Wrong Return Policy for Puppy

No way to treat a dog Watching a woman drive away from your business as she hoists a dead dog through her car’s sunroof won’t win you any marketing awards.

That’s the story from St. Peters, Missouri, as reported by The Associated Press and published in The Record on June 9.

A woman purchased a Chihuahua puppy from a breeder, but the animal died soon after. It caused a scene that no small or solo business owner wants as a headline. The buyer was so angry that she drove to the breeder’s home with the lifeless puppy, forced herself inside, and beat the breeder over the head with the animal.

Threats were yelled by the dissatisfied customer as she drove away waving the dead animal through the sunroof.

It sounds like a story you’d have to see to believe, and deep down, I’m hoping that this story is a hoax. However, we all know that things can go awry when a client isn’t satisfied.

There are clients that will give us a chance to make good on our promises and others who won’t, under any circumstances. The best we can do is to have a terms and conditions or terms of service policy posted on our print materials, Web site, and expressed to clients, face to face, when necessary.

Client interactions aren’t always pleasant, but hopefully you’ll be given a chance to handle problems more tactfully.

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June 12, 2006 | Filed Under Customer Connections, Problems & Solutions, Recent Entries | 2 Comments

Weekend Tips and Tools

1. The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, published an article on June 4 which gives insight on managing business credit. Dun and Bradstreet’s vice president of small business marketing answers the Q&A.

Take your time reading this one (but not too much time, as this free archive lasts until June 18), as someone neglected to separate the paragraphs into Q&A format.

2. Small and solo business owners rack up lots of credit card charges. We buy everything from computers to candy, so we look for credit cards with low interest rates and as many incentives as possible. LowCards.com features the 10 top business credit cards, uncovering rates and other details.

3. Solo Business Marketing unveiled a sample marketing plan this week. It’s a short version showing where a Colorado-based business owner puts her marketing dollars and explains how she fares next to other industries.

Enjoy the next two days. Remember to take your camera to photograph inspiration along the way.

Technorati Tags: Dun and Bradstreet, small business marketing, solo business owner, Solo Business Marketing, sample marketing plan, small business owner

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June 9, 2006 | Filed Under Marketing News, Online Ideas, Recent Entries, Solo Housekeeping | Leave a Comment

Driving Customers Wild with Service

A place for service and satisfaction I’ve owned six cars in my lifetime. It doesn’t matter if that’s more or less than the average person. What does matter is that for the first time, a car dealership proved that I made the right decision to buy with them and work with their team to continue my car’s maintenance.

Last night, John (hubby) and I attended a dinner and new car owners’ program hosted by Toyota of Hackensack (NJ). The event was held at their facility where approximately 35 owners and guests gathered.

We filled our plates with sandwiches, salad, and dessert. The program began on time with a presentation that covered the care and maintenance of our vehicles. We were introduced to each service team member. They stayed throughout the program and spoke with us after the event.

The Toyota team also provided each new car owner with a free oil change coupon and interior protection products. Heaven supplied a rainbow during the presentation, in colors of yellow, red and green, which we viewed through the large, square windows on our right.

In less than one hour, my honey and I exited with satisfaction and smiles.

Small and solo business owners don’t just sell. They captivate clients with post-sales service and a commitment to earning trust and loyalty long after the initial meeting, whether in person or online.

What type of service plan do you offer customers? Here are three ideas to consider:

1. Welcome package by mail with introduction letter, frequently-asked questions brochure, and coupon incentive.
2. Membership club which allows clients to call or Email with questions or comments related to your products or services.
3. Telephone call placed by you every month as a courtesy to follow-up on the client’s investment.

Making the sale is just the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship with your clients. I may not buy another car for many years, but when I do, there’s only one place I’ll consider making a purchase. Can clients say the same about you?

Get Rid of Useless Layers

Pepper looks better without the extra fur I sheared my “sheep” this past weekend. His name is Pepper, and he’s really a dog, part Chow Chow and part something else that no one can determine.

I call him a sheep because his hair is long, thick, and in so many layers that when I’m finished, it’s as though I worked on a real sheep.

Getting rid of Pepper’s excess hair took two days. I have to make the work seem like a game,talking and laughing while I’m cutting and brushing. This keeps his anxiety level low. But if I tug on a knotted hair, he jumps up and won’t allow me to continue.

Grooming Pepper reminds me of marketing. As I’m working on a project, I get rid of steps that are unnecessary. It’s a requirement to ensure that I don’t run around in circles as I approach the finish line.

For example, I’m working on a marketing book that’s due to the publisher by July. This is one of the toughest projects I’ve faced in a long time. As I continue to write, I feel as though I’ve covered some of the same material.

What’s helped me most is typing a brand new table of contents. It outlines the manuscript’s titles and subtitles. With this, I can move forward confidently. This document will also help me to market the book once it’s ready for publication.

Are you working on a project that seems to have too many layers? Sometimes it’s best to stop, break everything up into smaller pieces (so you can see where you’re going), and then continue with a fresh outlook. Try this the next time you get stuck and don’t know which way to turn.

I’ll continue to trim unnecessary layers, whether it’s in my work or on Pepper. Making tasks more manageable makes sense.

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June 5, 2006 | Filed Under Offline Ideas, Problems & Solutions, Recent Entries, Solo Housekeeping | 2 Comments

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