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It often seems that clients tend to notice the negative. People can go months with good service, but if there is one problem, it can cause fury. It’s just human nature.

But, customers do also notice the positive.

They notice when you treat them well in order to encourage them to become a client, but then continue to once you have won them as a customer.

They notice when you say their urgent order will be shipped on schedule, but you manage to get it ready a day early.

They notice if you acknowledge them as an integral part of your success.

They definitely notice when you are more focused on what’s in it for them, than what’s in it for you.

Not every client complains to you when they are getting less than stellar service. However, they are far more likely to complain to others and even move their business to a competitor.

Conversely, not every client lets you know when you are providing exceptional service to them. But... they are much more likely to remain a client of yours and to recommend your services to their friends.

And that is the best thank you that you can get.

-jenn

What does it mean? Well, I just looked it up on Dictionary.com and the definition listed is “being of high quality.” Seriously, folks? You can’t define a word using the word! But that’s the problem with the word quality.

Ask a business person about their product or service and they will inevitably include the adjective “quality.”

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN??

Sigh. The world may never know.

-jenn

It’s a valid question, and one that really needs to considered.

When you own, or are deeply involved in your business, it’s really difficult to not get wrapped up in it. We often think that people are poring over every word in an ad, or we spend hours trying to make sure we’ve packed in all the information that we want to get across.

But here’s the deal. We are, for the most part, a fast-moving, fast-acting society. We channel surf, we skim, we jump from website to website, we get halfway through a song on our iPods and switch to the next one. How many seconds do we give telemarketers before hanging up? It’s my particular pet peeve, but I’d have to say around 3!

In marketing, it’s our job to “hit em quick, and hit em hard.” They don’t want to know everything about the business...they want to know how the business benefits them. They can get the details later, if they even need them. In fact, are you still reading this, or should I have used a bullet point format? ;)

-jenn

We all know it’s a good thing, but we all need to be reminded. We are such a convenience-based society that we forget about the local businesses and organizations right in our own backyard, and go straight to the big boxes. We recently realized that we could be getting office supplies delivered straight to our door by a local company, instead of taking the time to go to a chain store and dragging all the stuff back to the office. So local can be more convenient! There are so many amazing small businesses and non-profits in our area. Let’s try to remember to utilize and support them as much as possible.

Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it.

-jenn

Social media can be a great thing, and it’s a huge part of society now. But there’s a trend that I’ve noticed. It may be more “fun”, but it’s still marketing and it’s still a way that your business is being represented. I get the feeling that some business people who don’t quite get social media yet are telling the intern or maybe their own teens to start and manage a facebook page for them, and not thinking about the fact that they may need some guidance.

My newsfeed has been filled with everything from a clothing store asking “What’s your favorite candy bar?” to a grocery store constantly posting about how much they dislike a political party, to a newspaper saying “What did you think of the end of the movie Inception when the ****** (I’ll not spoil it for you like they did for me.)?”

I think it’s nice to have fun and get to know your customers, but I also think it’s important to keep it somewhat relevant and to keep it fairly neutral. And don’t worry, people will let you know if you are annoying them, but businesses certainly don’t want it to get to that point, if they can help it. Social media is a great chance to keep your business in people’s faces...just make sure it’s in a good way.

And please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t type in ALL CAPS.

-jenn