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We hope you find this arcthve useful. A subscription to The Small Business Advisor Newsletter is free. Subscribe now - it's easy! The Small Business Advisor Newsletter for October, 1999 (ISSN #1089-3121) Check out The Small Business Advisor website at http://www.isquare.com. Visit our advertisers - they help make this free newsletter and our site possible. Subscribe by sending e-mail to bobs@isquare.com and use "subscribe" as the subject. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Notes, tips, etc ++++++++++++++++++++++++ --------------- MaxTech, 333Mhz, 32Mb RAM, 3.2G HD, 15-inch monitor, $625. http://www.buy.com Compaq Presario, 400Mhz, 96Mb RAM, 4.3G HD, 15-inch monitor, $850. http://www.cdw.com Dell Refurbished, 333Mhz, 64Mb RAM, 4.3G HD, 17-inch monitor, $825. http://www.dell.com/outlet Gateway Essential, 400Mhz, 32Mb RAM, 4.3G HD, 15-inch monitor, $900. http://www.gateway.com ValueAmerica Protevia, 400Mhz, 64Mb RAM, 4.3G HD, 15-inch monitor, $900. http://www.valueamerica.com Visit Shopper.com at http://www.shopper.com to search for other deals. As always, shop with care and purchase using a credit card only - no checks! --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- Marketing tips, strategies, and secrets for internet marketing, online advertising and website promotion that will skyrocket your small, medium or home based business profits through the roof. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's pretty clear that the Internet is a fantastic storehouse of information for small and home based businesses. The problem is finding them - out of the millions! Here is a listing of some good places to start. Compare shipping costs; iship.com; http://www.iship.com/ Compare cellular phone plans; Point.com; http://www.point.com/ Business Travel; BizTravel,com; http://www.biztravel.com/ Compare airline fares; IntelliTrip; http://www.intellitrip.thetrip.com/ Multiple search engine searches; SavvySearach; http://www.savvysearch.com/ Office supplies; Office Depot; http://www.officedepot.com/ Office supplies; Staples; http://www.staples.com/ Mass mailings; Eletter; http://www.eletter.com/ Business loans; LoanWise; http://www.loanwise.com/ Electronic Postage; eStamp; http://www.estamp.com Images/clipart; Photos To Go; http://www.photostogo.com/ Photos; Photodisc; http://www.photodisc.com/ Purchasing software; hardware; supplies: BottomDollar. Visit http://www.isquare.com and search for what you need under "SAVE YOUR BUSINESS MONEY" on the home page. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Remember the Coca-Cola marketing disaster a few years ago? They tried to switch Coke drinkers to New Coke. It didn't work. Fortunately, the company quickly recognized the problem and had the resources to recover fast. Their follow up research revealed that only 1 unhappy customer in 50 takes time to complain. The other 49 just quietly switch brands. It's human nature to avoid unpleasant experiences like customer complaints. Nobody likes bad news. But uncovering customer complaints and satisfying them can give you a powerful competitive advantage. WHY YOU WANT TO HEAR CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS Dissatisfied customers or clients can do one of 4 things: 1. Remain silent 2. Complain to a legal or public agency 3. Complain to friends and anybody else who will listen 4. Complain to you Which choice would you like them to make? The best choice may surprise you. You certainly don't want them to complain to a legal or public agency. And you definitely don't want them to complain to their friends and associates. Imagine how much business that can cost you. Remaining silent may seem like the best choice. But it's not, for 2 reasons. First, because it really won't happen. It's human nature for people to talk about their experiences -- especially experiences involving emotions like those generated by an unsatisfactory business transaction. The other reason you don't want a dissatisfied customer to remain silent is because it deprives you of the chance to correct the problem and save your relationship with your customer. The best choice is to have your unhappy customer complain to you. COMPLAINING CUSTOMERS ARE DOING YOU A FAVOR Customers or clients who take the time and trouble to complain to you are doing you a favor. They're helping you grow your business. They're giving you the opportunity to resolve their problem and keep them as a customer. They're also alerting you to a problem that may be costing you business from other prospects and customers without your knowledge. This applies to every business including independent distributors for MLM or network marketing companies. If the problem is in your area of responsibility you can correct it. If the problem is with your company's product or system you can advise them and ask them to correct it. You can also reduce the impact of a company problem on your operation by telling your distributors about it and letting them know the company is taking corrective action. ENCOURAGE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS The Coca-Cola Company discovered their New Coke marketing disaster quickly because they print a toll-free consumer information telephone number on all their product packages. The sudden deluge of complaint calls alerted them immediately to the extent of the problem and enabled them to respond fast to minimize the damage. I wonder how long it would have taken them to discover the problem if they didn't provide that telephone number and encourage complaints? A toll-free consumer information line is one way to encourage customer complaints and feedback. Here are 3 others especially suited to small businesses on a limited budget. * Develop a customer satisfaction and comments form. Include it with products you ship or with correspondence to customers and clients if you don't ship products. * Send a follow up postcard to customers a week or 10 days after completing a transaction and ask if everything is OK. You can do this by email or telephone if it's appropriate. * Create a separate page at your website for customer comments and complaints. Publicize the address on your home page and on all communications with your customers. Your customers and clients know your strengths and weaknesses better than you. Get them to identify your weaknesses and tell you what they are so you can correct them. It may be uncomfortable or ego deflating to hear about your weaknesses. But you'll soon forget that when you take corrective action and see the positive impact it has on your bottom line. For information on publications by Bob Leduc, e-mail him at BobLeduc@aol.com Subj: "Postcards". ++++++++++++++++++++++++ One of the Internet's biggest problems is that many people don't quite trust it yet. All new forms of media go through this early in their existence. When telephones first came out, people were scared to death that scoundrels would use them to steal their daughters. Early radio stations were so alarming to the public that governments around the world practically tripped over themselves hurrying to enact stern protections. The Internet is having some of the same problems. When the general public is asked why they don't buy more things on-line or from businesses that market on- line, many admit that they're afraid of what lurks behind this incredible new technology. Of course, much of this is simply fear of the new and it will gradually disappear. In the meantime, here are five simple, but very powerful, things you can do to help prospective customers trust your on-line marketing. 1. Tell readers about YOU. Include yourself in everything you do on-line. People want to know WHO is behind the sales letter, the web site, the product line, and the offered service. Don't be modest. Supply prospective customers with lots of details about you, your business, and how your business got started. Let readers know why you do what you do. Putting yourself into your marketing gives your on-line advertising a human touch. When readers feel they know you, they begin to trust you. Ruthie sells her custom made afghans from her web site. Each page includes her photo in the corner. Her grandmotherly image, smiling at the prospect, helps to put on-line shoppers at ease. 2. Give full details about your offer. Don't leave people guessing about what you're selling. Rather than reading through five pages to find out what you're up to, the vast majority of readers will click away if they think you are trying to confuse them or have something to hide. Tell people right from the very beginning what you are selling. 3. Stay away from cliched marketing. Many people associate copy that starts with "I threw it away" and "Read this twice, then read it again" with get-rich-quick schemes sent as unsolicited e-mail. It's much better to start your on-line marketing with a headline that outlines the most enticing details of your offer. Then quickly fill in the rest of the basics. After that you can include full information for the reader that wants all the facts she can get. 4. Include a guarantee to reduce the risk of buying. A 30 day money-back guarantee is required for mail order items. Some on-line businesses have extended that guarantee to 60 days or even a full year. It's hard not to trust a company that stands behind their products and services for that length of time (and in practice, very few people will ever ask for a return or refund). 5. Supply prospective customers with more traditional ways of contacting you. Give phone numbers, regular mailing addresses, and include the names of principle members of your company. This reassures customers that you are a "real" company and your claims can be trusted. Such disclosure is also being required in state legislation and proposed regulations. In the end, few things are as valuable to a business as customer trust. That's why famous trademarks and widely known franchises are so important. Their names, products, and services are familiar and trusted by the public. Work to achieve a personal touch in your on-line marketing. Be clear about what you're offering and provide reliable service. You'll be giving prospective customers plenty of reasons to trust you. Kevin Nunley provides marketing help for businesses and organizations. Visit his Marketing Info Supersite at http://members.tripod.com/~DrNunley Return to top of page - Back to Home Page - Back to Archive Index |