1) If your job is to provide valuable service to a customer (and most of us do), it behoves you to be on top of what they need from you. It’s your job to over deliver and make the experience a pleasurable one. Great service should be a given in business, but we know that not everyone is listening. 2) When it comes to performing our services it’s good if you get it. Nothing is more irritating to customers than having to explain it more than once. Time is money and an inability to listen can cost you big time.…

The long road of the recession is strewn with casualties, most of which are small businesses unable to successfully navigate increasingly hazardous terrain. And yet, while potholes and pitfalls still loom ahead, the economic downturn has presented many businesses with unique opportunities for growth, opportunities which often remain unrecognized. With this in mind, here are 5 proven strategies which, if properly implemented, could help a majority of small businesses not only survive but thrive in a downward economy. 1. Flexibility: Although the upside of an economic downturn may be a “thinning of the herd”, in terms of your direct competition,…

For most businesses, it’s not enough to make a sale or sign a customer – you want happy customers, repeat customers who will gladly return for more. Whether you’re selling a product or a service, keeping your customers satisfied is a key part of a sustainable business model. Finding creative ways to show your customers you really appreciate their business – going beyond a simple “Thank you” email – is a smart investment for several reasons: Word of mouth is often more valuable than professional advertising, marketing, and PR – people trust their networks more than companies. Giving your customers…

Twenty years ago, having an office meant being surrounded by paperwork. In the pre-Internet days, there was simply no way around it: no matter what line of work you were in, every aspect of daily operations (from invoicing to project management to document creation) left an enormous paper trail. Luckily, that is no longer necessary today. Using the free/low-cost Internet tools below, modern businesses can, if they choose, run a completely paperless office: Google Docs America’s offices are flooded with hard copies of documents that rarely (or never) looked at on a daily basis. Whether in filing cabinets, stuffed in…

This episode is about my favorite way to build traffic and get leads – Blogging! https://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SEO.mp3

I’ve been reading a lot lately concerning networking. The general discussion has been the effectiveness of the endeavour. The interesting thing for me, was that it was generally seen as a one or the other scenario. It seems that most people from the off-line camp network through organized groups or events and on-line people network through social media. But neither crosses the road to the other side. I don’t understand the logic in this. I absolutely use both. One compliments the other. Locally, my audience is very much aware of my online presence. My brand is consistent across both channels.…

My general feeling is that you can do business one of two ways: You can either let the economy happen to you, or you make your own economy and capture opportunities. I choose the latter. The last three years have been very good for me. And this year is looking positive already. At the end of last year, I sat down and forged my goals for this coming year. I earmarked two items: earn more consulting business and to harness more paid speaking engagements. If my intention was to let the economy happen to me, then my strategy would be…

When people talk about social media, sites like Facebook and Twitter they often talk about return on investment and monetizing it. If I told you I invested 3 hours a week and got a significant return would you believe me? Would you believe me if I told you I was a brick and mortar business and not a social media business? As a small regional courier company, based in the UK I work in a county that is smaller in size than Brooklyn, New York. In fact someone told me once the whole UK could fit into New York state…

Trade shows are often times a necessity for many industries, but can be a daunting task to plan and implement. The upside to doing a trade show is that it is the most cost effective approach to market to a huge crowd. There are many social media and viral efforts for marketing, but trades shows are the only face-to-face marketing today. If you market wisely, trade shows can bring hundreds of motivated potential customers to you. Unfortunately, many exhibitors don’t make the most of their trade show participation because they don’t adhere to these simple rules: Consult an exhibit or…

People have been wanting to process credit card payments on the go for years. I still remember the applications and hardware that you have to have before. As with anything, new technology makes it lighter and easier than ever. Take Square for example. It is a small little card reader that you plug into your phone or iPad. When you sign up for an account with Square,  you will get the card reader free in the mail. Then you can start processing payments. There are no monthly contracts or fees or merchant account involved. They do take a cut out…