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Casual Articles - The Ratings are Coming
The Franchising Industry has taken some hits in the last couple of decades. Some came from onerous regulation and piss poor performance of agencies like the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Protection Division’s Franchise Group where some believe Steve Toporoff had done so much damage to the industry that he should resign in disgrace and lose his pension. Yet others applauded this gentleman’s efforts for working with industry and lawyers to develop laws, which would keep the FTC in a referee position. Personally, I b
Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.
Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don't try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)
If you get a bad review, there's probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid le
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercia
But now the landscape is changing, making word of mouth more important than ever - only now, that word of mouth is being communicated on the Internet.
People - your customers - are turning to the Internet as their primary source of information on products and services. Instead of opening the yellow pages of their phone book, they turn to Yahoo or Google. And in addition to websites and listings for local businesses, they are finding ratings and reviews!
Sites like Amazon.com and ePinions pioneered product rating systems. In some categories, these ratings have become essential to a product's success: more than 60% of consumer electronics purchasers report that they consult online ratings before making a purchase decision!
Ratings have also become common is a few other business categories, such as restaurants and hotels.
But the online ratings explosion is just starting; Internet entrepreneurs are demonstrating that virtually anything can be rated online.
RateMyProfessors.com, launched in 1999, allows college students to rate - well, professors. The site has accumulated over 3 million ratings, and has spun off another site, RateMyTeachers.com, aimed at high school and elementary students.
ApartmentRatings.com has the most comprehensive database of apartment ratings, with almost 250,000 reviews. RateMDs.com was formed to allow patients to rate their doctors. A new site, ClubRatingz.com, allows patrons to rate nightclubs and bars (perhaps while recovering from hangovers?)
Rating sites are even risking the wrath of the legal profession: LawyerRatingz.com provides attorney ratings and reviews.
All of these sites feature a fair share of rants and raves. Many of the comments are semi-coherent ramblings, often typed with Caps Lock down. But surprisingly, over time and with enough ratings, a fairly accurate picture emerges. Some reviewers provide well-thought reviews and useful information. And the sites are being visited and read!
The ratings phenomena may not have reached your industry or your community, but it probably will. So what can you do about it?
First, be aware of ratings sites. Use a search engine to look for rating sites in your area and business. (Search for things like landscaper ratings in Pittsburgh or hair salon reviews in Sacramento.) You may find that your business is already listed on a rating site. If it is, make sure that the basic listing information (business name, location, website) is correct, and if not, contact the site operator. If your business is not listed, see if there is a way to add your listing. Do not pay for this service! Legitimate rating sites are not supported by the businesses being rated! (However, a few sites offer enhanced "listings" for a small fee. Consider paying for this is the site seems to be well run and have a lot of traffic.)
Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.
Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don't try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)
If you get a bad review, there's probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid leg
Before you even think about writing a press release, there are a few things you need to know about the media. Here’s the first - and most important - of them:1. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases every weekDepending on the publication they’re writing for, they may even get hundreds of press releases every day. So you’re up against some pretty stiff competition. Obviously you’re going to have to make sure your press release stands out, and grabs her attention. But how?
Ratings have also become common is a few other business categories, such as restaurants and hotels.
But the online ratings explosion is just starting; Internet entrepreneurs are demonstrating that virtually anything can be rated online.
RateMyProfessors.com, launched in 1999, allows college students to rate - well, professors. The site has accumulated over 3 million ratings, and has spun off another site, RateMyTeachers.com, aimed at high school and elementary students.
ApartmentRatings.com has the most comprehensive database of apartment ratings, with almost 250,000 reviews. RateMDs.com was formed to allow patients to rate their doctors. A new site, ClubRatingz.com, allows patrons to rate nightclubs and bars (perhaps while recovering from hangovers?)
Rating sites are even risking the wrath of the legal profession: LawyerRatingz.com provides attorney ratings and reviews.
All of these sites feature a fair share of rants and raves. Many of the comments are semi-coherent ramblings, often typed with Caps Lock down. But surprisingly, over time and with enough ratings, a fairly accurate picture emerges. Some reviewers provide well-thought reviews and useful information. And the sites are being visited and read!
The ratings phenomena may not have reached your industry or your community, but it probably will. So what can you do about it?
First, be aware of ratings sites. Use a search engine to look for rating sites in your area and business. (Search for things like landscaper ratings in Pittsburgh or hair salon reviews in Sacramento.) You may find that your business is already listed on a rating site. If it is, make sure that the basic listing information (business name, location, website) is correct, and if not, contact the site operator. If your business is not listed, see if there is a way to add your listing. Do not pay for this service! Legitimate rating sites are not supported by the businesses being rated! (However, a few sites offer enhanced "listings" for a small fee. Consider paying for this is the site seems to be well run and have a lot of traffic.)
Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.
Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don't try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)
If you get a bad review, there's probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid le
Customer Focused HeadlinesGrabbing a customer's attention often begins by making the reader feel the copy was written specifically for them. Do this by leading with a problem that is relevant to the reader.For example: "Is your new business keeping you up at night?" "Are you tired of boring workshops?" Another twist on this approach is to define the audience - "For all small business owners who...." In each case, the reader identifies with the headline and is more likely to continue.Urgen
Rating sites are even risking the wrath of the legal profession: LawyerRatingz.com provides attorney ratings and reviews.
All of these sites feature a fair share of rants and raves. Many of the comments are semi-coherent ramblings, often typed with Caps Lock down. But surprisingly, over time and with enough ratings, a fairly accurate picture emerges. Some reviewers provide well-thought reviews and useful information. And the sites are being visited and read!
The ratings phenomena may not have reached your industry or your community, but it probably will. So what can you do about it?
First, be aware of ratings sites. Use a search engine to look for rating sites in your area and business. (Search for things like landscaper ratings in Pittsburgh or hair salon reviews in Sacramento.) You may find that your business is already listed on a rating site. If it is, make sure that the basic listing information (business name, location, website) is correct, and if not, contact the site operator. If your business is not listed, see if there is a way to add your listing. Do not pay for this service! Legitimate rating sites are not supported by the businesses being rated! (However, a few sites offer enhanced "listings" for a small fee. Consider paying for this is the site seems to be well run and have a lot of traffic.)
Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.
Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don't try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)
If you get a bad review, there's probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid le
Success of a project when developed by an offshore provider is largely dependent on the way the project is remotely managed from the client’s side. If you hope to make a project successful with very little input from your end as a customer, it is unlikely that the project will achieve success in the long term. The basic reason is very simple: you know your business requirements best. Software services companies working in another part of the world can only develop a solution based on the input provided by you.Fai
The ratings phenomena may not have reached your industry or your community, but it probably will. So what can you do about it?
First, be aware of ratings sites. Use a search engine to look for rating sites in your area and business. (Search for things like landscaper ratings in Pittsburgh or hair salon reviews in Sacramento.) You may find that your business is already listed on a rating site. If it is, make sure that the basic listing information (business name, location, website) is correct, and if not, contact the site operator. If your business is not listed, see if there is a way to add your listing. Do not pay for this service! Legitimate rating sites are not supported by the businesses being rated! (However, a few sites offer enhanced "listings" for a small fee. Consider paying for this is the site seems to be well run and have a lot of traffic.)
Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.
Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don't try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)
If you get a bad review, there's probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid le
Joe has been made redundant after many years in the company. He is the victim of cost-cutting, re-structuring, right-sizing, re-deployment...of a re-something. A friend comments: “There he goes. Poor Joe. 20 years of experience going out the window.” The re-engineering consultant overhears the comment and hits back: “There he goes: Joe, one year of experience repeated 20 times.”As the joke goes it is a clever one that has converted a sad part into something that many people can relate to. Many jobs
Check the rating sites regularly. You might actually get some good information on how customers see your business, and where you need to make improvements.
Encourage your patrons to rate your business. Satisfied customers will give you good ratings. (Don't try to "flood" a rating site with bogus reviews; many of these sites use algorithms to detect the source of ratings, and may even remove businesses that try to cheat.)
If you get a bad review, there's probably not much you can do about it. The rating and review sites are on pretty solid legal ground, and most will not remove bad reviews. However, some sites have a mechanism for responding to a review, so be sure to ask about this. If nothing else, you can submit your own review and calmly refute the complaints of other reviewers. Be careful to stay calm and professional, and not get into online debates that can damage your credibility.
In the end, business success is still based on word of mouth - but now more people are listening.
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