work with a "your profession here" to address your specific situation? [If I have a free resource, I'll ask for their email address and send it to them.]

21. I provide a general 3-4 sentence overview of how I would address their concern with them. Then I say that I've found that the sorting of the information available and subsequent application of that information is so specific to each individual that I always recommend hiring a "your profession here" for getting that one project completed.

22. Well what I can offer you on that subject is an ebook (CD, audio, etc) called ________. I’ll email you the link.

23. Refer them to these "free" or "almost free" resources: ? The library has books/tapes/audios/CD/reference librarians. ? To an outsider, your local SBA and SCORE Offices "look" free. They're really not "free" either. Their classes "cost $" and their advice is paid for by all of us as part of our taxes. ? Find a professional who needs your services and see about some sort of in-kind exchange or barter. Again, this isn't totally free, as you do need to report it on your taxes, but in most cases, there isn't any money exchanged. ? Join lots of ezines by experts in the area you're looking to learn about, but do it quickly while they are still free. And know that the 'best of the best' contain ads and affiliate programs, too.

Marcia Yudkin, Marketing Consultant, Speaker and Author says this in Marketing Minute: (http://www.yudkin.com/) "You can head off a good portion of that from paying clients by setting down in writing what your fees cover and do not cover. While you don't want to come off as some sort of dictator with a stringent rulebook, it helps to set forth guidelines for a productive relationship. For folks who are not yet clients, feel free to copy what I do. If I can answer a question in five minutes or less, I generally just go ahead and do so. If a

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.casualarticles.com/article/30165/casualarticles-Freebie-Seekers-Turn-Them-Into-Clients-and-Referrers--or-Turn-them-Far-Far-Away.html">Freebie Seekers? Turn Them Into Clients and Referrers - or Turn them Far, Far Away</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.casualarticles.com/article/30165/casualarticles-Freebie-Seekers-Turn-Them-Into-Clients-and-Referrers--or-Turn-them-Far-Far-Away.html]Freebie Seekers? Turn Them Into Clients and Referrers - or Turn them Far, Far Away[/url]

Small Town Entrepreneurship can be profitable -- but you have to follow the written and unwritten rules.

This is a short article about tips to locate TQM articles in dealing with application of improvement Tools and How to overcome problem associated with them.

If you want to make sure you're happy with the finished result, it's important to give clear instructions to your designer.

Tags

Links

Casual Articles - Freebie Seekers? Turn Them Into Clients and Referrers - or Turn them Far, Far Away

Related Articles: