Dealing with Unsatisfied Customers

No matter how much we believe we excel at customer service, and indeed we may, at one time or another, most of us will encounter the proverbial "unhappy" customer. They're difficult, unreasonable, close-minded, and unwanted. Or are they?

Avoiding Burnout

Keep The Fire Alive! Avoid Burnout!

by Lotte Struwing, Lasting Solutions

We've just come through a very difficult time for everyone. With the significant cuts and downsizing that have taken place, we've put an extra burden on those left behind.

They not only have suffered by losing colleagues, but they have been asked to pick up extra work - significant in some cases - and may be working totally out of their comfort zone. Since we are down to our leanest teams ever, we need to keep everyone healthy, productive and engaged. While stretching people's capabilities is good for learning and development, keeping them in that zone of discomfort for an extended period of time can lead to burnout. Burnout results when employees experience negative stress over a prolonged period of time.

Keep the Customers you Already Have …

by Terri Plaxton Smith

Well, no matter what the banks and the business tycoons and corporations say about the recent recession, most of the small business owners I know are still feeling the effects of a weakened economy. Many businesses have had to change the way they do business to stay in business. Many others just don’t know what to do. Studies seem to indicate that when the economy slows, many customers will cut back and buy only what they feel they need the very most. That means less customers and less money in your pocket.  So keeping the customers we already have makes a lot of sense!

Is Your Business Ready for HST?

Check out these resources about getting your business ready for HST July 1, 2010.

Should Your New Hire be an Employee or a Subcontractor?

Congratulations! Your business is growing - new customers, new assignments - things are looking pretty good. But how are you going to get this all done? You wish there were more than 24 hours in a day but there aren’t. You know you need to bring someone on board to handle this extra work but should it be an employee or a subcontractor?

How To Grow Your Business Because Of A Recession

Align your mission, activities, deliverables, resources and accountability plan - when these five come together, your business will deliver better results.

SEO & SEM – E-Commerce

Introduction:

It is important to understand that an e-commerce site is identical in many ways to a “bricks & mortar” business. We need to attract buyers, encourage repeat visitors, Encourage ad on sales, offer an engaging shopping experience, provide in-depth product knowledge, clearly define product features & benefits, clearly define any guarantees, handle the transaction is an intuitive, efficient and courteous manor. Like so many systems and processes in our modern society, technology has changed the medium but many of the governing factors have remained constant.

How To Choose A Great Domain Name

Choosing the right domain name is one of those “little things" that can make a big difference in your Internet Marketing. Having the wrong domain name can cost you countless numbers of visitors and PR; something a small business cannot afford to lose. The good news is that this is one of the quickest and easiest things you can do to give your Internet Marketing efforts a big boost.

Advertising

Young businesses often face the age-old dilemma of finding the money to spend on advertising. You know you need to spend money to bring in customers, but you don't have the money to spend until you get those customers. The fact is, you do have to spend something. The good news is, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg. With a little creative thinking, and some effort, you can spend a lot less money.