Every time you write a blog post for your online home business, you create a piece of content on the web aimed at building customer relationships. Think of yourself as the loopy part of hook and loop tape. Offer a soft, grabby connector for your customer’s searching hooky part.

How to Be Fuzzy, Soft and Engaging

1. Focus on them, not your product. If someone signs up for free information from you, your first message should be all about thanking them. Don’t hit them upside the head with a Buy This Now message. That’s like proposing marriage over a first coffee together.
2. Let them get to know you. Are your photo and name on your blog? People are hard-wired to connect with faces. Provide some of your story on your About Me page. Why? An About Me page is the most read page of a blog—because they want to know who you are! Reveal a little of yourself in your posts so they can identify with you. We all like like-minded people.
3. Over-deliver. After giving good information your customer can use today to start solving their problem, invite their participation with you somehow. Ask for their opinion, provide a poll question they can answer, or tell them to push a button for a video that further illustrates a point you made.

How to Be Sticky, Hooky and Engaging

You already started when you asked them to participate with you.

1. Train them to take action each time you connect with them. Give them something to click or do in every email or a blog post, and make it rewarding for them. They’ll stay on your site a bit longer. When prospects take action, they become participants who then become customers.
2. Introduce an unexpected viewpoint. Challenge accepted norms by looking at an old problem from a different angle. It can wake them up a bit, give them an insight they never thought of before.
3. Offer your information in other formats. Most customers read. Others retain information best when they hear it spoken aloud. Sometimes video better conveys how to do a new or confusing technique.
4. Wave your freak flag. Let them see how you’re different from your competition, what makes your offer unique. Every business needs a unique selling point, even lemonade stands. Don’t hide yours or be plain vanilla while building customer relationships.

Remember, you run your online business for greater income and fun. You can stick even more customers to you when you boost online visibility

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Wehrle
http://EzineArticles.com/?Building-Business-Relationships—Make-Customers-Stick-Like-Velcro&id=4452329

We’ve all had friends in our circle who were known as “Mary & John”, and when “John” split “Mary” was alone. Mary was the “odd” number at the dinner party and we were all concerned about her.  Well, today it seems that the union of Customer & Service have had a breakup.  Service has split and Customer is on his/her own.

Today, let me tell you a story that many of you will find humorous but is all too common.  I can tell you this without fear of our local editor getting sued because it’s about me, but business owners make sure that you don’t fit the profile of company “X”.

Four weeks ago I decided that I needed another green recycling can from my trash pickup company.  We’ll call them Brown Keg Trash Pickup, an anonymous company in the interest of avoiding litigation. I called their Customer Service number, and as an environmentally conscious citizen requested my extra recycle can.  The cheerful voice on the other end of the line chirped, “Of course, we’ll have one delivered in 48 hours.”  After giving her all the pertinent location information, I hung up the phone with the satisfied feeling of a good citizen.

I arrived home about 5 p.m. the next day and  I was happy to see another green can at the mouth of my driveway.  When I looked again, I noticed that I had another green can – but it was without a lid.  I quickly dialed my cheerful telephone voice at Brown Keg Company thanking her graciously for the rapid service and then told her about the missing lid.  Just as cheerfully as the first time, she told me to leave it at the end of my driveway after my usual trash pickup and they would replace the entire unit since they didn’t have extra lids.  I agreed, and after hanging up the phone I pondered their plight of having lidless cans but no extra lids.  I conjured up all sorts of scenarios that explained where all the lids to the lidless cans went, and sympathized with their predicament.

Well, 3 days went by and there sat my poor, green, lidless can at my driveway’s mouth and a replacement never arrived.  Feeling empathy for this green plastic waif, I returned it to the side of it’s brother that had a lid.  I called my cheerful Customer Service voice again, and reiterated the plight of my poor lidless can and after a chuckle she assured me a complete unit would be forthcoming.  I found it necessary to make use of my lidless friend, and put it out the next pickup day filled to the brim.  Fortunately, it wasn’t windy and all the contents remained inside it.  That was 2 weeks ago, and life being what it is other  more important tasks have occupied me until this morning when facing another pickup day I thought of my lidless friend.

Once more I picked up the phone and called my trash pickup company, and this time I listened to a litany of choices of buttons I could punch and chose my cheerful Customer Service button again.  I was transferred, listened to a brief melody when there was a “click” and I expected my cheerful voice to chirp “hello”.  The next thing I heard was another click, silence, and then the dreaded dial tone that means you’ve been disconnected.  Not being one of the “fainthearted”, I simply redialed my number.  Again there was the litany of button choices, my choice and the music, and just when I began to feel that all was right with the world I heard – “click”, “dial tone” and nothing.

This was not the morning for the phone to be playing games with me, so I made one more determined effort and REDIALED!  “NASA, we have lift-off !”  I once more heard the litany of button choices, but this time I outfoxed that monotonous voice and punched “0”.  I asked for the Manager of Customer Service, I was given her name and was transferred.  What greeted my eager ear was, “You’ve reached the voice mail of ……., please leave your name and number and she’ll return your call.”

So here we sit – my lidless, green can and I facing another pick-up day.  This eager-to-serve plastic green waif must bravely face another dutiful day half-clothed.

You must admit that is an amusing story, and one that far too many of us have lived through, but what a sad commentary it is about our business community.  Doesn’t it make you wonder if our language has changed so drastically that what we interpret “Customer Service” to mean – is not what today’s business owners mean.  It makes me wonder when the marriage of Customer and Service broke-up, leaving us all the lonely ones.

Entrepreneurs and business owners take note!  If you’re going to have a number for your customers to access your Customer Service, please follow these rules.

• Have the phone manned by an employee that can hear thunder and see lightening.
• Give that employee training in helping the caller and not shuffling the problem to another desk.
• Have an overseer, who can also hear thunder and see lightening, check that all incoming complaints were handled appropriately.

After learning how to find your customers and what they want; after getting them committed to doing business with YOU; and after wooing them to keep them as your customers – WHY WOULD YOU LET “SERVICE” DIVORCE “CUSTOMER?”

If your customers aren’t getting the service they require from you – your competitor will be only too happy to help them!

I finally found a reason why my wife should do all the laundry:

I can no longer distinguish between my wife’s and my daughter’s clothes.

If it is pink, red, or girly in any way, there’s a high likelihood that I will sort it into the wrong pile. This results in a kind smile from my wife. It’s the same smile she gives to babies and puppies that are cute but helpless. It also results in a head-cocked, eye-rolling, “how-dumb-are-you?” look from my daughter. She’s eight. Going on sixteen.

In my defense, my daughter is taller than nearly every other eight-year-old on the planet. Some of her clothes say “12″ or even “14″ inside, which I always assumed should somewhat correspond to the age – not the attitude – of the wearer.

My wife is a few years older than eight, and her clothes have a whole different numbering system (another mystery to solve at another time). But, honestly, side by side, it’s sometimes really, really hard to tell them apart. Ok, so my wife doesn’t have a t-shirt that says “I (heart) Justin Bieber”, but she and my daughter do have some matching pajamas that look the same size to me. Gotta read the labels to know which is which. I really wish I understood those numbering systems better.

I am quite lucky. My wife actually does do the majority of the laundry. She actually kind of enjoys it. It’s one of the few old-school gender roles that we honor in our house. She does the laundry. I mow the lawn and kill all the spiders.

So when I do fluff and fold a basket or two, I now have to pay extra attention. Because somewhere along the way, my daughter grew. It was so much easier when she was little. Pink + tiny = daughter’s pile. Now I have to check the label on almost everything, except that Justin Bieber t-shirt.

In other words, things change. People change. Customers change. Their needs shift, grow, and change constantly. When we have a few, distinct customers, it’s relatively easy to tell them apart and provide them customized products or personal service. As our customer base grows, and our customer’s needs change, we have to pay closer attention.

What does that take? Before you run out and buy a new CRM software package or hire a bunch of new salespeople, stop for a minute and just think about your customers (or your staff, or your family, or your community organization). Ask yourself these questions:

1. How have our customers changed since we first met them?
2. What do they need from us now?
3. Will they have any new needs in the foreseeable future?
4. What are the simplest and most direct ways we can meet these needs?

These questions don’t require a two-day retreat in the woods to figure out. You could come up with some great answers in a sixty minute staff meeting or your personal reflection time.

While this may be the first time you’ve thought about these questions (like this is the first time I’ve thought about my laundry dilemma), it definitely shouldn’t be the last. These are questions that we should be asking ourselves at least once each year, or even each quarter.

I doubt I’ll ever completely escape laundry duty, so I’m going to have to pay even more attention as time goes by. The way my daughter is growing , she will someday be the same size as my wife, maybe as early as next week.

Article Source:  Customer Satisfaction

It seems natural customer loyalty would follow good service. If you get what you want and you are treated right, why would you not return to a business? But sometimes it’s useful to have more than an intuitive argument. So I have done a bit of research and I have found two statistics that tell me there is a clear link connecting customer service and customer loyalty.

They also suggest some substantial benefits from improving customer service.

The first is a well-known number. It comes to us from the American Society of Quality Control (as best I can determine). According to an oft-cited study, 68 percent of customers who never return to a business choose to not come back because of they were treated.

In other words, poor service is the reason 68 percent of customers choose to take their business elsewhere.

That’s a striking number. It means that two out of every three customers are leaving because our employees do not treat them well. It had nothing to do with price, product quality, location, convenience, or other factors. It has everything to do with how willing and able employees are to serve their customers.

The other statistic I found is just as interesting. It’s from a study reported by Arthur Middleton Hughes. He talks about a company that grouped a selection of customers in two groups. One received the same service they always had. The other received a new, higher level of service. The increased level of service cost about $83 per customer. After six months, the customers who received better service spent 57 percent more than their peers who had the same old service. The revenue increase came to over $4,000 per customer.

Wow!

Both these are compelling, to say the least. One says we can keep a lot more customers coming back simply by treating them better. The other says they’ll likely spend more money with us if we offer them a higher level of service.

Hmmm. More customers coming back and spending more when they do come back. Not a bad idea.

If you combine these numbers, you have the potential for big revenue gains as a direct result of customer service improvement. But no matter what the actual numbers are, there is a strong case for improving customer service as a way to improve loyalty, retention, revenue, and profits.

This article was written by:

Kevin Stirtz – who has written 629 posts on AmazingServiceGuy.com.

Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy, a speaker and trainer who helps organizations of all kinds deliver Amazing Customer Service. His recent book: “More Loyal Customers” has won 5 star reviews at Amazon.com. Kevin lives in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul). More at: author’s website.

Carnegie said there is only one way to get anybody to do anything — by making the person want to do it. How can you encourage customers to say good things about you and give you referrals? By giving them what they and all human beings crave: honest and sincere appreciation.

The Two Magic Words

The big secret of dealing with people (or customers) is often overlooked or forgotten. It’s simply saying “thank you” consistently, personally and, above all, sincerely. These two words work marketing magic because customers want to feel important.

Saying “thank you” is an act of kindness, besides. But don’t say “thank you” for the sake of flattery. It must be sincere. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “You can never say anything but what you are.”

“Thank You” Promotes Referrals

The uncertainty of referrals can be disconcerting. Can you control them? No. Can you influence them? Absolutely.

First you must provide a valuable product or service for customers. (You’re already doing this, right?) But perhaps you can make an even bigger difference in their minds by your continued interest after you’ve delivered the product or service.

Each customer has a different level of satisfaction with your products and services. However, all customers to whom you say “thank you” are satisfied that they’re important to you. This can determine whether you’ll continue a relationship with them and get referrals.

“Thank You” as Direct Mail or E-mail

If you’ve never used direct mail and are considering it, start a thank-you correspondence program. If you’ve used direct mail or e-mail but haven’t sent thank-you letters or e-mails, start now.

The thank-you letter or e-mail to your customers is targeted (you know them, they know you), personal and effective. It’s guaranteed to receive a positive response.

Furthermore, it’s a pleasant surprise if it’s snail mail. They see your envelope. They think, this must be something for me to review, to sign, or worse a bill. Surprise! They’re appreciated; they’re important. And you’re the one telling them so.

Write a thank-you letter or e-mail at every opportunity. But don’t send one with an invoice or other correspondence. Always send it separately.

Writing the Thank-You Letter or E-mail

The thought behind a thank-you letter or e-mail may seem simple, but writing one can be tricky. Here are 9 tips for writing a winning thank-you letter or e-mail:

• Keep it brief. A half dozen lines (or fewer) are sufficient.

• Make it sincere. This is crucial. If you aren’t careful, it can sound awkward, even when you’re trying to be sincere.

• Start with “thank you.” Dear Ms. Johnson (or first name, if appropriate): Thank you for …

• Make the tone warm, but professional. Be friendly, but keep it businesslike.

• Reinforce a positive. Jog their memory of a positive aspect of the relationship.

• Offer your continued support. If I can help, please call …

• End with “thank you.” Thanks again for …

• Use an appropriate closing. Sincerely, Best regards.

• No ulterior motive. Make it a pure “thank you,” otherwise sincerity is jeopardized.

Remember: Saying “thank you” is part of building strong customer relationships over time. Use these two magic words consistently and watch your repeat business and referrals grow.

I often start my speeches by asking members of my audiences, “What business are you in?” I usually get a whole range of answers, even from within the same company, and they are very insightful. I really only ask the question to remind them of one thing — they are in the people business. We are all in the people business.

People do business with people they like. That’s it — not the lowest prices, the most established company or the one with the biggest budget or fanciest ad campaign. If we like and trust someone, they will get our business. We are all in the people business.

Building relationships has always been the foundation of any business, but it has become increasingly important as those relationships have become increasingly visible. The work life and home life line is blurred with social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn becoming new portals into our lives. People are talking about your company. Shouldn’t you be at least listening? Shouldn’t you really be part of the conversation?

There used to be a huge work/home divide. People actually used phrases like, “Never mix business with pleasure.” If you still find yourself thinking or saying this, you may want to find a new career.

I often tell people that I have the best job in the world, but I know it’s a lie. I get to travel around the country making people laugh and make them feel differently about the way they work. I love what I do, but it’s only the best job in the world for me. You may shudder at the idea of speaking to thousands of people. That’s good. You don’t have to be like me; you have to be like you.

The workplace is increasingly becoming a place for individuals to shine. We are no longer expected to be just a worker following procedures but a unique individual bringing ideas, passion and our own strengths. It’s a whole new way of working. It’s a whole new way of thinking.

I look at it this way. No matter who you work for, you work for yourself. Someone else may write your paycheck, but every action your take shows people who you are. As you change jobs or move companies, you take that reputation with you. You are building a brand. Our company loyalty is fickle; our people loyalty is intact. We do business with people we like.

Are you in a position that plays to your strengths and lets you be who you really are? I hope you are smiling and saying to yourself, “Of course I am; why is she even asking that?”

If you are not yet following your passion, ask yourself some questions: What comes easily to you? What would you do if you didn’t need the money? How would you like to be remembered?

Whenever I choose a company or an individual to work with — from my hairdresser to my biggest clients — I ask one question. Do you love what you do? It’s my measure of how good they are going to be.

Aileen Bennett is a professional speaker and author who is obsessed with communication. For more information, go to www.thatspeaker.com. She can be reached at aileen@thatspeaker.com.

Article Source:  Building Relationships

However, the quote, in my opinion, is faulty. If everyone acts righteous in personal relationships and no one ever utters I am sorry, when trouble brews, I believe this is a recipe for disaster. Without hearing an apology, the offended person will begin to stew over the issue, there will be a long-term simmering and finally, like a pressure cooker not carefully watched, an explosion will occur.

The same concept is true for business. Everyone is human and sooner or later we will make a mistake, like forgetting to follow-up at a designated time or misunderstanding what the other person meant.

Just as the little things can break up a marriage, so can the little things break up a business relationship. Your best course of action is to take action to avert the stewing, simmering and ultimate explosion.

Rather than indignation, your first reaction should be to immediately utter, I am sorry. Follow that brief statement with, That was not my intention, how can I (we) fix it?

Once you take ownership of a bad situation, strive to fix it. The second part of taking ownership, is to do it with a smile. Your smile will put the other person at ease. Your swift actions will present you as ethical and trustworthy, and when the other person arrives at this conclusion, you will be the vendor of choice for the long-term.

If you dislike apologizing, you can minimize mishaps in the future by taking these steps:

When someone begins to communicate with you, Stop, Listen or Read carefully and Question. Dig deep with questions to get their true meaning.

Learn the rules and processes of the other person for doing business together. Write their list down on paper so that you have it to refer to. Once the list is finished, ask, Is there anything else you would like to add?  This demonstrates, within reason, you are willing to abide by their rules and are truly interested in becoming a model vendor.

The point is, when you begin asking questions, the other party realizes you are interested in working hard on their behalf. The likelihood of conducting business will greatly increase as will the size of the sale.

As in all relationships, business is a two-way street. You are as equally important as the customer. If  the relationship is not 50-50, the person with the lesser percentage loses and will feel lost. This next question will pinpoint whether or not the other party is truly interested in conducting business with you.

Ask, If I abide by your rules and I able to produce everything you require will you seriously consider me or my company for your next vendor?

The above question demands that your prospect be honest about intentions of doing business with you. You are a professional and deserve the respect in return.

By not asking these types of questions due to fear, you are opening yourself up to risk. The risk will be in the form of letting others take advantage of you by leading you on without intent of ever purchasing. Most importantly, you will be wasting too many hours of precious time.

It is critical to get a reading on how interested the other party truly is in working with you. Your income depends upon it and you must know whether you are wasting your time or spending quality time with your prospect building your relationship.

If the getting to know you process is taking far longer than it should, and you begin to have doubts, test the waters of intent. You have every right to do so. Suggest to your prospect they begin with the smallest unit of product or service. Follow this question with the following statement, if it provides you with everything I say I will, may wethen move to larger units for your entire company.

This last statement most often will work to get your prospect off of the fence. If a favorable decision cannot be made on your behalf, it is either time to find someone else in the company who can make a decision or find a better prospect. In the end, you are in control of your destiny. It is up to you to keep pursuing!

Article Source:  New Business Ideas

I am sitting in my local coffee shop (a big brand, not Sbux) and wondering what I want to blog about. I am the only customer sitting in here on a Saturday afternoon, so perhaps the employees forgot about me.  What disturbs me is the LOUD conversation I am hearing behind the counter.

“Wow, can you believe three limos of high school students pulled up the other night after their dance and we had to make a whole bunch of lattes, iced teas, and frozen drinks? It took forever to close!”

“Some huge PTA group came in the other day at 8:30 pm and promised they would help put the chairs back when they were done. They finally left at 9 pm, and the place was a mess.  We didn’t get out of there for ages that night. How rude.”

“Julie was in here and was so drunk, we closed the doors early and put chairs in front of them so no one would come in.”

I am very tempted to stand up and say, “Hey, guys and gals, I write a blog on the customer experience, and I am not too impressed right now!”

I don’t think they realize that every word they are saying reflects on the business. They don’t seem to want to put in a little extra effort to service large orders late at night because it inconveniences them. They don’t seem to be glad that I am here at all; they are too busy with their own “social hour” behind the counter.

You’re On Stage

You can spend a lot of money building up your brand and creating a cool logo. You can market the latest coffee drinks and specials to all your local customers. You can build a fabulous customer loyalty program to reward your best customers.  However, if your employees are not doing their part to support the business, it is all a waste of money.

Great customer service happens every minute, even when no one seems to be looking. At Disneyland, they call their employees Cast Members (CMs) and tell them they are “on stage” whenever they go into any area where their customers (guests) can see or hear them.  A customer’s perception is a critical part of whether their experience is positive or negative.  Every employee contributes to that perception, every minute, regardless of whether they are behind the counter, a rep on the phone, or a member of the cleaning staff.  On that last item, even the janitorial staff at Disney participates in one of the park’s most popular activities, Pin Trading; check out this post from a Disney discussion forum:

At WDW (Walt Disney World) even the janitor CMs had pin lanyards on. The best places we found for pins was at Crystal Palace and Cosmic Ray’s. The manager at Cosmic Ray’s actually got on his radio and requested that all CMs that had lanyards and were available to please come over so a young man could trade with them. Talk about some pixie dust!

Customers Rock! take: Treat your employees like gold, and they will take care of your customers. Hire customer service employees who are people with a passion for serving others.  And remind them all that anytime they are potentially visible or within earshot of customers, they are still “on stage”!

Article Source:  http://amazingserviceguy.com/2709/in-customer-service-you-are-always-on-stage/

More and more customers are going online before AND after they do business with a company. They’re getting smart about using online tools to make the best decision about who they do business with.

To thrive in this new world of connected customers you need to do more than ever to make sure your customers get the experience they want. If you do this well you can leverage the power of online feedback and reviews to grow your business. If you fail at this, the online chatter about your business can tarnish your reputation both online and off.

Here are some tips to put the power of online reviews to work for your business.

1. Make it easy and convenient for your customers to post and read reviews.

If people have to hunt all day for the page where they can enter reviews, they won’t. Or if you make them enter their life history just so they can register, they’ll leave and never come back. Make it obvious how a person can enter their review. And make sure your process is simple, fast and minimally invasive.

A New York movers review and matching site called CityMove does this well. A big button that says “Review a Mover” clearly tells the customer where to start. And they make the registration process part of the feedback, so the customer has fewer steps to go through.

They also make it frightfully easy to see reviews. Their front page lists recent reviews. Customers can also use a search bar or the “Reviews” tab at the top. Easy and convenient will get you more feedback than lengthy and complicated.

2. Respond quickly to ALL reviews (if possible).

Online reviews are an important part of social media. Maybe they’re not as sexy as Twitter and FaceBook but they are popular and useful. And they are social. So treat them as a social interaction. Respond to every comment and review by thanking them. If they cite a problem or complaint, offer to help them. Don’t take the conversation too far right away, unless the customer indicates they want to engage more.

If you are able to respond, do it. Failing to respond to online reviews (or other social media) is like ignoring people when they walk in your store or restaurant.

3. Be clear and specific about what you offer your customers.

Wherever you post information about your company or what you offer, make sure it’s clear, accurate, specific and relevant to your customers. Telling people you are reliable, honest and hard-working will not work. (They expect you to be these things.)

Instead, know what’s important to your customers by asking them. You can also learn what’s important by reading their online reviews. By knowing what’s important to your customers, you can share that with them up front.

This makes it more likely someone will become your customer, because they know you can help them get what they want. And it increases your odds for getting a good online review. You have setup a realistic expectation. All you have to do is deliver on your promise and you should get a positive review.

For example, a highly rated mover on CityMove.com has very specific information on their web page:

• 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE
• WILL GIVE YOU A FLAT RATE RIGHT OVER THE PHONE
• THE FLAT RATE IS ALL INCLUSIVE AND COVERS ANY AND ALL COSTS RELATED TO YOUR JOB (EXCEPT PACKING MATERIAL, BOXES, BUBBLE RAP, ETC. WHICH ARE PROVIDED ONLY AT YOUR REQUEST).
• I HAVE TWO FULLY EQUIPPED (DOLLYS, PADS, TIE-LINES ETC.) 16 FT. TRUCKS AVAILABLE AND VANS.
• PAYMENT IS IN CASH AT THE END OF THE JOB. NO MONEY EXCHANGES HANDS UNTIL ALL YOUR FURNITURE IS IN YOUR HOME AND THE JOB IS COMPLETE.

As a customer, you know what to expect. And you have specific standards to hold this company to. They have made it easy for you to evaluate them before becoming a customer. And they’ve made it easier for you to give them a positive online review (assuming they do everything they said they will.)

Getting positive online reviews is mostly about running a good business and taking care of your customers.  Do that well and you should have online feedback that sends you plenty of business.

Article Source:  http://amazingserviceguy.com/2750/amazing-online-reviews/