Why Some Businesses Succeed and Some Don’t
A bit of a rant this morning. Here’s the thing. There are no doubt lots of businesses sitting around complaining right now. The economy’s bad, customers are gone – and when customers do call, all they want is the cheapest price. And then there are others that are doing just fine. What’s the difference? Hear…
A Lesson in How Not to Handle Customer Criticism
Must thank Ryanair – the low-cost airline – for showing us all how NOT to handle comments from customers (and potential customers). Having people who take the time to contact you about potential flaws in your website, product or service is a great honor. It shows they care. And if you listen to them, there’s…
Is Price and Choice all People Want?
It's very easy to buy things cheaply (see Wal-Mart). It's also easy to have a huge choice (see Amazon). But is that all people want? And if you decide they want more, what can you do about it? Think about this: You want to grow your business, and the way to do that is by…
Are You Nice Enough?
Niceness is much underrated, especially in business. After all, it's difficult to put a dollar value on a smile. But you know what? Niceness pays. I'm choosing between two satellite TV providers right now. One is my current supplier – and I really like their customer service. The people on the phone are friendly. They're…
We appreciate your patience, please continue to hold
This is a story about turning one lost customer into 10 lost customers. I’m writing this entry while on hold with Vonage, the VOIP telephone company. You see, I want to cancel my account (wasn’t using it — quality too bad) and Vonage is trying to stop me canceling. It’s like a war of wills.…